Merry Christmas

Santa Claus' World War II-era attempt at updating his transportation...

...doesn't quite go as planned in this wraparound cover from Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #1 (1942).

Unfortunately, the artist didn't sign it, and the experts at various comic indexing sites have been unable to offer possible illustrators.

Personally, I'm thinking Walt Kelly.

(The snarky reindeer are an obvious giveaway)

Any suggestions?

Merry Christmas to All!

And Now, a Note from Santa Himself...

...from Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #1 (1942).

See you tomorrow with a long-unseen cover by a comics legend!

Design of the Week...REDUX! SANTA'S WORKSHOP IS A SWEATSHOP???

Normally, each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!

In this case, the response has been so overwhelming, we're going to keep the design up until Christmas!

(BTW, you'll note that the cover is dated January, 1939.

But it was actually on sale in November, 1938! 

Publishers used to cover-date comics and pulps two to three months ahead of the actual on-sale date to keep the books on the stands for as long as possible!)

Pick up this kool design on mugs, greeting cards, and other Yuletide collectibles NOW!

Christmas will be here before you know it!

Design of the Week! SANTA'S WORKSHOP IS A SWEATSHOP???

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!

This week...go back 85 years ago, to November 1938 and see...when elves were part of the 99%!

(You'll note that the cover is dated January, 1939.

But it was actually on sale in November, 1938! 

Publishers used to cover-date comics and pulps two to three months ahead of the actual on-sale date to keep the books on the stands for as long as possible!)

And it looks like the elves aren't going to settle for sweatshop wages and conditions at the North Pole anymore!

Pick up this kool design on mugs, greeting cards, and other Yuletide collectibles NOW!

Christmas will be here before you know it!

Space Hero Saturdays SANTA CLAUS FUNNIES "Christmas Eve Space Trip"

Is Kris Kringle a Space Hero?

Read this never-reprinted story from Dell's Four Color Comics: Santa Claus Funnies #1274 (1962), and judge for yourself!

Illustrated by Mel Crawford and scripted by an unknown writer, this "was it a dream or not?" tale was typical of the material in the annual Santa Claus Funnies anthology the editors at Dell inserted into the Four Color Comics schedule from 1944 to this final issue in 1962.

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Friday Fun SANTA CLAUS FUNNIES "Santa in Wonderland" Conclusion

When Last We Left Santa Claus and Alice...

The night before Christmas Eve, Santa was disturbed when a little girl named Alice appeared at his door at the North Pole and pleaded for him to "bring Christmas to Wonderland".

The blonde girl lead Santa to the rabbit hole/entrance and showed him mushrooms that reduced both of them in size.

Once in Wonderland, Santa encountered inhabitants including the Mock Turtle and the White Rabbit, who shrank while using a white fan which Claus inadvertently also uses...

This story originally appeared in Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #2 (1943), but was not the cover feature!

It was reprinted in a stand-alone giveaway, Dell's Alice in Wonderland Meets Santa (1951), to capitalize on the release of the Disney animated film Alice in Wonderland, based on the Lewis Carroll stories Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass!

The reprint's new cover art (as shown at the top of the post) by an unknown artist, shows Alice rendered with the same hairstyle and blue dress as the movie version, rather than the hairstyle and violet dress shown in the comic story.
The other characters on the cover resemble their Disney versions, as well!

Since Dell was then currently-publishing licensed Disney comics (including the comic adaptation of the animated Alice in Wonderland)...

...it's likely the similarity on the cover was permitted!

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Friday Fun SANTA CLAUS FUNNIES "Santa in Wonderland" Part 1

Now HERE'S a crossover team-up you never thought you'd see...

...as Santa Claus meets Lewis Carroll's Alice and travels to Wonderland!

What does Santa find?

You'll have to come back next Friday to find out!

Though the scripter is unknown, the art for this never-reprinted tale from Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #2 (1943) was by George Kerr, who was the primary artist for the comic book tales of Raggedy Ann and Andy and Andy Panda!

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CURIOUS CASE OF SANTA CLAUS

My all-time favorite Doctor Who is #3, played by Jon Pertwee...

Jon as The Doctor with Eizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, his final companion

...so when this documentary about Kris Kringle, packaged as a tale featuring Pertwee as a psychiatrist with a patient (James Coco) who thinks he's Santa Claus, ran on A&E in the late 1980s, I taped it and showed it every Christmas...until the tape jammed!

Now I (and you) can enjoy it once more... 
Merry Christmas!!!

Friday Holiday...FUN? "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Long before he was famous...

...a certain now-legendary writer-artist was just another aspiring young comics creator presenting work in fanzines to show people what he could do!

Before The Dark Knight Returns!
Before 300!
Before Sin City!
Here's Frank Miller murdering Santa Claus!
A never-reprinted tale from the incredibly-HTF fanzine APAFive #39 (1974)!
A sign of things to come?
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Holiday Reading Room JOURNEY INTO UNKNOWN WORLDS "Lady Who Believed"

If you liked this take on Kris Kringle...

....you'll enjoy this (somewhat) gentler tale of him as a Christmas crime-fighter and defender of the innocent!

This never-reprinted tale is from Atlas' Journey into Unknown Worlds #34 (1955), the first issue published under the restrictive auspices of the Comics Code Authority.

I wonder if it was originally-meant to be as gruesome as EC's legendary "...and All Through the House..."?

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Holiday Reading Room CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL "Santa's Red Red Nose"

What happens if Kris Kringle gets sick on Christmas Eve?

This tale from St John's Christmas Carnival (1952) 100-page one-shot gives you the answer!

It was all a dream!

Thank Heavens!

The thought of a Christmas without Santa is just too much to bear! ;-)
This tale (and the entire Christmas Carnival 100-page 25-cent book) were published twice!
Once in 1952 by Ziff-Davis and again in 1955 by St John Publishing, which bought the Ziff-Davis comics line's material when the publisher liquidated that division after the "Seduction of the Innocent" witch hunt!
Ironic, since Ziff-Davis Comics was one of the least-offensive publishers on the magazine racks!
The writer and artist(s) are unknown.

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Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories