Meanwhile, Santa's body is dragged through the snow, slowly, as we see the trail lead all the way to a church, where a figure clad in a white wedding dress is banging on the door, saying she must immediately be the new Mrs. Santa Claus, and lamenting she must leave her old life of newspaper reporter Lois Lane behind.
I feel like Hal's just so incompetent the ring got sick of him and went to John Stewart. Like they made this guy a Green Lantern when soap is more of a threat to him than criminals.
Things we got from this: The orgin of Red Tarnado's Air Nomad garb, Santa is goddamn dead, Hal is a klutz, Green Arrow should sound like H. Jon Benjamin, Phantom Stranger is DC's Tuxedo Mask, John Stewart gets character development, in this? Okay, and The Key did a thing (First time I saw the Key was in Justice League Heroes video game, but it was his 2000's redesign so I had no clue who the hell that Del Toro lookin' freak came from lol) Oh yeah, today's my B-Day, so i'm thankful for this gift!
Wait, does anybody remember how in the Injustice comics Bruce yells at Clark that he killed Ollie, their most moral friend? Well now we know that Bruce has a terrible long term memory.
Read this one as a kid. Think it was the first JLA story I ever read. This story introduced me to my favorite Justice League tropes of the Len Wein era: the individual members don't always show up to the call because they have their own stuff to do, and the League is more of a collection of cliques than a unified team. Ollie's ragging on John just because he isn't Hal. Batman and Superman really only hang out with each other and/or Wonder Woman.
I think Sasha’s Canadian, so, I’m allowing it. In my mind at least. I’m American, and we once had a southern President that often talked about our “NuKear Ahsenel” on National Television, so...yeah.
I love how in 1:59 they bolded the words "More Personal" to make it clear that they were about to bonk, before Bruce cock-blocked them with the communicator.
1) If Barry is in the future, did he double check to make sure he wouldn’t be needed - for anything-in the present timeline that day? If he didn’t, it makes his absence even more egregious. 2) So John Stewart, the only black person in the JL group, notices that the orphanage is dilapidated and in need of repair while Batman (rich person and orphan), Superman (godlike being and also orphan) and Green Arrow (quintessential bleeding heart liberal) completely miss this? Assume its ok for kids to live in a crummy building? I don’t know if the writer realized what a sick burn of everybody but John that was.
The Phantom Stranger is the magical version of the Stranger in Black wandering into a story and fixing things. He is also an example of how if a character is cool enough you don’t need an explanation.
That's to hide its location. Central City and Metropolis don't have poor people, and Gotham and Star Cities are nothing but slums. Sort of like when Marvel makes up pretend "suburbs" like "Queens" and "Westchester".
My jaw drops when I see a lot of things from that time. If you want to see a cringeworthy episode of Bewitched, check out Sisters at Heart. It's so well meaning, but the jokes are horrible ("We're having integrated turkey. White meat and dark". ). One Christmas I had a bunch of my friends over ( all black coincidently) and they wanted to watch it. I'm not sure if they really wanted to watch it, or if they got a kick out of me being so uncomfortable thinking they would be uncomfortable. Like I said the episode is well meaning (It was actually written by underprivileged kids and then "punched up' by the professionals who didn't improve it with their terrible "jokes". ) and it's an interesting time capsule , but like this comic , it is a product of it's time. Not a time I think I would be comfortable going back to. Sorry to ramble.
Superman: "If only the Flash were here so he could test the key in every door!' Batman: "Don't you also have super-speed on par with the Flash?" Superman: "uhhh..." Red Tornado: "We could just use Green Lantern magic" Superman: "Yeah, yeah! That's it! We'll do that!"
I have a sinking suspicion that once you get past the excellent Adams/Grell/Giordano artwork, the "Hard Traveling Heroes" era of Green Lantern/Green Arrow does NOT hold up well! If Sasha wants to review those Bronze Age stories, I am so ready!
I never found those issues very interesting. What I came away from those issues was - Green Arrow is a pontificating, know nothing, hypocritical jerk. The other was - why does Green Lantern stick around this guy and consider him a friend? Go hang out with your other good buddy, the Flash. Also, who the hell abandons a 16 year old kid, not even giving him money to survive on, to go on a wild-ass road trip to prove that Green Lantern doesn't know the first thing about caring? I liked Green Arrow before he grew the beard. I think the beard sucked out the braincells out of his head. He has never been right since.
@@davidmcmahon4633 I think Ollie looks more distinctive and interesting with the beard, but it's not worth the brain cell depletion such a good looking beard seems to cause. Also, if I got to share adventures with a Justice League member and I had to choose between Flash and Green Arrow -- of course I'm choosing Flash!
Sounds like Dinah has some pretty impressive seamstress skills to put together a costume that would hold up to all the wear and tear Red Tornado would put it through.
Read this a 9-year old. I loved all of Len Wein's JLA stories. In my opinion, he was the best satellite era writer. Also any cover by Nick Cardy is a win! Phantom Stranger had just been inducted as a member earlier in the year -- though he never officially accepted his membership. This was a way of showing that he was a member. I don't think he was shown as a member again after Wein departed.
3:05 😭🤣 well it is just called a power ring, no instructions on where to wear it 🤷♂️they dont necessarily have to be worn on your finger... As proven by multiple alien lanterns
THIS is the very first issue of JLA that I ever got! I still have it sans the cover. It introduced me to the JSA as well and I love it. BTW , the Key was a Golden Age enemy of the JSA in his first appearance in the Golden Age which was in the Golden Age. Of comics .
@@jonathonriddle9922 Or >picture this< the Doctor receives a distress call, lands, only to discover it’s Mongo, the planet that IS a Green Lantern!!! Meanwhile, Bill and the Pilot are zipping around the Galaxy, when they happen upon multiple GL’s under attack. Roll opening credits, and write your own mystery/adventure...
@@Awestefeld6612 Read it! Even had a flashback w/ fourth Doctor meeting Kirk & Spock! There was also a Star Trek/X-Men crossover. Proteus resurrects Gary Mitchell. Humorous highlight: someone pages Dr. McCoy. Two guys answer. But still...No Green Lantern crossover!!! Grrrrr...😒 Womp, womp. Say...Futurama’s not busy...
The Key supposedly dying from an illness was something they did with The Joker in a storyline called The Last Laugh where after a brain scan doctors lied to Joker that he had a terminal brain tumour hoping to scare him into reforming. But instead he went on a rampage as he often does and mixed metahuman power dampening chemicals with his Joker venom to make people like him with white skin, green hair and the like.
I was given this very comic one Christmas Eve when I was a boy so I could have something to read and enjoy during the grownups' Xmas party. So, thanks for the review, Sasha, and Merry Christmas. ♥️🎄😘
Ralphie very nearly became Earth’s first Green Lantern, having narrowly missed shooting his eye out. But, alas, he succumbed to soap poisoning later in life! I had this issue as a kid, and remember thinking Red Tornado’s new costume looked “snazzy”, for pajamas! Phantom Stranger’s appearance, while plot convenient, was not unusual for this era. New Green Lantern? Cool. Also, DC hardly had any Black characters yet. Teen Titans had Mal Duncan, and that was it. Bumble Bee and Black Lightning came a few years later. The older JLA and Golden Age reprint stories were always a plus...
The Christmas episode of The Brave and the Bold with Red Tornado is an absolute treasure. Can't wait for one of the Marvel Christmas tales, this year. Or maybe Franklin Richards' Calvin and Hobbes Lite adventures on Thanksgiving?
That's what I was thinking. The Flash could return a split second after he left. And that thing with the gas... doesn't Batman carry a mask for just such situations?
Whimsy and wavy hair. 😁 Hal makes backup plans because he knows he is clumsy.... until he forgets in the next issue. Hal always baffles me and his baffle curse bled over to the Justice League in this issue.
Tuxedo Mask-I mean- The Phantom Stranger lives in the Save our Heroes from Parallel Deus ex machina Land. Where they live until they are called upon for plot convenience.
The tenements that John Stewart restored most likely are full of things that buildings of that era that are not used today; like asbestos, lead pipes and lead paint. Interestly, this story was featured in Comic Book Resources Groovy 1970s Christmas Stories Advent Calendar for today. Nice synchronicity Sasha. And why was there a bar of soap on the floor outside of Hal's shower?
I mean the League could have been bailed out by the Spectre and the Key wouldn't have reappeared ever again. I imagine the Key being turned into a saltlick and left out in the woods or being blown up himself. The villain should be thanking The Source that the Phantom Stranger showed up.
