Review: Justice League "Comfort and Joy"

Looking back on it, Batman and Wonder Woman are probably missing from this episode because he's an eternal Grinch and she's... well, a Pagan. She probably doesn't see much point in the holiday celebrating Jesus' birth when she can go hang out with Zeus and Hermes.

Still, you have to wonder how they spent the holidays.

I have a pet theory.

At the risk of sounding like a closed-minded, jaded adult who assumes that everything was better when they were a kid... Well, it's episodes like this that demonstrate why the DC Animated Universe is still often held up as the gold standard for superhero cartoons. And even action cartoons in general. Heck, cartoons in general.

This is the kind of episode that paved the way for the deep, rich storytelling of today's beloved shows, like Gravity Falls and Steven Universe.

Plot/Themes/Characters
Every story is about finding what connects people to this time of year, no matter how they spend it. And each set of people represents... well, a different set of people.

The Superman/Martian Manhunter story focuses on how friends and family come together.

The Flash/Ultra-Humanite story is about acts of kindness to strangers.

And the Green Lantern/Hawkgirl story is about lovers.

Superman/Clark Kent
To Superman, Christmas is the time of year that he can simply unwind and enjoy himself. He can take the world off his shoulders and spend some time with the people who raised him, love him, and will always be there for him. But Superman is also one to find ways to spread that cheer, as demonstrated when he brings J'onn home. J'onn may be content with spending the holidays alone, but Superman takes it upon himself to demonstrate that though he may be the last Martian, he never has to be truly alone. After all, Superman, the last Kryptonian, learned that lesson from the Kents himself all those years ago. It's only natural that he would offer J'onn the same.

Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onnz
I do find it amusing that Carl Lumbly's Martian character on Supergirl ends up spending Christmas with a Kryptonian once again, considering the events of this episode.

In the same way that Clark can just home and be himself, so too does J'onn. Clark can put aside the "bumbling reporter" act and the "paragon of justice" persona and simply be. And when J'onn sheds his stoic, superheroic body and sings while in his natural Martian form, it shows that, at least for the moment, he's not hiding.

J'onn J'onnz finds it easier to halfway blend in. He'll assume the form of what is essentially a green human. It makes humans more comfortable than his true form, but J'onn isn't entirely comfortable pretending to be a human, since he defines himself as the last of a dead race. In fact, this episode marks for the first time the moment where J'onn assumes a human form as he walks the streets.

Hawkgirl
Hawkgirl's story represents the people who don't celebrate Christmas. As the episode demonstrates, that's absolutely fine. People from different backgrounds have their own traditions and celebrate different things at different times. And while we may find their ways and customs strange, the ways of people who don't celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or Festivus are just as valid.

And for a moment, a brief moment, things are simple. For this moment, she can plant a small kiss on John's cheek... before things get complicated next episode.

Green Lantern
GL reconnects to his youth, and Hawkgirl simply does not understand the appeal.

This face. The face when you show The Santa Clause to somebody who didn't grow up with it.

They experience each other's traditions, and they connect through sharing these experiences with each other.
Flash
I really do love what a great guy the Flash is. He has all the time in the world, and he spends it helping people, such as the orphans he visits each year. And even the Ultra-Humanite. The guy's a super-criminal, but the Flash firmly believes that nobody deserves to have a lonely Christmas.

Ultra-Humanite (Ian Buchanan)
The Ultra-Humanite loathes the common rabble... but even he seems to have a soft spot for the children of the world. They still have their yet-to-be-corrupted innocence, and he does value that.

Animation
As good as ever, with a few nice nods to DC's wider cast of characters, from Zook to Swamp Thing.

Final Thoughts
Quite simply, this is one of my favorite Christmas episodes, if not my number one favorite Justice League episode. Heck, this might be one of the best things I've ever seen.

And I just realized that I end up watching it pretty much every year, so that probably says more than any praise I can heap upon it.

Next time, holiday cheer goes out the window as paranoia and xenophobia reign supreme in the wake of an alien invasion. ...Harsh.

See you then.