Happy Holidays, comic book community!
One of the greatest things about being a part of this community, is that comic book collections come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. We all collect what we like -- which makes every collection unique and highly personalized. Some of us only collect key issues, such as comics that include the first (full) appearances of major characters (e.g., AF #15, Hulk #181, ASM #300, Invincible #1). Others prefer collecting complete runs, such as ASM #1 through #100, comics from a particular genre such as Pre-Code Horror, or comic covers by a particular artist (e.g., Todd McFarlane or Adam Hughes covers).
I've seen several theme-based collections, but it wasn't until I watched this video from Minthunter Comics that I learned there are some fans who collected Christmas-themed comic books! As you can see for yourself, this Christmas-themed collection was HUGE.
For me personally, I felt this collection was missing just three of the most important holiday-themed books, which happen to be these three great key issues:
Solson Christmas Special #1
Before you read any further, any guesses as to why this rarely available Copper Age book is a major key issue?
Long before he became a comic book superstar due to his work on the Uncanny X-Men in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and becoming the powerful President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics, Jim Lee had the most humble of beginnings. He began his professional career drawing the interior artwork for Solson Christmas Special #1, a one-shot published in 1986 by Solson Publications, a small, and short-lived independent comic book publisher that existed in the 1980s.
This comic is extremely rare especially in high grade. Since Solson was on shaky financial footing at the time of its publication, it is estimated that the print run consisted of just several thousand copies. This estimate appears to be validated by the number represented on the CGC Census; there are only 344 copies graded by CGC and 169 universal blue label copies. Only two 9.8s have sold at public auction in 2025, and the most recent one sold for only $710 early two months ago:
Personally, I think that price is a steal.
Merry Christmas From Mickey Mouse (K.K. Publications 1939)
Even though Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable characters in the history of the world, how many of you could name his first appearance off the top of your head?
Although Mickey first appeared in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, and in comic strips and several magazines, including this one from 1933, his first appearance in a standard comic book didn't occur until 1939's Merry Christmas from Mickey Mouse, a one-shot promotional comic provided as a giveaway for a shoe store.
This Golden Age key issue is extremely rare; there are only ELEVEN universal blue label copies on the CGC Census. A top-of-the-census CGC 9.0 sold for a mere $2,510 way back in 2009. Only one CGC-graded copy sold throughout all of 2025; this 4.0 copy sold for $1,020 on Heritage Auctions back in July:
There are only seven copies on the Census that are graded higher than this 4.0. Like the Solson Christmas Special #1 discussed above, I definitely think this Christmas-themed key issue is undervalued.
Batman #27
Batman #27 is likely the most valuable Christmas-themed comic book of all-time, but even this Golden Age issue published in 1945 is surprisingly affordable. Published several months before the end of World War II (the “Back the 6th War Loan” near the top of the cover refers to the federal government’s WWII war bond campaign and ties the book to this specific moment in history), Batman #27 features a wartime-era holiday cover with Batman, Robin, and Santa Claus.
Not surprisingly, this book is also very rare with 252 universal blue labels on the CGC Census and five 9.4s sitting at the top of the Census for this issue. Considering this is a rare, Golden Age Batman issue, it's not as expensive as you might guess. For instance, this high-grade 8.0 sold for $3,000 a few weeks ago on Heritage Auctions:
Some other great holiday-themed books are Captain Marvel #19 (Golden Age issue with Santa Claus using Captain Marvel as his sleigh ride), Superman's Christmas Adventure #1, and Marvel Holiday Special #21 (great Art Adams cover).
