Writer: Jeph LoebPlot: While contemplating Luthor's presidency, Superman visits his fellow Leaguers to ask for their support, and to provide them with gifts.
Superman in a Santa suit...? I can see it. I suppose there are other things the S can stand for. This isn't a festive special though, and Big Red ain't wearing any tassles. It's a political Santa clause, with Supes in the sleigh.
It almost feels like Clark's distributing gifts to his friends merely to flock favour to his anti-Luthor campaign. But we know he's more moral than that... He didn't just obliterate a moon back in the Lex 2000 special for nothing, right?
Some of the presents Superman left with his friends are a little out there, even for him. I'm trying to wrap my head around the rubber bands for Plastic Man. I know it's supposed to make sense, but it just doesn't seem to work. Loeb ignores the obvious gift for the Flash and opts for tube socks, but even that's kinda dry. GL's gift is a little corny, but if the words "funny guy" weren't there, I dunno if I would've laughed as much.
Without question, J'onn's present is exactly what he wanted, and his banter with Plas over the way cookies crumble was delectable. After seeing the number of transformations Eel went through, it makes me glad I'm not in the JLA. He's quite a laugh for us readers, but I don't know how the League can tolerate him. Kal's gift to Aquaman is metaphoric. Just as Orin rules over the sea, Superman has his own world to take care of. Now you know how it can snow underwater.
Building off Aquaman's present, Ian Churchill provides Wonder Woman with a couple of snowglobes, as Superman and Diana spar in the Antarctic. Unless those things of hers were hermetically sealed, they couldn't have stayed warm and inside. She receives an affectionate gift, based on her thousand-year adventure with Kal.
If those penguins at the bottom of the world didn't tell you where Superman was headed next, maybe Batman's ugly mug on the next page will. They remain silent for the most part, but Bruce gets a good "I told you so" in on Clark, forcing the otherwise normally godlike Kryptonian to feel smaller than Kandor's bottle.
Why is Batman's gift from Lois? Well, for two reasons. Numero uno is because Batman tracked down Mrs. Superman's whereabouts, back in Action Comics #766, when Superman was dying. And secondly, despite the World's Finest maxi-series and their roles together in the JLA, Batman and Superman just haven't progressed to the point where they can truly call each other friends. You can see Clark's regret for this in his silhouette, as the Dark Knight wordlessly prepares to exeunt toward the Bat-signal, after accepting the gift. It's fun to watch the two of them struggle with their friendship, but at the same time, as long as it took for Nightwing and Oracle's relationship to evolve, c'mon guys. It's time to put the "fine" back in World's Finest.
Several artists assemble to produce this issue, including Rob Liefeld, who donates an extra five inches to Aquaman's total body mass. Arthur definitely looks kingly, and he's got a big wet mop of hair. I've missed seeing Mike Wieringo's pencils, back when he worked on the Robin monthly, so it was super to see him tackle Kal and Kyle. Joe Mad is another pleasant surprise, taking time out from his work on Battle Chasers to portray the Metropolis/Gotham combo.
What makes little sense are the opening pages of the issue, with the Linear Men. The Warworld looks big and scary, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the story, and is never heard from again. Maybe Superman should forget about the Santa suit Lois got for him for their Kandorian holiday and concentrate his rosy cheeks on what's happening with another L-squared woman, Liri Lee, 'cause he'll soon find himself in trouble, deeper than Santa's bag.