+ .....uuuuhhhh, just what was wrong with crossing your arms??? hunh???? Cross dem arms woman!!!! PEACE dear sister, our whims took us on another AWESOME comic book journey. You know some of those "old school" stories are just place holders, really "nic-knack" tales with rarely any consequence, well THIS one had Red Tornado's new costume, but that's the exception. Alright ?uzzler, I see you,....stop dozing in those 'specs, they're expensive. God bless.
Short answer: Because Bob Kanigher, that's why. Long answer: Probably best and more entertaining if Sasha does a video on that, suffice to say that Kanigher gives Iris Russell West Allen a time-displaced riff on Superman's origin.
2:26 "..a certain urban ghetto.." I was actually living in one of those NYC "ghettos" when this comic book came out and it was a pretty good life. The big problem was that manufacturing jobs were leaving the USA, and that landlords weren't held accountable to provide needed services. Certainly I can say that the people of the community were wonderful. The problem of the ghetto were the people who lived outside the ghetto. When I had lived in a small town I could go to church, grocery store or the playground and see the local police, firefighters, public school teachers etc RIGHT THERE next to me. But in the ghetto the "professional class" came in to do an 8 hour shift and then drive to back home to THEIR community. If you live in a community where ALL of the teachers, police, firefighter, postal workers, doctors, nurse and so on refuse to live in the community they are suppose to be serving then you live in a ghetto! All I can advise is "The Ghetto? Don't let it happen to YOU!" support and work for laws ules that have local residency requirements for the professional class.
At 4:24 the ultimate in dumb exposition. Batman: A TRAPDOOR! Black Canary: WE'RE .. FALLING...! (Hang on... why are Superman & Red Tornado & Green Lantern Falling? & who just leaves a bar of soap on their bathroom floor at home. Is this a Chekhov's gun thing? Is it all the Christmas dream of a boy holding a Snow Globe?) Sorry Sasha but the I in Calliope is pronounced like the first person pronoun - Greek. (Please excuse my presumption) 7:40 THWA-RA RAMMM - one of the more bizarre Ghetto exploding sound effects. I dig when you don't edit out things like the arm crossing. Sasha! Wishing for you & yours a Joyous Christmas season & a Happy & Healthy 2021! love Steve Holliday
Hey Sasha thanks for being one of the bright spots of 2020 for me. Your comic book content has always been there to help make a less than stellar day much better! I hope you have a fantastic holiday season and can't wait to see how the channel continues to evolve next year!
At 4:46... "a door opens and they go through to a circus "cal-ee-opie"... Sasha, that's a "cuh-LIE-oh-pee." Sorry for the catch! Ha! No biggie, gawd knows how many times I've screwed up on saying something! Love your perspective and insights. Happy Holidays!
Doesn’t Superman HIMSELF have super speed? I know he’s not as fast as or faster than the Flash... but it’s baffling he seemed to forget he too has super speed.
Superman was really big on letting everyone else do something so that they wouldn't feel like useless 5th wheels. Which the Justice League movie happened to show us all that Superman doesn't need the JL at all. They're his equivalent of the Legion of Substitute Heroes. :-)
I know that I loved the Christmas stories in the Batman Black and White comic just a little bit more. I will say that there are 4 bonus shorts on the blu-ray of Batman:A Death in the Family and one of them is with The Phantom Stranger. I like him in that as opposed to this. In this he's just annoying, but in his little short story, it makes me think of Scooby Doo meets The Twightlight Zone.
I was kind of expecting it to end with the plot twist that The Key’s deathtraps were fake and were just puzzles designed to strengthen teamwork or something and his intent was to spend his last Christmas with the Justice League. Almost Like the whole thing was his own personal Make-A-Wish!
Sasha, with salt like that I could de-ice the driveway. I'd love to see 'History Of' videos on Red Tornado and the Key if you'd consider it. Happy Midwinter Festival of Your Preference!!!
I came back to this video after you linked to it in the Beware My Power review, and I think I have a way to make the ending of this story a little less awkward. Picture this: every Justice Leaguer in this story is there from the start, including the Phantom Stranger. Maybe John Stewart shows up a little late so we can still have Hal slipping on a bar of soap. They decide one of them has to be the replacement for the dead Santa, so they draw straws and PS gets the short straw and stays behind while the rest of them go after the Key. The story proceeds as it did originally, but the one who bails them out is a mysterious figure in a Santa suit. At the end of the story they go back to thank the Phantom Stranger for helping them out, but he says that he's been with the orphans all evening. But then, who was it that helped them? Could it have been... the real Santa Claus??? (dramatic sting)
As ever, your Batman voice is EVERYTHING! It's not the only thing that I come for. But it does keep me coming back at the hint of Batman being covered. Thank you for your casual brilliance. - MAL
Meanwhile, Santa's body is dragged through the snow, slowly, as we see the trail lead all the way to a church, where a figure clad in a white wedding dress is banging on the door, saying she must immediately be the new Mrs. Santa Claus, and lamenting she must leave her old life of newspaper reporter Lois Lane behind.
