If there is anyone who could match Ebenezer Scrooge’s greediness, it’s Lex Luthor. The arch-enemy of Superman is as stingy as the Man of Steel is generous. This makes it all the more fitting that Luthor should get his own personal reenactment of A Christmas Carol.
Lex’s spiritual journey unfolded in “A Lex-tacular Christmas Carol” by Ethan Sacks and Soo Lee. One of several holiday stories contained within ‘Twas The Mite Before Christmas, the story finds Lex Luthor working through Christmas. Luthor being Luthor, he expects the same of an employee named Bob, despite Bob having a sick son named Tim.
As Lex settles into sleep on Christmas Eve, he is visited by a ghostly image of his father, Lionel Luthor. Bound in chains, Lionel warns his son that he would suffer the same fate in death if he did not mend his wicked ways. This leads to the appearance of three more ghostly visitors, including Deadman and the Spectre.
A spirited prank
Despite the presence of such powerful spirits, Lex Luthor is far from frightened. Indeed, he quickly deduces that John Constantine is responsible for the parade of ghosts. Luthor bases this hypothesis on the limited number of magicians capable on calling on the Spectre and the even more limited number willing to risk his wrath. The only thing Luthor doesn’t understand, however, is why Constantine would go through this much trouble just to annoy him.
After joking that he honestly hoped to fill Lex Luthor with the Christmas spirit, Constantine admits that the prank was a gift to himself: “an act of defiance against the whole system that rewards greedy bastards like yourself.” While he had no hope of changing Lex’s heart, Constantine figured he could give him a restless night. With that confession, Constantine flips Luthor off and wishes him a Merry Christmas.
The irony is that John Constantine’s prank does have a positive outcome. While Lex Luthor is still the same greedy scoundrel he always was, he does agree to give Bob the holidays off. He also arranges for his personal physician to treat the sickly Tim. Then, and only then, does Lex Luthor finally settle down for a long winter’s nap.
DC’s ‘Twas The Mite Before Christmas is now available in comic shops everywhere.
