Justice League: Comfort and Joy
Rated TV-PG
Released: December 13, 2003
Christmas TV Rewind Review
Director: Dwayne McDuffie
This is one of my favorite episodes of the series. In fact, this is one of my favorite Christmas stories of all time. It is one of the most heartfelt episodes of any show in animation history, and the fact that it features superheroes in their everyday lives makes it that much more special to the comic fans out there.
We have Green Lantern and Hawkgirl beating people up in a bar fight in space and exchanging their first legendary kiss of the series. And we also have the Flash being Santa to a bunch of orphaned kids and even teaming up with the Ultra Humanite all in the name of Christmas spirit. But even though those two stories are great, it’s the story about the two aliens of the team that really give this episode its humanity.
We have Martian Manhunter learning about Christmas after he reluctantly agrees to visit Smallville with Superman and meet the Kent family. This is by far the most touching moment of the entire series, seeing Superman act like a little kid in front of his parents and seeing J’onn even go as far as befriending the family’s mean cat after he travels the town late at night in search of meaning of not only this strange holiday and its traditions, but of his own lonely existence as the last survivor of a dead planet. In their own way, most notably the Martian Manhunter, the leaguers all begin to truly understand the true meaning of Christmas… Not presents, not religion, but being with loved ones and being at peace with oneself.
My Rating: 5/5