😆😆😆😆😆
Phantom Stranger placed the soap bar on Hal's washroom floor.🛀🤸♂️
He wanted him to be known for the planes he flew not this adventure.
I feel like Hal's just so incompetent the ring got sick of him and went to John Stewart. Like they made this guy a Green Lantern when soap is more of a threat to him than criminals.
'Everyone calls him Archer.'
Archer would say 'I had something for that, but...no, it's gone.'
Lana to Archer: womp,womp...
I am pretty sure that Guy Gardner's jacket had pockets every now and then. So that's one point for Guy
Further proof that Guy Gardner is the One True Green Lantern!
Well, it is a jacket and not, you know, a green bodysuit.
Things we got from this:
The orgin of Red Tarnado's Air Nomad garb, Santa is goddamn dead, Hal is a klutz, Green Arrow should sound like H. Jon Benjamin, Phantom Stranger is DC's Tuxedo Mask, John Stewart gets character development, in this? Okay, and The Key did a thing (First time I saw the Key was in Justice League Heroes video game, but it was his 2000's redesign so I had no clue who the hell that Del Toro lookin' freak came from lol)
Oh yeah, today's my B-Day, so i'm thankful for this gift!
Happy Birthday!!
Also, Supes and the Bat have as much social pull as that one crazy aunt you have that's always sending you invites to her cats' birthday parties.
Happy birthday!!! And Merry Christmas, I loved this UA-cam party.
Happy birthday and a merry Christmas !
Also, also, happy Birthday.
Since Batman is “Mr. Prepared”, I can’t help but wonder what his backup plan is, should Bruce Wayne slip on the soap and knock himself out.
"Mr. Prepared" doesn't really apply to Bronze Age Batman.
@@dngillikin In my head, I can’t picture any iteration of Batman going anywhere without a can of Shark Repellent Bat-Spray.
The cowl would automatically fly to Nightwing and screech at him.
Alfred would jam a needle full of adrenaline into Bruce
Once again Hal encounters his greatest foe, soap.
Why did Phantom Stranger bother to save the JL but not Hal from knocking himself out?
He must have thought - "Hmm, Hal or give the new guy a shot? No, Hal would screw up helping the kids."
The Phantom Stranger is a John Stewart fan confirmed.
In his defence it was a yellow bar of soap.
Usual Batman - crazy prepared, ready for any situation.
Len Wein's Batman - gets taken out by a giant Xmas bauble.
X-mas came early! Sasha's Batman voice is the greatest gift 🎁 😍
Wait, does anybody remember how in the Injustice comics Bruce yells at Clark that he killed Ollie, their most moral friend? Well now we know that Bruce has a terrible long term memory.
Or maybe Ollie is just soo good at judging everyone Bruce belives his bs
Read this one as a kid. Think it was the first JLA story I ever read.
This story introduced me to my favorite Justice League tropes of the Len Wein era: the individual members don't always show up to the call because they have their own stuff to do, and the League is more of a collection of cliques than a unified team. Ollie's ragging on John just because he isn't Hal. Batman and Superman really only hang out with each other and/or Wonder Woman.
The circus keyboard is called a "ka-lie-oh-pee", accent on the second syllable.
And Len Wein's name is pronounced "ween," not "wine."
@@bobbuethe1477 -but of course.
I think Sasha’s Canadian, so, I’m allowing it. In my mind at least. I’m American, and we once had a southern President that often talked about our “NuKear Ahsenel” on National Television, so...yeah.
Clumsy "I Can Barely Live My Life" Hal
😂😂😂😂😂
0:58 Murder of Santa Claus.... Approved by the Comics Code?
☆~Santa got run over by the batmobile~☆
I bought this comic when it came out. Yes, I am that old.
No shame in my game
How did you survive the dinosaurs?
@@heedmywarning2792 Hey, Art's not that old. Ice Age at the latest.
@@tygrkhat4087 to both oilf you Ha Ha.
