Thanksgiving with the Superheroes, 2024 edition
Word Balloons #1243: Comic-book characters celebrate in a variety of ways
Next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so much like I did last year, I will highlight a few comic books with Thanksgiving themes or settings.
Action Comics #673
Superman and friends are worried about Jimmy Olsen on Thanksgiving. But when Superman goes looking for him, he’s drawn into a deeper mystery involving technology from the alien world of Apokolips and its ties to a criminal organization in Metropolis! Meanwhile, bar owner and lottery winner Bibbo Bibbowski looks for a way to help Jimmy out of his current predicament. Roger Stern writes this holiday issue with pencils by Bob McLeod and inks by Denis Rodier.
Vision and the Scarlet Witch #6
What’s Thanksgiving without some awkward family interaction at dinner? In this issue, Scarlet Witch invites her dad, Magneto, to dinner with the Avengers. Magneto at this time is reformed and serving as the headmaster for the New Mutants students, but many can’t forget his previous villainy. The Scarlet Witch invited Magneto to dinner when she let him know about her pregnancy, but she’s not been able to forgive him for keeping her and Quicksilver under his thrall during the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants days. Magneto and the Scarlet Witch argue, but when Scarlet Witch’s home comes under attack, Magneto rallies Vision and Quicksilver to help him save the day. The issue is written by Steve Englehart and pencilled by Richard Howell.
"Madman" #16 (1996)
Mike Allred's Madman is a quirky pleasure, and in issue #16 of the ongoing series, Madman manages to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one issue. This issue introduces Mr. Gum, and features Frank, aka Madman, trick-or-treating on Halloween, helping at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, and traveling to the North Pole on Christmas!
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.