Welcome to the 2025 Heistmas Advent Calendar, a daily drop of pop culture Christmas icons, oddities, and joy. Check back every day from now through December 25 for each daily entry!
Santa? No stranger to comic books. I recently went on a bit of a spending spree on eBay and picked up some vintage Christmas comic books I'd never heard of before — but the general public isn't clamoring for 1958's Christmas Eve In Space, a promotional giveaway from a now-bankrupt store called "Ben Franklin." No, people today want superheroes! Especially superheroes they've seen on the television and movies!
Batman. Talking about Batman here. Specifically Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight.
DC Comics, to their credit, knows how to mash up superheroes and commercial faces of religious holidays about Christ. First off, they got comic superstar Jeff Parker (Batman '66) to write the 4-issue series, then they got Michele Bandini (TMNT: Shredder) to illustrate. It's a gorgeous book with a whole slew of DC characters, not just Batman.
Why do Batman (and friends) team up with Santa? Diving into the Christmas lore, it's Santa's old partner Krampus who's sending mythological demons to attack the Earth, and Santa needs the heroes' help. It also helps that BATMAN WAS TRAINED BY SANTA. It's canon. It's lore. It's real. Santa trained Batman.
What follows is a really fun, funny, action-packed story where Santa and his world takes center stage in the DCU. Santa fights sea monsters with Aquaman. Invites the heroes to the North Pole. Remembers Superman's Christmas wish from when he was six. Honestly, gimmick comics like this have no business being this good. And they made a sequel! Batman-Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns dropped in 2024 with an expanded cast of characters and a continuation of the first tale that sees Santa join the Justice League!
As of this writing, only the first series is collected in trade paperback, but the trade for the second is up for release on December 16, 2025. Individual issues are also available for download on several platforms. Both are stellar books, with clever writing and incredible art, well worth adding to your Christmas stocking!
Check back tomorrow for even more Heistmas Advent Calendar Goodies!
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