I love how in 1:59 they bolded the words "More Personal" to make it clear that they were about to bonk, before Bruce cock-blocked them with the communicator.
1) If Barry is in the future, did he double check to make sure he wouldn’t be needed - for anything-in the present timeline that day? If he didn’t, it makes his absence even more egregious. 2) So John Stewart, the only black person in the JL group, notices that the orphanage is dilapidated and in need of repair while Batman (rich person and orphan), Superman (godlike being and also orphan) and Green Arrow (quintessential bleeding heart liberal) completely miss this? Assume its ok for kids to live in a crummy building? I don’t know if the writer realized what a sick burn of everybody but John that was.
The Phantom Stranger is the magical version of the Stranger in Black wandering into a story and fixing things. He is also an example of how if a character is cool enough you don’t need an explanation.
“Certain urban ghetto” These old comics were too much LOL
That's to hide its location. Central City and Metropolis don't have poor people, and Gotham and Star Cities are nothing but slums. Sort of like when Marvel makes up pretend "suburbs" like "Queens" and "Westchester".
@@CasualNotice What about Suicide Slums in Metropolis?
Cue Old Elvis: "In the Ghet-to ..."
My jaw drops when I see a lot of things from that time. If you want to see a cringeworthy episode of Bewitched, check out Sisters at Heart. It's so well meaning, but the jokes are horrible ("We're having integrated turkey. White meat and dark". ). One Christmas I had a bunch of my friends over ( all black coincidently) and they wanted to watch it. I'm not sure if they really wanted to watch it, or if they got a kick out of me being so uncomfortable thinking they would be uncomfortable. Like I said the episode is well meaning (It was actually written by underprivileged kids and then "punched up' by the professionals who didn't improve it with their terrible "jokes". ) and it's an interesting time capsule , but like this comic , it is a product of it's time. Not a time I think I would be comfortable going back to. Sorry to ramble.
To quote John himself "Um...... thanks".
I'm guessing that bar of soap wasn't even yellow.
Wow, the Key looks like he's wearing a piece of toast on his head
IKR, and it seems like it's permanently bonded, 'cause he had it coming out of the joint. Very strange!
And yet,since this is 1973, neither Ren & Stimpy, nor Powdered Toast Man can sue for infringement.
Hal needs some Soap-on-a-Rope for Christmas!
Superman: "If only the Flash were here so he could test the key in every door!'
Batman: "Don't you also have super-speed on par with the Flash?"
Superman: "uhhh..."
Red Tornado: "We could just use Green Lantern magic"
Superman: "Yeah, yeah! That's it! We'll do that!"
I have a sinking suspicion that once you get past the excellent Adams/Grell/Giordano artwork, the "Hard Traveling Heroes" era of Green Lantern/Green Arrow does NOT hold up well!
If Sasha wants to review those Bronze Age stories, I am so ready!
I never found those issues very interesting. What I came away from those issues was - Green Arrow is a pontificating, know nothing, hypocritical jerk. The other was - why does Green Lantern stick around this guy and consider him a friend? Go hang out with your other good buddy, the Flash.
Also, who the hell abandons a 16 year old kid, not even giving him money to survive on, to go on a wild-ass road trip to prove that Green Lantern doesn't know the first thing about caring?
I liked Green Arrow before he grew the beard. I think the beard sucked out the braincells out of his head. He has never been right since.
@@davidmcmahon4633 I think Ollie looks more distinctive and interesting with the beard, but it's not worth the brain cell depletion such a good looking beard seems to cause. Also, if I got to share adventures with a Justice League member and I had to choose between Flash and Green Arrow -- of course I'm choosing Flash!
Poor Hal is lying unconscious with a concussion while his ring just goes straight into business mode. So much for protection.
And as another commenter pointed out no one went to check on him
I am "baffled" by why they put up with Ollie .I would have to say a very interesting story for Christmas.
Sounds like Dinah has some pretty impressive seamstress skills to put together a costume that would hold up to all the wear and tear Red Tornado would put it through.
Read this a 9-year old. I loved all of Len Wein's JLA stories. In my opinion, he was the best satellite era writer. Also any cover by Nick Cardy is a win!
Phantom Stranger had just been inducted as a member earlier in the year -- though he never officially accepted his membership. This was a way of showing that he was a member. I don't think he was shown as a member again after Wein departed.
He shows up in JLA #146 and #150. In #150 he expressly says he showed up because he's a member.
