Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of February, 1995. It was published on December 8, 1994.
Synopsis for "Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas"
On December 3, while shopping for presents at the local Mayfield's, Barbara Gordon encounters Detectives Bullock and Montoya on an undercover sting operation. Knowing that the pair have been sent to capture a thief plaguing Gotham's department stores, Barbara stays behind to help, and soon catches a young boy making off with a necklace.
However, Barbara and the detectives quickly discover that the thief is not a child, or even a gang, but Clayface. The detectives and Mayfield's security all prove inefficient against Clayface, until Batgirl arrives on the scene and knocks Clayface outside, into a skating rink. Clayface is slowed down by the low temperatures, and electrocuted into unconsciousness when Bullock and Montoya drop a string of Christmas lights on him.
The case is closed, but the police - much to Bullock's dismay - are still obligated to dig the stolen merchandise out of Clayface's body.
Appearing in "Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Santa Claus (Mentioned only)
- Mary McSweeney
- Mike "Mad Dog" McSweeny (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Mayfield's Department Store
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Harley and the Ivy"
On December 11, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn drug Bruce Wayne with a special lipstick that forces him to obey all of their commands. With Bruce's wealth and prestige at their disposal, the villainesses immediately go on a shopping spree, purchasing many expensive clothes, perfumes, and toys.
Eventually, the lipstick begins to wear off, and Bruce manages to "trip" down an elevator shaft before Harley can drug him again. Harley and Ivy leave the billionaire for dead, only to be pursued by a furious Batman moments later. After a harrowing chase through a nearby toy store, Batman captures the two villainesses by pinning them under a Christmas tree - ironically, the present Harley had wanted most for Christmas.
Appearing in "The Harley and the Ivy"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Mayfield's Department Store
- Wacko Toys
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "White Christmas"
On Christmas Eve, Mister Freeze escapes from Arkham Asylum - an act which baffles his doctors, as he had always been one of Arkham's most compliant inmates. Batman tracks Freeze down to Gotham Cemetery, where Freeze is using one of his old inventions to create a massive snowstorm.
After a short, brutal battle with Freeze, Batman destroys Freeze's snow-maker, but stops himself from landing a finishing blow and asks Freeze to surrender peacefully. Freeze does so, and when asked for the motivation behind his breakout, gestures to the headstone of his wife Nora. His late wife had loved the snow, and married him on a Christmas Eve; to honor her, he had broken out to bestow snow on a Christmas Eve that would have passed without it.
Appearing in "White Christmas"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Joan Leland
- Nora Fries (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "... What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?!"
On New Year's Eve, the Joker broadcasts a threat to kill as many people as possible before midnight, as he has made a resolution to not kill anyone during the new year. Less than an hour before midnight, Batman and the police discover that the Joker has raided a GothCorp lab, and stolen a hypersonic "bomb" capable of killing anyone within earshot.
Batman deduces that the Joker has connected the bomb to the countdown bell at Gotham Square, counting on the bell's midnight ringing to kill thousands of New Year's Eve revelers. A search of the square proves difficult, however, as the Joker has also distributed masks of his own face among the revelers, providing the perfect camouflage for his gang.
Moments before the final countdown, Batman finds and defeats the Joker's men, only to be ambushed by the Joker, who stuns and taunts him with a bottle of champagne. Rallying quickly, Batman seizes the bottle and upends it over the bomb's control panel, short-circuiting the whole mechanism. This short-circuit also knocks the countdown bell off its perch and onto the Joker, ringing in the new year right on schedule.
Appearing in "... What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- John Erickson (Single appearance) (Appears only as a corpse)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- GCPD Headquarters
- Gotham Square
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot"
Two hours into the new year, after the Joker has been taken into custody, Batman meets Commissioner Gordon at a local diner. Per their annual tradition, the two men exchange season's greetings, and drink a toast to survival.
Appearing in "Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Joker (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
- Joe
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Joe's diner
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Instead of the Batman Adventures usual artists, every story in this special was illustrated by one of the animated series' storyboard artists/directors.
- All vignettes, save "White Christmas", were adapted into an episode of the 1997 Batman animated series.
- "White Christmas" seems to imply that Nora Fries is dead, even though the episode "Deep Freeze" indicated that she was still alive (under suspended animation). Nora would later be revived and cured of her terminal disease in Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero.
- "Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas" is reprinted in Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories.
- "The Harley and the Ivy" is reprinted in:
Trivia
- This issue won the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue/One-Shot.
- The Joker's broadcast in "... What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?!" features a football flag labeled "P.U." - most likely a reference to the famous Chuck Jones cartoon The Dover Boys.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- DC Animated Universe Recommended Reading
- Adventures in the DC Universe (Volume 1)
- The Batgirl Adventures #1
- Batman Adventures (Volume 1)
- Batman Adventures (Volume 2)
- The Batman Adventures: The Lost Years (Volume 1)
- The Batman Adventures: Mad Love
- The Batman and Robin Adventures (Volume 1)
- Batman and Superman Adventures: World's Finest
- Batman Beyond (Volume 1)
- Batman Beyond (Volume 2)
- Batman Beyond (Volume 4)
- Batman Beyond Unlimited (Volume 1)
- Batman Beyond Universe (Volume 1)
- Batman: Gotham Adventures (Volume 1)
- Batman: Harley and Ivy (Volume 1)
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - The Animated Movie #1
- Gotham Girls (Volume 1)
- Justice League Adventures (Volume 1)
- Justice League Unlimited (Volume 1)
- Superman Adventures (Volume 1)
- Superman & Batman Magazine (Volume 1)
- Justice League Infinity (Volume 1)
