The other “shoppers” make Black Friday look like Black Sunday overall, it’s a cute, animated story that uses Jubilee’s mallrat origins to satirize the worst of the Christmas consumer culture.Īside from that requisite bit of superhero action, the rest of the stories are slice-of-life (or in the case of Iceman’s white elephant party, ice-of-life) tales about Marvel’s merry mutants. The stocking holding all these stuffers together is an overarching story by Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, and Marco Failla about Jubilee and her son Shogo trapped in a supervillain’s murder mall. Even if all the stories don’t land, the fact that The Merry X-Men Holiday Special gives equal page time to Deadpool and Nature Girl means there’s something for every X-Fan here. The X-Men open presents and spend time with their loved ones, but there are also awkward family visits, Secret Santas, and B-list supervillains to contend with.

The sheer number of characters and creators involved results in a comic that captures all the complex emotions December brings on a one-horse open sleigh. “One page, one character, one creative team” is a big gimmick for the, um, one-shot, but it works remarkably well. What I’m getting at is, ‘tis the season for your favorite franchise’s obligatory holiday special, and if you’re looking for a new one, why not try the comic with a “Merry X-Mas” pun right in the title? The Merry X-Men Holiday Special arrives as a kind of illustrated Advent calendar, counting down the days to Christmas with one-page stories featuring a different X-Man, by creators ranging from Chris Claremont to Charlamagne Tha God.

What’s your favorite holiday special? Does your family gather every year for A Charlie Brown Christmas, or A Rugrats Chanukah? Have you re-watched Christmas at Pee-Wee’s Playhouse lately? That shit is wild. “Hot claws roasting over an open fire, Iceman nipping at your nose…” Merry X-Men Holiday Special #1 Various Artists and Writers, VC’s Travis Lanham (Letterer)

Leah williams chris claremont