Best era of the justice league from number 100 to 160 for me
@@KennAKALeo The Stranger says the same thing when he shows up to guide the JLA and the Avengers to Grandmaster in the JLA/Avengers team-up.
"Santa never made it to the orphanage." oh-my-gosh!!!
Everyone knows that the best Justice League Christmas was made by forrestfire101...
Send a link ?
When the interchangeable rubber band heroes turn down your Facebook Event, it's time to stop sending them for a while.
Seeing Hal "The man without a personality" Jordan suffer, be humiliated, and get sidelined for a better character is all I could ever ask for.
3:05 😭🤣 well it is just called a power ring, no instructions on where to wear it 🤷♂️they dont necessarily have to be worn on your finger... As proven by multiple alien lanterns
THIS is the very first issue of JLA that I ever got! I still have it sans the cover. It introduced me to the JSA as well and I love it. BTW , the Key was a Golden Age enemy of the JSA in his first appearance in the Golden Age which was in the Golden Age. Of comics .
So cool!!! YES on all your points!!
Mine too.
John Stewart. Brought to you by Lifebouy. Also no pockets?!? Don’t anyone tell Doctor Who, or I’ll never get that crossover!!!!
And think of all the crossover possibilities, what, with their being multiple Green Lanterns and multiple incarnations of the Doctor!
There was a Dr. Who STNG crossover.
Fighting the Borg and the Cybermen.
@@jonathonriddle9922 Or >picture this< the Doctor receives a distress call, lands, only to discover it’s Mongo, the planet that IS a Green Lantern!!! Meanwhile, Bill and the Pilot are zipping around the Galaxy, when they happen upon multiple GL’s under attack. Roll opening credits, and write your own mystery/adventure...
@@Awestefeld6612 Read it! Even had a flashback w/ fourth Doctor meeting Kirk & Spock! There was also a Star Trek/X-Men crossover. Proteus resurrects Gary Mitchell. Humorous highlight: someone pages Dr. McCoy. Two guys answer.
But still...No Green Lantern crossover!!! Grrrrr...😒 Womp, womp. Say...Futurama’s not busy...
@@jpboursaw4469 I have that too.
I purchased and read this when new, and my thought then was somewhere between “wtf” and “Ollie gets on my last nerve”.
The Key supposedly dying from an illness was something they did with The Joker in a storyline called The Last Laugh where after a brain scan doctors lied to Joker that he had a terminal brain tumour hoping to scare him into reforming. But instead he went on a rampage as he often does and mixed metahuman power dampening chemicals with his Joker venom to make people like him with white skin, green hair and the like.
"Christmas salt... Salt for all seasons..."
...road salt?
Two years later, and we're all still waiting for Sasha to give us their Hard Traveling Heroes salt.
Plot twist: The Phantom Stranger is really SANTA!
Remember, Santa is Satan with a few letters moved around. :-)
" Why did I cross my arms like that" never a dull moment over here. Keep cookn the content Is consistent & stellar.
Looks like the justice league CLue Game has been merged with the Christmas one because there wasn’t enough time
Sheesh..I though that too!!
The ring has intelligence, and instead of getting Hal any medical attention for a head injury that leaves him unconscious, it just leaves him there
I was given this very comic one Christmas Eve when I was a boy so I could have something to read and enjoy during the grownups' Xmas party. So, thanks for the review, Sasha, and Merry Christmas. ♥️🎄😘
Next Christmas maybe we can see the DC comics presents Superman and Santa Claus
The last panel is awesome.
Ralphie very nearly became Earth’s first Green Lantern, having narrowly missed shooting his eye out. But, alas, he succumbed to soap poisoning later in life!
I had this issue as a kid, and remember thinking Red Tornado’s new costume looked “snazzy”, for pajamas! Phantom Stranger’s appearance, while plot convenient, was not unusual for this era. New Green Lantern? Cool. Also, DC hardly had any Black characters yet. Teen Titans had Mal Duncan, and that was it. Bumble Bee and Black Lightning came a few years later.
The older JLA and Golden Age reprint stories were always a plus...
"Cali-opie"? (Dunno why that made me chuckle like an evil villain, but it did.)
So this is how green lantern became our favourite idiot better than parallax or not I forgot with all the retcons
Yeah, for real. Those orphans will definitely wait all night.
The Christmas episode of The Brave and the Bold with Red Tornado is an absolute treasure.
