Marvel Holiday Special

Anthology comic book series by Marvel Comics

Marvel Holiday Special was an anthology comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring several of its characters in Christmas or holiday-themed stories.

The first Marvel Holiday Special from 1991 is notable for establishing that Santa Claus exists as a mutant character within the Marvel Universe.[1][2] Santa has since made several appearances in other Marvel titles.[3] Other notable stories include a story by Kurt Busiek in the 1994 issue which filled out the details of a solicited but never-published story from the 1960s X-Men series in which Iceman and Beast fought Metoxo and the Lava Men, closing a continuity gap that fans had wondered about for 25 years.[4]

The Marvel Holiday Special has featured several stories that focus on Jewish characters like The Thing and Shadowcat celebrating Hannukah, as well as other Jewish characters whose religion isn't often clearly depicted in stories.[5][6] Notably, Thing creator Stan Lee, which is Jewish, wrote his first story in which Thing discussed his Jewish faith in the 2009 Marvel Holiday Special, 48 years after Thing made his comics debut.[7][5]

## Publication History

[edit]

Marvel Holiday Special was first published in 1991, with additional specials followed annually until 1996, with the 1995 special being a trade paperback reprinting earlier holiday stories. The title was revived in 2004 and published annually until 2007.[8] Additionally, a trade paperback collecting several holiday stories was published under the name Marvel Holiday Special in 2004. From 2008 to 2010, Marvel published a Digital Holiday Special only on its Marvel Unlimited service. In 2011, Marvel once again published a Marvel Holiday Special. In 2021 and 2022, Marvel published a series of holiday-themed "Infinity Comics" on its Marvel Unlimited Service.[9][10]

## Stories published in Marvel holiday specials

[edit]

Year  | A story  | B story  | C story  | D story  | E story  | F story  | G story  | H story  | I Story

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1991  | X-Men

Scott Lobdell and Dave Cockrum

Collected in X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda Omnibus

| Fantastic Four

Walter Simonson and Art Adams

Collected in Marvel Universe by Arthur Adams Omnibus and Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol 21

| Punisher

Steven Grant and Klaus Janson

| Thor

Tom DeFalco and Sal Buscema

| Captain America

Len Kaminski and Ron Lim

| Ghost Rider

Howard Mackie and John Hebert

Collected in Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch Omnibus Vol 1

| Captain Ultra

Scott Lobdell and Dennis Jensen

| Spider-Man

Danny Fingeroth and Ron Garney

1992  | Wolverine

Larry Hama and Michael Golden

Collected in Wolverine Omnibus Vol 4

| New Warriors

Fabian Nicieza and Darick Robertson

Collected in New Warriors Omnibus Vol 2

| Spider-Man

Stan Lee, Richard Howell, and Steve Lightle

| Punisher

Carl Potts and Rick Levins

| Doc Samson/Hulk

Peter David, John Hebert

Collected in Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus Vol 2 and Hulk Epic Collection Vol 19

| Thanos

Jim Starlin and Ron Lim

Collected in Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos (1993 printing)

| Iron Man

Sholly Fish and Tom Morgan

Collected in Iron Man Epic Collection Vol 17

| Daredevil

Ann Nocenti and Tom Grindberg

Collected in Daredevil Epic Collection Vol 16

1993  | Spider-Man

Steven Grant and Pat Broderick

| Nick Fury

Howard Chaykin

| Marvel Bullpen

Barry Dutter and Marie Severin

| Captain Ultra

Scott Lobdell and Dennis Jensen

| Ghost Rider

Ann Nocenti and Tom Grindberg

Collected in Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch Omnibus Vol 2

| Hulk

Peter David and Ron Lim

Collected in Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus Vol 3 and Hulk Epic Collection Vol 20

|  |  |
1994  | X-Men

Kurt Busiek and James Fry

| Captain America

John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake

| Thing/FF

Gregory Wright and Mike Manley

| Silver Surfer

JM DeMattias, Mindy Newell, and Rick Leonardi

| Spider-Man

Karl Bollers and Gray Morrow

| X-Men

Karl Bollers and Sal Buscema

|  |  |
1995  | Spider-Man

Danny Fingeroth and Ron Garney

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1991

| X-Men

Scott Lobdell and Dave Cockrum

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1991

| Spider-Man

Reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #314

| Wolverine

Larry Hama and Michael Golden

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1992

| Spider-Man

Steven Grant and Pat Broderick

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1993

| Hulk

Peter David and Ron Lim

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1993

| Spider-Man

Karl Bollers and Gray Morrow

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1994

| Punisher

Carl Potts and Rick Levins

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1992

| Spider-Man

Stan Lee, Richard Howell, and Steve Lightle

Reprinted from Marvel Holiday Special 1992

1996  | Spider-Man

Mark Waid and Pat Olliffe

| Shadowcat (Excalibur)

Evan Skolnick and Josh Hood

Collected in Excalibur Omnibus Vol 3

| Silver Surfer

George Perez, Stan Lee, and Rick Leonardi

| Rawhide Kid

Karl Kesel and Patrick Zircher

| Wolverine/X-Men

Tom DeFalco and Josh Hood

|  |  |  |
2004  | JJ Jameson/ Spider-Man

Tom DeFalco and Takeshi Miyazawa

| X-Men

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Roger Cruz

| Franklin Richards/FF

Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and Duncan Rouleau

|  |  |  |  |  |
2005  | Fantastic Four

Shaenon Garrity and Roger Langridge

| New Avengers

Jeff Parker and Reilly Brown

| Fantastic Four

Mike Carey and Mike Perkins

|  |  |  |  |  |
2006  | AIM/Hulk

Andrew Farrago, Shaenon Gerrity and Ron Lim

| Fin Fang Foom/Dr. Strange

Scott Gray and Roger Langridge

| Fantastic Four

Mike Carey and Mike Perkins

| Santa Claus

Jeff Christiansen

|  |  |  |  |
2007  | Spider-Man/ Wolverine

Andrew Farrago, Shaenon Gerrity and Lou Kang

| Loners

CB Cebulski and Alin Urusov

| Fantastic Four

Mike Carey and Nelson

| Reprint of Marvel Age #25 (2nd Story)  |  |  |  |  |
2008 Digital Holiday Special  | X-Men

Jim McCann and Todd Nauck

| Skrull

Ryan Penagos and Juan Doe

| Werewolf by Night

Ben Morse and Stephanie Buscema

| Illuminati

Brian Reed and Val Semekis

|  |  |  |  |
2009 Digital Holiday Special  | Black Cat, Hellcat, Firestar, Photon

Abby Densen and Sara Pichelli

| Deadpool

Fred Van Lente and Sanford Greene

Collected in Deadpool Classic Vol 14, Deadpool: The Dead-Head Redemption, and Marvel Holiday Magazine #1

| Fantastic Four

Stan Lee and Nick Dragotta

Collected in Marvel Holiday Magazine #1

|  |  |  |  |  |
2009 Holiday Spectacular  | Illuminati

Reprint of the D story from the 2008 Digital Holiday Special

| X-Men Reprint of the A story from the 2008 Digital Holiday Special | Skrull Reprint of the B story from the 2008 Digital Holiday Special | Werewolf by Night

Reprint of the C story from the 2008 Digital Holiday Special

| Hulk

Doug Roberts and Jack Kirby

| Deadpool

Jess Harold and Reilly Brown

| Wolverine

Reprint of the A story from the 1992 Marvel Holiday Special

| X-Men

Reprint of the A story from the 1994 Marvel Holiday Special

| Reprints of Uncanny X-Men #365; Amazing Spider-Man #166; E story from Franklin Richards: Happy Franksgiving #1
2010 Digital Holiday Special #1  | Dr. Doom/ Fantastic Four

Victor Carungi and Chris Uminga

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2010 Digital Holiday Special #2  | Thor

Joelle Sellner and Mike Henderson

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2010 Digital Holiday Special #3  | Hulk

Randall P. Girdner and Manolo Carot

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2011  | Spider-Man

Miljenko Horvatic and Andrew Trabbold

| Wolverine and the X-Men

Kurtis J. Wiebe and Patrick Scherberger

| Nick Fury

Aaron Shaps and Sebastian Piriz

| Thing, Shadowcat (X-Men)

Jamie Rich and Paco Diaz

|  |  |  |  |
2018 Season's Beating | Deadpool

Jason Latour and Greg Hinkle

| Spider-Man

Jason Latour and Chris Brunner

| Squirrel Girl and Dr. Doom

Jason Latour and Marco Del Pennino

| West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye and Kid Omega)

Jason Latour and Veronica Fish

|  |  |  |  |

## Other Holiday Specials Published by Marvel Comics

[edit]

Marvel Comics has also published a number of holiday-themed one-shots starring Marvel Comics characters and other licensed characters. These include:

* Power Pack Holiday Special – 1991
* Punisher Holiday Special #1-3 – 1992-94
* Sleepwalker Holiday Special – 1992
* Spider-Man Holiday Special – 1995
* Howard the Duck Holiday Special – 1996
* Generation X Holiday Special \-- 1998
* Punisher: Red X-Mas – 2004
* Punisher: Silent Night – 2005
* Franklin Richards: Happy Franksgiving – 2006
* Punisher: X-Mas Special – 2006
* GLX-Mas – 2006
* Wolverine: Flies to a Spider – 2008
* Punisher MAX X-Mas Special – 2008
* Deadpool MAX X-Mas Special – 2011
* Gwenpool Special – 2015
* Gwenpool Holiday Special: Merry Mix Up – 2016
* Power Man & Iron Fist Sweet Christmas Annual – 2016
* Merry X-Men Holiday Special – 2018

