Top 5 Christmas comic books

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and everyone is looking to cash in on the Christmas cheer. Every medium makes some attempt to milk the Christmas cash cow and comic books are no different. Over the years there have been comic book tie-ins to almost every major holiday but as with everything else there are some that stand out from the pack. So if you are looking to get your Christmas cheer on this year these are the top five comic books that will get your chestnuts roasted and your bells jingled.

5. Spider-Man Blue

If you have never read a single Spider-Man book before this could very well be the best starting point. Spiderman Blue is part of the Jeph Loeb/ Tim Sale super series that also holds claim to Captain America White. The entire book looks at Peter Parker’s relationships with the people in his life, specifically the women. It set around Christmas and looks at the lives of young people in New York in the holidays. It looks beautiful and contains every drop of emotion you could want from a Christmas story. This is a must over the holidays.

4. Gotham Central Volume Two

The Joker ruins Christmas and only the valiant members of the Gotham City Police Department can stop him. It sounds like some classic comic book action right? That’s because Gotham Central Volume Two is exactly that. It’s about Joker at his most sinister, perverting the greatest of holidays in Gotham. The narrative is solid as Ed Brubaker steps in to craft something that feels like an action packed Christmas spectacular to rival the likes of Die Hard. If you want a bit of action over Christmas there is nowhere better to turn

3. Superman: Peace On Earth

Every comic book fan should love Alex Ross. He is the only artist capable of recreating the beauty and campy goodness of the golden and silver age in stunning painted quality. So when he and teams up with Paul Dini, famous for the Batman animated series, to create a Christmas book you can probably understand why half the comic book community lost their minds. Peace on Earth is about Superman trying to create a world without hunger for a day. It feels like a great combination concept and character that makes for a book that is both heart-warming and deeply emotional.

2. Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol

The final two entries on this list are both based on Dickens’ classic Christmas tale. I don’t know why but this story seems to resonate with the western world at this time of the year. As there have been so many fantastic retellings it hasn’t taken too long for the world of Comics to crack out some truly insane interventions on the story. Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol is the weirdest and craziest of the Christmas Carol retellings you will find on any comic book store’s shelves. The story is basically about Scrooge learning how to fight a zombie invasion with the help of the three ghosts of Christmas and the other characters from the story of Scrooge. It’s hilarious and surprisingly action-packed, a good Christmas romp all round.

1. Batman: Noel

If there were ever a comic book character that needed to learn the true meaning of Christmas, I’m pretty sure it would be Batman. Noel is Lee Bermejo’s attempt to marry Batman with A Christmas Carol and it is possibly the greatest piece of work by a sole creator in the industry. This piece is an odyssey into Batman’s soul: it is harsh and harrowing while also showing how the Dark Knight’s relationships are affected by his persona. The finale is heart-warming and filled with the warmth of the holiday of course, but it also has a sadness to it that gives it a punch found in few comics. This piece recreates the stunning imagery of A Christmas Carol in a way that nothing else can to a modern audience. If you need something to fill you with holiday cheer this year, you will find it in Batman: Noel