Can't wait for one of the Marvel Christmas tales, this year. Or maybe Franklin Richards' Calvin and Hobbes Lite adventures on Thanksgiving?
I picture the Phantom Stranger helping out the JLA during slow periods for his Boardwalk fortune telling booth.
I took a drink right as you said, in your Batman voice " Dear Lord no!!" I spit wine everywhere.
My first ever Justice League issue, JLA 110! Ridiculous deathtraps! New Reddy costume! John Stewart meets the League! Great JSA story in there too.
Calling Ollie Archer? Wait I had something for this.
I am so dedicated to creating the non-profit Make-A-Wish-For-Supervillains!
The guy who is in the future should have had plenty of time to finish what he was doing and then time travel back to help out!!!
That's what I was thinking. The Flash could return a split second after he left. And that thing with the gas... doesn't Batman carry a mask for just such situations?
Ahh yes murder it that time of the year again
Whimsy and wavy hair. 😁
Hal makes backup plans because he knows he is clumsy.... until he forgets in the next issue.
Hal always baffles me and his baffle curse bled over to the Justice League in this issue.
Tuxedo Mask-I mean- The Phantom Stranger lives in the Save our Heroes from Parallel Deus ex machina
Land. Where they live until they are called upon for plot convenience.
The tenements that John Stewart restored most likely are full of things that buildings of that era that are not used today; like asbestos, lead pipes and lead paint. Interestly, this story was featured in Comic Book Resources Groovy 1970s Christmas Stories Advent Calendar for today. Nice synchronicity Sasha.
And why was there a bar of soap on the floor outside of Hal's shower?
I mean the League could have been bailed out by the Spectre and the Key wouldn't have reappeared ever again. I imagine the Key being turned into a saltlick and left out in the woods or being blown up himself. The villain should be thanking The Source that the Phantom Stranger showed up.
The Phantom Stranger creates Christmas spirit.
The Phantom Stranger IS The Christmas Spirit!
@@ryzekiv7147 Nani!!!
+
.....uuuuhhhh, just what was wrong with crossing your arms??? hunh???? Cross dem arms woman!!!! PEACE dear sister, our whims took us on another AWESOME comic book journey. You know some of those "old school" stories are just place holders, really "nic-knack" tales with rarely any consequence, well THIS one had Red Tornado's new costume, but that's the exception. Alright ?uzzler, I see you,....stop dozing in those 'specs, they're expensive. God bless.
Yeah, sure the explosion did not blow Santa to pieces but it definitely blew the stuffing out of him.
I'm more curious about the whole Barry visiting Iris's parents in the future. That's a big WTF.
same, we need a video explaining that
Short answer: Because Bob Kanigher, that's why.
Long answer: Probably best and more entertaining if Sasha does a video on that, suffice to say that Kanigher gives Iris Russell West Allen a time-displaced riff on Superman's origin.
3:52 I I Amit i lathed at this
Santa being immediately killed by a bomb pretty much sums up 2020.
Oh.
Em.
Gee!!
I love it! Who knew Lil’ Orphan Sasha is the gift I wanted for 2020??! 😂😂😂
Is there a copy right or law suit involed with this if so I would love to find out show me all of the salt
Weird how Supes and Bats summoned the JLA for this. If it was an issue of World's Finest, they would have just gotten on with things themselves.
I love how it feels like they summoned them just so they could throw shade. Batman's all "well good to see all you League members who care" lol
2:26 "..a certain urban ghetto.." I was actually living in one of those NYC "ghettos" when this comic book came out and it was a pretty good life. The big problem was that manufacturing jobs were leaving the USA, and that landlords weren't held accountable to provide needed services. Certainly I can say that the people of the community were wonderful. The problem of the ghetto were the people who lived outside the ghetto. When I had lived in a small town I could go to church, grocery store or the playground and see the local police, firefighters, public school teachers etc RIGHT THERE next to me. But in the ghetto the "professional class" came in to do an 8 hour shift and then drive to back home to THEIR community. If you live in a community where ALL of the teachers, police, firefighter, postal workers, doctors, nurse and so on refuse to live in the community they are suppose to be serving then you live in a ghetto! All I can advise is "The Ghetto? Don't let it happen to YOU!" support and work for laws
ules that have local residency requirements for the professional class.
Merry Christmas !!! Thanks for all the entertainment!!
At 4:24 the ultimate in dumb exposition.
Batman: A TRAPDOOR!
Black Canary: WE'RE .. FALLING...!