Holiday specials featuring licensed characters include:

* ALF Holiday Special #1-2 – 1988-89
* Clive Barker's Hellraiser Dark Holiday Special – 1992
* Star Wars: Life Day – 2021

Digital-only holiday specials include:

* Ghost Rider X-Mas Special Infinite Comic – 2016
* Season’s Beatings (Deadpool) – 2018
* Halloween with the Rhino Infinity Comic – 2021
* Iceman's New Year's Resolutions Infinity Comic – 2021
* Happy Holidays, Mr. Howlett Infinity Comic – 2021
* TEST Kitchen Holiday Special – 2022
* Year of the Wong Infinity Comic – 2022

Marvel characters have also celebrated the holidays in regular issues of their ongoing series. Some notable holiday-themed issues of ongoing Marvel Comics series include:

* Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD #10 (1969)
* Son of Satan #8 (1975)
* Uncanny X-Men #98 (1976)
* Marvel Two-in-One #33 (1977)
* Uncanny X-Men #119 (1978)
* Uncanny X-Men #143 (1980)
* Uncanny X-Men #168 (1982)
* Uncanny X-Men #180 (1983)
* Uncanny X-Men #192-193 (1984)
* Uncanny X-Men #205 (1985)
* New Mutants #38 (1985)
* Vision and the Scarlet Witch #7 (1986)
* Psi-Force #6 (1987)
* The ‘Nam #23 (1988)
* X-Factor #27 (1988)
* Uncanny X-Men #230 (1988)
* Daredevil #253 (1988)
* Marvel Comics Presents #18 (She-Hulk story only) (1988)
* Amazing Spider-Man #314 (1989)
* X-Factor #52 (1989)
* Punisher #43 (1990)
* She-Hulk #36 (1992)
* Generation X #4 (1994)
* Uncanny X-Men #341 (1996)
* Amazing Spider-Man #420 (1997)
* Generation X #24 (1997)
* X-Men Vol 2 #73 (1997)
* Uncanny X-Men #365 (1998)
* Generation X #60-61 (1999)
* Captain Marvel #26 (2002)
* Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #21 (2003)
* X-Men Vol 2 #165 (2004)
* Wolverine #49 (2006)
* Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #46 (2008)
* Fantastic Four #564 (2009)
* Super-Hero Squad #12 (2010)
* Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol #1-5 (2011)
* Avengers Annual #1 (2013)
* Deadpool Killustrated #3 (2013)
* Captain Marvel #11 (2015)
* Spider-Man/Deadpool #12 (2016)
* Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy #15 (2016)
* Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37 (2018)
* Daughters of the Dragon Marvel Digital Original #3 (2019)
* Spider-Bot Infinity Comic #11 (2022)
* Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #25 (2022)
* Spider-Man Unlimited Infinity Comic #13-18 (2023)
* Spider-Verse Unlimited Infinity Comic #30 (2022)
* X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #118-120 (2023)

Marvel Comics has also published two anthology one-shots celebrating Valentine's Day:

* Marvel Valentine Special #1 (1997), featuring stories starring Spider-Man, Daredevil, Venus, Absorbing Man and Titania, and Cyclops and Phoenix.
* I (heart) Marvel: My Mutant Heart #1 (2006), featuring stories starring Wolverine, Doop, and Cannonball

## References

[edit]

1. ^ MacReady, Melody (2021-12-16). "10 Marvel Holiday Special Comics To Read This Season". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
2. ^ Terror, Jude (2018-12-25). "Celebrating the Time the X-Men Met Santa Claus in the 1991 Marvel Holiday Special". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
3. ^ "Marvel Chronology Project - S". www.chronologyproject.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
4. ^ Cronin, Brian (2021-12-11). "Why the X-Men's Weirdest Villain Debut Took Nearly 30 Years to Complete". CBR. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
5. ^ a b Writer, Graeme McMillan Staff (2022-12-18). "It's Hanukkah time with the Thing in Day 18 of the Popverse Comics Advent Calendar". Popverse. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
6. ^ Schultz, Ben (2022-12-22). "How Ben Grimm Became One of Marvel's Most Important Jewish Heroes". CBR. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
7. ^ Grant, Brigit. "When it came to Judaism, Stan Lee used super-heroes as torch-bearers". www.jewishnews.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
8. ^ "Marvel Holiday Special". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
9. ^ Newsdesk, Laughing Place Disney (2022-12-21). "Celebrate the Season with Holiday Infinity Comics on Marvel Unlimited". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
10. ^ "Get Into the Holiday Spirit With Marvel Unlimited's 'Mighty marvel Holiday Special' Comics". 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2023-09-26.