Warning: SPOILERS for New Years Evil
You can be forgiven for thinking Black Adam’s next big fight would be with Shazam. After all, last fans saw of Black Adam he was receiving a serious beating from the evil-infected King Shazam. But before Black Adam’s rematch with the Shazam Who Laughs, it seems Black Adam has a bigger target on his mind for New Years Evil: that of Jolly Old Santa Claus himself.
With DC’s Year of the Villain in full swing, New Years Evil collects ten holiday tales starring the naughtiest villains from the naughty list. The special also includes the likes of Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Sinestro, Calendar Man, Toyman, Chronos, and Ares. Black Adam’s “A Coal in My Stocking” is written by Ram V. with pencils by Anthony Spay. New Year’s Evil also features the talents of Kurt Busiek, Jim Krieg, Christos Gage, Dale Eaglesham and more with cover art from Jim Cheung and Tomeu Morey.
The sight of Black Adam squaring off with a Yeti and Elves as he punches his way into the North Pole is unforgettable, but he has his reasons. The issue’s flashback shows Black Adam speaking with Antalya, a young orphan in the Middle Eastern country of Kahndaq that the anti-hero rules. A former New Yorker, Antalya laments that Santa Claus doesn’t visit Kahndaq, which prompts Black Adam to travel to the North Pole for a face-off with Santa for some answers.
Black Adam’s behavior is certainly in keeping with his last comic book appearance. While he initially gives Antalya a blustery speech about the world having no sympathy for the weak, he then moves to comfort the crying orphan. This definitely makes sense, given that he was only able to win his first battle with the Shazam Who Laughs due to the prayers of the people of Kahndaq. Black Adam’s connection to the people he protects is quickly becoming a unique power for the anti-hero, and it will be interesting how this plays out during his fight in the North Pole.
It will also certainly be interesting to see how Santa is depicted. The first few pages of the story show Santa’s advance guard as icy Yeti and green men (elves?) with no eyes. This definitely seems to indicate that Santa Claus will almost certainly be more otherworldly than his homely Coca-Cola appearance. In one of DC’s first holiday specials, Santa was Darkseid’s true equal. How he will fare a fight with Black Adam - an anti-hero equal parts naughty and nice - is unclear, but it definitely has all the makings of a very original holiday yarn.
New Years Evil is available now in your local comic book shop.
