Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas: Day One

I started a new Christmas tradition for myself about two years ago by reading through as many holiday-related comic books as possible during the month of December. I've amassed quite a reading list, so I'm usually knocking back three or four books a day. I figured I'd share my twelve favorite with my blog starting today as I count down to Christmas Day.

For my first selection, it's one I've actually covered here before in my Top 5 Single Issue Stories. It almost feels like a cheat to use it again, but it's one of my absolute favorite Flash stories of all time, holiday or not, so I have to!

 

 The Flash #73

"One Perfect Gift"

February 1993

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Greg LaRocque

Mark Waid was really big into building up the legacy of the Speedsters and I feel like it really kicks into gear here with issue #73. The last page of this tale kicks off "The Return of Barry Allen" storyline, which I firmly believe to be one of the best Flash tales ever written!

 

I made a quick, spoiler-less summary in my previous post, so I'll just leave that here:

 

It's Christmas Eve and Jay Garrick and Wally West hit the town to do some regular good deeds (soup kitchen, shoveling snow) and help prevent one man from making the mistake of his life. It's heartfelt, warm and exciting. Mark Waid is the architect of bringing the Flash's supporting characters together and making it a family book and, to me, this issue is where that can all be traced. Just about the perfect holiday book.

Check back tomorrow for Day Two!