Marvel Winter Break Special is Style Over Substance In the Best Way (Review)

While they’re never the most substantial of books, seasonal specials or one-shots are a beloved staple of comics. For years DC and Marvel have both been doing special issues centered around different holidays and times of the year, often offering funny or heartfelt stories featuring some of comics most beloved characters and some lesser-known ones, too. Of those special books, there are perhaps none as beloved as the Marvel Swimsuit Special, a book that made its return after many years earlier this year. After the Marvel Swimsuit Special made its triumphant return this past summer, Marvel announced that a new, winter edition would be coming, too, with the debut of Marvel Winter Break Special #1. Now, right in time for the holiday, that special has arrived.

This new one-shot isn’t going to redefine comics or really even break new ground. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to be, especially if you picked up this summer’s Marvel Swimsuit Special: Friends, Foes, Rivals #1. That said, this issue does a solid job of following up on the swimsuit special, sort of continuing the story begun in that first book, if you will, and it’s actually a lot of fun with a charming story, appearances of fan-favorite character, a couple of cringeworthy jokes, and plenty of great art thanks to the book’s numerous pinups. It’s a good time — and well worth a read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

PROS	CONS
Connects well to the Swimsuit Special	A little style over substance-y
A surprisingly good read

Marvel Winter Break Special Has Solid Ties to the Swimsuit Special, Even if It’s Style Over Substance

With this summer’s Swimsuit Special, the story had a very anti-corporate, anti-AI tone to it with it being framed as an unauthorized Roxxon production. It made it a great little story about greed — Roxxon used AI to create a swimsuit special featuring the Avengers which in turn prompts the heroes to make their own special to counter it. The Winter Break Special follows up on that, with Roxxon “apologizing” for the controversy and introducing their solution for climate change — the Climifier. The device supposedly returns the climate of the area it’s deployed in to its “natural state” and the first place it’s deployed is the Savage Land, turning it to a snow-covered, frozen land. Obviously, that doesn’t sit right with the heroes, and Rogue assembles her own group to deal with the situation.

It’s a neat way to follow up on the Swimsuit Special. Roxxon is still out there doing shady Roxxon things, the heroes are still having to clean up the mess, and it puts everyone in a situation where they might have to get a little sexy in the process — and it’s always a good time when the heroes are going after Roxxon in some fashion or another. Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs do a really good job of tying the two tales together and also making this mission have a real purpose. It’s always nice when an obvious play for cash or attention is actually a good time. What works perhaps a little less well here, however, is how we get to the heroes ending up scantily clad rather than winter weather appropriate. The story has no problem being pretty obvious about its machinations in that department, which is a little disappointing because the boo is actually written well-enough that you get the feeling that it could have been done a lot more organically. Instead, we get a bit of a style over substance situation that, while it works, leaves a bit on the table.

As for the style, however, this book is visually a lot of fun. The main art in the book from Nick Bradshaw is fun on its own, but that different pinups in the issue are all interesting visually and, perhaps best of all, offer an equal opportunity situation for everyone to look a little sexy for the special. It’s always appreciated when both the male and female heroes are given equal treatment in the presentation department and it certainly works very well here. And some of the art is truly outstanding — there’s some Ghost Rider art that is just absolutely bonkers and amazing and not at all what you might expect.

Overall, Marvel Winter Break Special #1 is a fun issue with a pretty good story and some great art. The seasonal special is never meant to be anything crazy serious, but they’ve done a really good job against incorporating some more serious elements (namely Roxxon’s seemingly endless corporate greed and evil) with the revealing art that makes this issue a real treat for fans. We’d definitely like to see more of these — both swimsuit and winter — in the future.

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