(Hang on... why are Superman & Red Tornado & Green Lantern Falling?
& who just leaves a bar of soap on their bathroom floor at home. Is this a Chekhov's gun thing?
Is it all the Christmas dream of a boy holding a Snow Globe?)
Sorry Sasha but the I in Calliope is pronounced like the first person pronoun - Greek.
(Please excuse my presumption)
7:40 THWA-RA RAMMM - one of the more bizarre Ghetto exploding sound effects.
I dig when you don't edit out things like the arm crossing.
Sasha! Wishing for you & yours a Joyous Christmas season & a Happy & Healthy 2021!
love
Steve Holliday
What did Santa say when the Thing clobbered Rudolf ?? Darn it now I gotta flat !!
The Phantom Stranger has the greatest power possible in comics...PLOT CONVENIENCE!
Tornado looks like a low rent Magneto. Great voice acting. I'm a use that same voice when I need some change. U got a really great channel!
Notthing saya "Christmas" like putting the Justice League into a Saw-like trap maze
That’s a kinky ring....
I guess we all just forgot about the dead Santa.
Hey Sasha thanks for being one of the bright spots of 2020 for me. Your comic book content has always been there to help make a less than stellar day much better! I hope you have a fantastic holiday season and can't wait to see how the channel continues to evolve next year!
one of the first super hero Christmas stories I ever read as a kid
Sasha: Your BATMAN voice is wonderful. NEVER STOP...😉
The best comic channel on UA-cam.
At 4:46... "a door opens and they go through to a circus "cal-ee-opie"... Sasha, that's a "cuh-LIE-oh-pee." Sorry for the catch! Ha! No biggie, gawd knows how many times I've screwed up on saying something! Love your perspective and insights. Happy Holidays!
Is it possible we will cover more Green Arrow stories to get more jabs at him? I liked the salt thrown at him.
I do find it amusing, dark humor more than wholesome amusing.
Doesn’t Superman HIMSELF have super speed? I know he’s not as fast as or faster than the Flash... but it’s baffling he seemed to forget he too has super speed.
Superman was really big on letting everyone else do something so that they wouldn't feel like useless 5th wheels. Which the Justice League movie happened to show us all that Superman doesn't need the JL at all. They're his equivalent of the Legion of Substitute Heroes. :-)
Make A Wish for Villains. Wasn't that like the whole basis of Underworld Unleashed? XD
I know that I loved the Christmas stories in the Batman Black and White comic just a little bit more.
I will say that there are 4 bonus shorts on the blu-ray of Batman:A Death in the Family and one of them is with The Phantom Stranger. I like him in that as opposed to this. In this he's just annoying, but in his little short story, it makes me think of Scooby Doo meets The Twightlight Zone.
I was kind of expecting it to end with the plot twist that The Key’s deathtraps were fake and were just puzzles designed to strengthen teamwork or something and his intent was to spend his last Christmas with the Justice League. Almost Like the whole thing was his own personal Make-A-Wish!
Now I really wish that had happened I love that!
Sasha, with salt like that I could de-ice the driveway.
I'd love to see 'History Of' videos on Red Tornado and the Key if you'd consider it. Happy Midwinter Festival of Your Preference!!!
That bar of soap should've been yellow.
The key popped up in the early Morrison JLA his arc was a take on thebman who has everything. Fun read.
I came back to this video after you linked to it in the Beware My Power review, and I think I have a way to make the ending of this story a little less awkward. Picture this: every Justice Leaguer in this story is there from the start, including the Phantom Stranger. Maybe John Stewart shows up a little late so we can still have Hal slipping on a bar of soap. They decide one of them has to be the replacement for the dead Santa, so they draw straws and PS gets the short straw and stays behind while the rest of them go after the Key. The story proceeds as it did originally, but the one who bails them out is a mysterious figure in a Santa suit. At the end of the story they go back to thank the Phantom Stranger for helping them out, but he says that he's been with the orphans all evening. But then, who was it that helped them? Could it have been... the real Santa Claus??? (dramatic sting)
As ever, your Batman voice is EVERYTHING!
It's not the only thing that I come for.
But it does keep me coming back at the hint of Batman being covered.
Thank you for your casual brilliance. - MAL
Thoroughly enjoyed this one and all it's 70's wackiness. Wishing you and yours a very Merry, Happy, Healthy, and above all, safe Christmas/Holidays.
Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄
Oh that hair! and Hal Jordan for Christmas.