Christmas with Batman
(6 minutes reading time)
Batman can be grim, dark, tortured and driven with rage. Possibly why I like him. But he can also be a bright, righteous joy. Christmas is a time for spreading the love so here’s a list of Christmas themed Batman cheer.
Christmas with The Joker
Batman The Animated Series, Season 1, Episode 2
The first explicitly Christmas episode of the series. It sees the Joker making a yuletide escape on a Christmas tree rocket from Arkham. He is even singing a version of Jingle Bells that most kids today know:
Jingle bells Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost a wheel
And The Joker got away!
It features a rare appearance from Robin who tries to enliven Batman’s unmoved attitude on Christmas Eve. He convinces Bruce to watch A Wonderful Life with him as he’s never seen it. To Dick this is equivalent to never seeing Star Wars. As a plot point I found it weak as I’ve never seen it either. It’s an American pop-culture reference that non-Americans can’t quite relate with. Like A Charlie Brown Christmas - which I have seen.
Other than opening with the Christmas tree escape and finishing with a well deserved, peaceful viewing of A Wonderful Life, it’s a pretty standard caper for the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. But it’s a beautifully gift wrapped episode that brings cheer.
Heart of Ice
Batman The Animated Series, Season 1, Episode 14
Not specifically to do with Christmas, but it’s a bittersweet tale set in a crime induced winterscape. A triumphant reboot of Mr Freeze’s origins.
Freeze is a cold-hearted killer driven by a desperation for the warm love of his in-statis wife. An amazing transformation from the cartoon baddie incarnations of before. It’s the realisation he’s broken hearted that makes this an evocative story.
Batman Arkham Origins: Cold, Cold Heart DLC
Another Mr Freeze and this time you get to act out pretty much the same story as Heart of Ice. The main Batman Arkham Origins game was the least involving of the Arkham series. I have to confess that I haven’t even finished Cold, Cold Heart but that’s only because Batman Arkham Knight and a new PS4 has supplanted it for my attention. I would love to go back and conclude things with Mr Freeze.
Batman Returns
Set during the Christmas period, this 1992 follow up to Tim Burton’s excellent Batman is a glorious return. It was however also Tim Burton’s downfall as the overtly sexual undertones and proclivity for black leather spooked Warner Bros off him. They struggled to sell toys of an S&M dominatrix and an ugly little monster.
Even so the film is beautiful and the characters are outlandish despite the tough act to follow in Jack Nicholson’s Joker. I actually prefer this second act of the Burton series. It’s my Batman equivalent of The Empire Strikes Back.
Batman Returns SNES
I remember having my SNES during the winter of my first year at uni. One of the many games I picked up for this superb videogame console in its twilight was Batman Returns.
Hailed for the gigantic sprites and buttery smooth animation, the two features Konami were renowned for. Konami made a fun sideways scrolling beat ‘em up. The gameplay itself doesn’t compare to the likes of Streets of Rage though. The responsiveness wasn’t as sharp and it was too harshly easy to die.
But it’s still great for being a half decent Batman game on the SNES and set perfectly for Christmas.
Batman Noël
Finally something Batman related that you can read rather than watch or play. Batman Noël by Lee Bermejo is an adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Bermejo collaborated with Brian Azzarello on the Joker graphic novel. It’s clear though that Bermejo is an exquisite artist but not a strong writer. It’s a clumsy retelling of a Dickens classic but you’ll appreciate the artwork nontheless.
Batman Adventures Holiday Special
A truly beautiful book with several Christmas tales of The Animated Series. The best in here again features Mr Freeze.
I almost forgot that I even had this book and rediscovered it in my research. There are a couple of touching moments where both our hero and the villain encounter the headstones of their loved ones.
For Batman he continues to strive for justice. For Freeze he is simply frozen with sadness.
Holiday Knights
Batman The Animated Series, Series 4, Episode 1
This episode is actually an adaptation of the stories in the Batman Adventures Holiday Special mentioned above. Well all except for the Mr Freeze one that is. The highlight features Harley and Ivy. Our sirens incapacitate Bruce Wayne and kidnap him off to a department store. He is then forced to witness through gritted teeth their Christmas “shopping” spree.
Batman Legends of the Dark Knight: Snow
One that I have queued up on the iPad to read. This one seems to again feature Mr Freeze (are you sensing a theme here?). I bought this on recommendation from Jake Hales. The artwork of Seth Fisher looks pretty and enticing.
And it has Batman on skis wearing ear warmers.
Update
It is another retelling of Mr Freeze’s origins. This time with more of a lead-up to the event itself than I’d seen before. We even get to see his beloved Nora alive and not so well. The artwork did not disappoint and the characters involved were interesting.
Christmas Jumper
I actually got this last year and it was quite a hunt as it had sold out most places. An obscure skater/rock wear shop in Norwich had it though and delivered well before Christmas. Wearing this means winning Christmas.
Invasion of the Secret Santas!
Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Season 3, Episode 4
An episode guest starring Red Tornado. It doesn’t hit the high notes of The Animated Series probably due to the lighter tone in nature. Still it’s undeniably Christmas themed.
A Charlie Brown Christmas Special
OK this is not a Batman thing at all but I’ve already mentioned it along with Empire Strikes Back. I’m also hoping to spread the word on A Charlie Brown Christmas as not many in the UK are aware of it. The music is heart warmingly excellent and will stay with you even if the film doesn’t.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!