On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas I saw on DVD… the Justice League episode “Comfort and Joy”

On the heels of the successes of Batman the Animated Series and Superman the Animated Series, a new series comprised of DC’s premiere superhero team the Justice League debuted on Cartoon Network. Justice League continued Warner Brother’s and Bruce Timm’s animated DC universe by bringing in new interpretations of classic characters and huge story-lines involving some of the biggest super-villains around. Most importantly, Justice League continued to deliver the great writing that made the preceding shows so amazing.

  “Comfort and Joy” begins with Superman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Hawkgirl, Flash and Martian Manhunter helping save an otherworldly civilization from certain doom. Once the threat was taken care of, the group adjourns to celebrate Christmas in their own ways. The episode is split between three storylines; one involves the Flash, the next Superman and Martian Manhunter and the final one Green Lantern and Hawkgirl.

Green Lantern shows Hawkgirl, a warrior from the planet Thanagar, what the Earth holiday means to him. After an epic snowball fight involving each using their powers, Hawkgirl takes Green Lantern to a distant world to show him what she considers a good time. They end up in a bar full of various types of extra-terrestrials. This good time that Hawkgirl was talking about is to start a massive bar brawl, in which every creature joyfully takes part. In the end, the experience clearly brings John Stewart and Hawkgirl closer together, as the series continually hints that they end up together.

Flash goes home to Central City to visit an orphanage. The kids desperately want a sold out toy called DJ Rubber Ducky, an electronic doll that talks and makes farting noises in the form of a dance beat. Flash vows to get the toy for the kids and eventually manages to get one from the manufacturer in Japan. On his way back to the orphanage, Flash encounters a museum being wrecked by the Ultra-Humanite, a giant albino gorilla with the brain of a mad scientist. In their fight, Ultra-Humanite falls onto and breaks the DJ Rubber Ducky toy. Seeing how disappointed Flash is about the predicament, Ultra-Humanite helps rebuild the toy.

Feeling alone and out of place during the festive yuletide season, Martian Manhunter is brought with Superman to Smallville to spend Christmas with his parents. Still feeling like he doesn’t belong, Martian Manhunter goes around the town to see how everyone interacts and celebrates. During this time, he discovers that the warmth and joy of the season is extended to him and that even a lonely Martian can find his place.  

This Christmas episode really went above and beyond for me. There is so much to love about “Comfort and Joy.” There are great little moments within, such as learning that Ma and Pa Kent still use lead wrapping paper on Clark’s gifts so he can’t peek and a great callback to Martian Manhunter’s love of chocolate sandwich cookies from the comics. More importantly, “Comfort and Joy” really encapsulates the ideas of Christmas to me. Every time I watch it, I am left with a good feeling.

 

On the Merry Meter I give “Comfort and Joy” a full 10 out of 10.

This concludes my Twelve Days of Christmas cartoon episode reviews. I hope you liked them. It was fun to watch many of these over again, some of them I hadn’t seen in many years! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas. (And for those who don’t celebrate Christmas, have a good December 25^th anyway.)

Stay strange everyone.