DC is leaning into the holiday one-shot tradition again this December with The Joker's Christmas Carol #1, and the creative team behind it is a genuine draw on its own.
Writer Paul Dini reunites with artist Kevin Altieri, one of his longtime collaborators from Batman: The Animated Series, for this 64-page retelling of the Dickens classic.
The main cover runs $7.99, with card-stock variant covers by Dustin Nguyen and Ty Templeton available at $8.99.
It ships December 2, 2026, putting it right at the front of DC's holiday-season comic lineup.
The premise flips A Christmas Carol onto the Joker himself: it's the night before Christmas, and the Clown Prince of Crime is visited by three spectral forms rather than Scrooge's familiar trio.
The pitch promises a story that will either show Joker the error of his ways or end with the villain's own demise, played with the same dark comic tone Dini is known for.
Dini and Altieri's history goes back to Batman: The Animated Series, and that pairing carries real weight for anyone who grew up on that show's take on Gotham.
Having that same creative chemistry applied to a 64-page one-shot gives this release more substance than a typical quick holiday cash-in.
A 64-page count is a substantial format for a one-shot, giving the Dickens-style structure room to breathe across the Joker's three ghostly visits.
That extra page count also typically means more story per dollar than a standard 32-page single issue at the same price point.
Beyond the standard $7.99 cover, card-stock variants from Dustin Nguyen and Ty Templeton are available at $8.99 each.
Both artists have strong existing followings in the Batman corner of the hobby, which makes these variants worth tracking down even for collectors who only buy the main cover on most releases.
DC has a long history of holiday-themed one-shots, and pairing the Joker with a classic ghost-story structure is a natural fit for that tradition.
Readers who've enjoyed past DC holiday specials will recognize the same dark-comedy tone applied here to Dickens's original structure.
A thicker page count means a comic that's slightly more prone to spine stress, so handling it carefully from the first read-through matters.
Current Age comic toploaders are sized to handle both the main cover and card-stock variants without putting extra strain on the binding.
DC has published holiday-themed Batman specials before, but pairing the format directly with the Joker as the Scrooge-analogue is a more pointed, character-specific take than most past entries.
That specificity is likely to make this one-shot a recurring reference point in future holiday-comic roundups rather than a one-and-done seasonal release.
The extra length gives Dini room to let each of the three ghostly visits breathe as its own mini-story rather than rushing through the structure in a standard 22-page format.
That pacing choice is likely part of why this one-shot is already drawing comparisons to past standout DC holiday specials rather than being dismissed as a quick seasonal release.
Because this is a self-contained one-shot rather than part of an ongoing series, it's an easy entry point for readers curious about Dini's take on Gotham without needing prior continuity.
That accessibility is likely to broaden this release's audience beyond collectors who already follow DC's main ongoing Batman titles.
This one-shot pairs naturally with other DC holiday specials for anyone building a seasonal reading stack rather than buying it as a standalone pickup.
Its self-contained structure means it slots easily alongside unrelated holiday one-shots without any continuity conflicts.
Seasonal one-shots with a strong, specific creative pairing tend to retain collector interest well past the holiday they were released for.
That staying power is part of why Dini and Altieri's reunion here is being treated as more than a throwaway seasonal release.
December 2, 2026.
$7.99 for the main cover, $8.99 for the card-stock variants.
Writer Paul Dini and artist Kevin Altieri, reuniting from their Batman: The Animated Series collaboration.
64 pages.
Card-stock variants typically have smaller print runs than the standard cover, though DC hasn't published exact numbers.
A 64-page one-shot with this kind of creative pedigree is worth more than a quick read-through. Pick up Current Age comic toploaders to keep both the main cover and any variant pickups in top shape.
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