Episode 304 of the Letters Page: Mystery Comics Vol 2 #244

It’s Santa Scholar to save the day!

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Yeah, I’m just singing, “Scholar having a wonderful Christmastime” now.

Nothing like a good “I hate it!” off the top of the episode. :smiley:

I’m with Adam: predict bad things to trick the universe into giving you good ones!

Man, I really like Scholar playing Santa, heck, why is that so good?

The Cult of Gloom? :open_mouth: Wasn’t expecting that. And they’re actually doing stuff! Wasn’t expecting that either! XD

Horrific loss of life! :smiley: Merry Christmas! :'D

Scholar has a mystery office? :open_mouth: How mysterious!

Boy, if this issue isn’t a mood and a half.

Boy, if this issue isn’t a mood and a half.

Okay, no, Santa Scholar punching his way into a cult den and stealing their presents was absolutely the thing this story needed. XD

Guise no longer exists?? D:

“Why do you do this to me?” The answer is friendship. :slight_smile:

No, I’m here for the Santaverse, let him cook. :smiley:

…Wait, how many sides are on now?

Well, I’ve definitely eaten more trees than Adam at least. :smiley: Doing well!

Gee, does this mean that the Adhesivist is actually the Sentinel Comics Joker rather than Kismet?

No episode next week? Unheard of! >:V

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I wasn’t totally sold on the end of this story when they originally reached it, but after a little re-working and stealing presents from some cultists…yeah, it works. The idea that the Scholar always tries to present this image to the world, to support joy and life and all that, is great - and to dig into that and show that he does it, even when it’s incredibly hard to actually feel like it? Yeah, that’s pretty incredible.

It actually ties back in a way to Iroh from Avatar, a character I’ve seen him compared to a few times. Spoilers for Avatar, but in the episode Tales From Ba Sing Se, we see how he works to help people, from a kid having a tantrum to a man who tries to mug him. And then by the end, we see how all of these things he does, this jovial grandpa persona, covers a really deep, persistent grief.

In the same way, we’re seeing how Scholar seems invulnerable to all of this awful stuff that goes on - but he’s not, of course he’s not. And sometimes it’s really hard for him to feel like what he does is worth it. But he still gets back up, keeps doing it, and in the end it does make a difference.
The Scholar’s pretty cool, is what I’m saying.

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If there really was a Santaverse, I don’t think it would be “everyone is Santa.” I think it would be one December issue of Disparation where one Hero is Santa (probably Legacy, Haka, or Scholar, although Captain Cosmic would be neat) and a few other Heroes are elves, and they have an adventure where they have to save Christmas.

Although what would be even more fun is Baron Blade as Santa (he’s a “toymaker” after all), the elves are Blade Battalion, and the heroes have to protect the Earth from him every December 25.

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my idea for “Santa-Verse” - the divergent point is a child wishing that “it was always Christmas” and “it” was applied not to the date but the nature of all things. Legacy and Tachyon in red suits, Wraith in a purple Santa Suit, the Bunker armor redesigned with the military uniform and teeth of the Nutcracker, and AZ with color accents of either Jack Frost from the Rankin-Bass “Jack Frost” or Snow Meiser from R-B “Year without a Santa Claus.”

partly inspired by “Birthday Boy” from the Zoom’s Academy comics and novelization.

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Point of order, it’s “Snow Miser” there. Seems like you’re maybe thinking of Burgermeister Meisterburger with the spelling there, but that’s a whole other Rankin-Bass special. :slight_smile:

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I am sure I have seen it written but I always thought it was the same root word as Burgermeister or Brewmeister sine the brothers are not very miserly of their Energy/Element and want to share or spread their respective things.

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I’m only sure because I looked up the lyrics. :slight_smile: To be honest, I’d have sworn it was “Cold Miser” rather than “Snow Miser” before doing so. Been way too long since I actually watched any of those specials, despite them being important (albeit fragmented) memories of my childhood.

Given the weather around here lately it’s clear that the two of them are brawling over this patch of the country something fierce. I’d hope for an intervention from Mother Nature, but she’s presumably on life support in a hospital somewhere after all the things we’ve done to her in the last century or three.

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Etymonline to the rescue! miser | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

“Miser” is from Latin, and means ‘one who is miserable’, at least originally, while “meister” isn’t even English, it’s a straight German usage, and means ‘master’.

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I watched youtubers reacting to both shows in the last week.

You know, when thinking of AZ I had thought of the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Comin to Town… but after the video reminding me of the Snow Miser, I agree that the Miser is in fact the correct one.

(Also I think I need to rewatch more of the Rankin-Bass musicals, as I realized I’ve kind of forgotten them outside of my two Santa Claus is Comin to Town and Twas the Night Before Christmas faves.)

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The Southwest Santa-Noels variants when?