DC’s Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg #1 – Dorado Quick, Drew Maxey, Ricardo Sanchez, Alexis Quasarano, Marv Wolfman, James Reid, Zipporah Smith, Calvin Kasulke, Writers; M.L. Sanapo, Marianna Ignazzi, Aaron Conley, Marcial Toledano Vargas, Paul Pelletier/Norm Rapmund, Francesco Francavilla, Andrew Drilon, Anthony Marques, Artists; Arif Prianto, Giovanna Niro, Ivan Plascencia, Eren Angiolini, Wil Quintana, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Amid many other delights of the season, DC’s annual holiday special is always fun. How do the eight stories here shake out?
“Santa’s Oath” by Quick and Sanapo has a highly unusual team-up – John Stewart and Mrs. Claus. John has never quite felt the Christmas spirit, seeing how hard his single mother worked to provide for them without help from Santa, but when Mrs. Claus (filling in for her husband while Santa fights giant evil armors) gets robbed by Toyman, he puts aside his skepticism to help this old woman who he doesn’t exactly believe is what she says she is. This is a fun, earnest story with some surprisingly emotional moment along the way.
“Secret Santa” by Mxey and Ignazzi is surprising – the first full-on Secret Six reunion in a long time, with the original roster (minus Cheshire and plus Jeanette the Banshee) teaming up for a Christmas eve heist. This story is narrated by Bane, with the cynical Santa Priscan bruiser giving his thoughts on his flawed, chaotic teammates. The reveal of what is in the box they’re stealing packs a nice punch, if it’s maybe a bit too sentimental, but I guess even hired killers get to have a Merry Christmas.
“Ghosts of Christmas Present” by Sanchez and Conley finds John Constantine drinking at the bar on Christmas Eve, only to be visited by an evil trickster doppelganger of himself, who plunges him into his worst nightmare – a Hallmark Christmas movie. He has to save a beautiful young woman full of the Christmas spirit from demons, and she rewards him by trying to give him a perfect Christmas – even as more and more horrors show up. This darkly funny tale feels a little broad at times, but is perfectly Constantine.
“It’s a Criminal Life” by Quasarno and Vargas lets Joker take the lead, as the Clown Prince of Crime fights Robin, winds up back in Arkham, escapes, and wonders if he’s still got it. He plans to jump off a bridge – and is saved by his own personal Guardian Robin. An undead Jason Todd tries to take Joker to a world where he was never born and teach him to be a good person…and fails miserably, as Joker manages to take every situation and turn it into something awful. It’s darkly funny in places, but Joker just doesn’t work as a lead character.
“Deadman Walking” by Wolfman and Pelletier brings the legendary writer back for a Deadman tale, as the spirit of Boston Brand visits a small Pennsylvania town on the verge of its mine closing and putting countless people out of work. But an explosion on closing night leaves two miners trapped, their wives outside praying for a miracle. Deadman, jumping between the interior and exterior of the mine, manages to unite everyone and kick off a miracle rescue. Very emotional story, but also a great use of his powers. Wolfman is still a master of the DCU.
“Silent Nite” by Reid and Francavilla is a silent tale focusing on the original Dr. Mid-Nite, set during the 1940s. Mid-Nite pursues a thief, only to find it’s a desperate man stealing medicine for his sick daughter. He’s trying to negotiate a solution when the police burst in and make a bad situation worse, leaving McNider to try to pick up the pieces not as a superhero, but as a doctor. This isn’t really a holiday story, but it’s brilliantly illustrated with a really powerful message, and a great spotlight for a hero who’s long gone.
“The Perfect Gift” by Snith and Drilon turns the focus on Vixen and her long-distance relationship with Bronze Tiger, as the legendary martial artist is back in town and Mari is trying to find the perfect gift for him. Covering the 12 days of Christmas, she seeks help from everyone she meets – ranging from an on-the-job undercover Bruce Wayne to a very annoyed Livewire who is in the process of being captured. This story has a sitcom-y vibe, but is a lot of fun and it’s great to see these two back together.
“O Glowy Night” by Kasulke and Marques closes us out with a Superman story, as Superman captures Toyman – and finds himself afflicted with an odd condition. He can’t stop glowing, turning himself into a human strobe light and providing big complications for his secret identity. He tracks down each of his villains, thinking they’re behind it – but the actual culprit is rather funny and also makes perfect sense. This is a light, low-stakes story that feels a lot like an updated Silver Age tale.
Overall, this is one of the stronger anthologies DC has done in a while. Eight great holiday tales without any real misses.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
