In honor of the holidays, we are revisiting some of our favorite holiday-themed comic books. There are newer books and some that have been around for a while, featuring superheroes and monster hunters, all wrapped up in the magic of the season.  

Marvel Comics; $1.50 

Elsewhere in this week’s edition I address my particular love of the Christmas story in Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #10, which I first discovered in this volume, but that suggested that I look at Marvel Treasury Edition #8 (Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag) as a whole as well. 

For new readers, the Treasury-sized comics from Marvel and DC were a spectacular way to discover some of the previous adventures and backstories of great characters. They were gateways to both the Marvel and DC universes.  

For established readers, they provided the opportunity to see favorite tales in a larger format. They not only showcased the work bigger than had been seen, in that mostly pre-trade paperback era, they gave the feeling of increased permanence. 

As the Grab-Bag subtitle suggests, this is not an issue themed by title. Rather, it was a mix of characters and stories. In addition to the Nick Fury adventure, the stories came from Amazing Spider-Man #24, Hero for Hire #7, Incredible Hulk #147, and Doctor Strange #180. This gave the reader a diverse line-up of top and secondary characters. 

The mix of stories isn’t a natural, but it works. The Christmas-oriented Fury and Luke Cage stories and the New Year’s Eve date for Doctor Strange and Clea are solidly on-theme, but the Spidey and Hulk tales fit in, too.  

This issue kicked off my love of Christmas stories, whether from Marvel or DC, Archie or Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal. And it’s why I jumped at the chance to write the Golden Age, Silver Age, and modern Blue Beetles in “Christmas with The Beetles” in the DCU Holiday Special 2008 #1. 

Marvel would come back with a sequel to this December 1975 cover-dated issue with Marvel Treasury Edition #13 (cover-dated January 1976).  

– J.C. Vaughn