BRONZE AGE MINUTE: Funny Stuff Stocking Stuffer #1
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Title: “Christmas Comes But Once… Next Year!”
Synopsis: A madcap gang of anthropomorphic friends team to free Santa Claus and save Christmas from the Groundhog’s takeover plot.
Writers (story): Jim Engel and Mike Tiefenbacher
Writer (additional dialogue): Paul Kupperberg
Artists: Engel, Tiefenbacher and Chuck Fiala
Review: While there’s a long tradition of Christmas comics, the industry had mostly lost its seasonal joy by the late Bronze Age. Sadly, this spirited effort failed to recapture the magic. Despite a fun plot and solid cartooning, this one-shot misses the nice list due to indistinct characters and at-times-cringey dialogue.
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Title: “Ice Is Nice”
Synopsis: A popcorn-seasoning mishap finds Doodles Duck trapped outside on Christmas Eve, head encased in ice.
Writer: Mike Tiefenbacher
Penciler: Tiefenbacher
Inker: Dave Bennett
Review: This slight, silly story captures the zaniness of classic Saturday morning cartoons, but is largely a forgettable confection.
Grade (for the entire issue): B-
Cool factor: It’s a Christmas comic!
Not-so-cool factor: It’s not a particularly good Christmas comic!
Notable: Also contains two illustrated craft-project pages, with art by Chuck Fiala and Jim Engel.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a $1.60 Canadian variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Henceforth, Groundhog Day will be the big holiday, just as it always should have been!” – The Groundhog, after taking over the North Pole and canceling Christmas
Copyright ©2024 Off the Wahl Productions, all rights reserved. Each week, T. Andrew Wahl offers up a Bronze Age Minute. For more reviews like this one, check out Wahl’s website, offthewahl.com.
