The Legion of Superheroes with Rankin Bass. Merry Christmas! … In June…

Disclaimer: The Legion of Superheroes and any other DC characters I use in this belong to Warner Brothers, DC Comics, and their respective creators while the Stingiest Man in Town belongs to Rankin-Bass. I own nothing.

The Stingiest Man in Gotham

Prologue: Bruce Wayne

Holly-ho!

Holly ho-ho-ho!

Holly ho! Tally ho!

Sing a Christmas Carol written long ago.

Garth and his sister Ayla Ranzz were hanging out in Wayne Manor when we walked up.

"Written long ago." Garth repeated when he noticed us. "The merriest of Merry Christmases to you."

"Who are you two?" I asked?

"Who are we?" Garth exclaimed. "Garth Ranzz of Winath, and this is my little sister, Ayla."

"Hi!" Ayla said cheerfully.

"Anyway, welcome to the home of the kindest and most generous man in Gotham, Bruce Wayne." Garth continued.

"What?" My friend Rob asked in shock.

"You're surprised I call Bruce kind and generous." Garth observed. "Well, you can take my word for it. True, Mr. Wayne wasn't always so jolly. There was a time when he was as mean and miserable as the counting house in which he conducted his business. The offices of Wayne and Wilson. Now Slade Wilson was dead to begin with, but old Bruce never paid to have Slade's name crossed out.

There was a mean and stingy man

Who was named Bruce Wayne.

His heart was hard and cold

Because he was the devil's cane.

While Bruce set down to count the gold

That is mind could never leave.

Young people in the square outside…

"Merry Christmas!" Several children called out, disrupting Bruce's train of thought.

Celebrated Christmas Eve.

"Away!" Bruce shouted, brandishing an umbrella. "Away with you and your 'Merry Christmas'!"

The children scattered upon seeing Bruce.

"Christmas." Bruce scoffed as he sat back down. "Bah humbug. Humbug!"

"That used to be his favorite word." Garth explained to us. "Me and Ayla's mom was the housekeeper for Bruce before she passed on, so he had us stay and divide our mother's old work load. Oh, Bruce was a tight-fisted man. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, covetous old sinner. Until that Christmas Eve, not too long ago, when the ghosts came. My new friends, allow me and my sister to tell you a Ghost Story for Christmas. The Stingiest Man in Gotham."


And you'll hear it too, in a few days, hopefully. So keep an eye out.