Current music:	Andy Williams ~ "Happy Holidays"
Entry tags:	char: batwoman/kate kane, char: green lantern/kyle rayner, creator: christian alamy, creator: greg rucka, creator: michael jan friedman, creator: roger robinson, publisher: dc comics, theme: holidays, title: dc holiday special, title: dcu holiday bash, title: infinite holiday special

Hanukkah begins today, so I figured now's as good a time as any to start posting from my collection of DC holiday specials.

We begin with a Green Lantern story from DCU Holiday Bash #1 (1997), "The Vessel", written by Michael Jan Friedman, with art by Roger Robinson and Phyllis Nowlin. About three and a third pages from ten.

So, Kyle's invited to join in at a Hanukkah service by his neighbor Nathan and his sister. He's a little late after cleaning up an oil spill, and didn't even get a chance to charge his ring, but he makes it all the same, and even gets to spout some general knowledge about the Maccabees to the sister.


He just doesn't believe in miracles himself. Funny for a guy who wear a ring that can do anything!



They enter the synagogue and find that it's been ransacked, spray-painted swastikas and Nazi phrases everywhere. But worse yet,



Kyle goes to work quickly, recognizing the spray paint cans left behind as an unusual brand sold at only one shop in town (it not quite as weird as all that, the guy is an artist after all, but convenient nonetheless). The owner there is outraged when he hears what happened, but has the most likely buyer on his mailing list, so he give the address quickly. "Thank God for small favors," as Kyle puts it.

Kyle makes it to the guys, with their Nazi flags on the wall, and the vessel in their hands, and gets ready to do some heroing!


The guys close in for the kill, but suddenly, a horse-construct charges out of Kyle's ring! It's working again!



The day is saved, everyone is happy, and our hero has learned something!


The next story, starring Batwoman, is from the Infinite Holiday Special (2006), "Lights", written by Greg Rucka, with art by Christian Alamy. Three and a third pages of ten.

Kate has gone to a rare bookseller to track down a Hanukkah gift for her father, a first edition copy of The Big Sleep. Rucka seems to have a fetish for old edition Chandler novels as gifts, if you remember Officer Down, or maybe Kate and Renee just both think along the same lines that way? Or maybe Rucka's sending subtle messages to friends and family wondering what kind of gifts to get him?

Anyway, we pick up with the bookseller delivering these lines over images of Nazis tearing up a Polih family's home in '39:
"I don't believe in miracles, Katya. I haven't for over six decades. I'm sorry, but I don't. I can't."



Anyway, Kate delivers the present, then takes out her own holiday blues by beating up some burglars dressed in Santa outfits. Something catches her eye among their haul.



She gets where the menorah came from out of one of the burglars (with a little batarang stuck in his forehead!) then turns them all in.



"He made it for his children. He made it to celebrate a miracle," Kate says as Manya turns to light the candles herself.

As Kate leaves, she passes the family whose menorah she returned, then turns and throws a smile our way before walking off into the sunset snow.



There was a Ragman story in last week's DCU Holiday Special 2009, but it was only three pages. The first two are pretty much a summary of the story of the Maccabees intercut with Ragman fighting criminals, so here's the third. (credits are on the page)

Tomorrow: Have a wonderful X-mas with the Amazing Amazon!