“Mama told you never to eat your friends with your fingers and hands. But I say you ought to eat what you will. Shove it in your mouth any way that you can.” From Silver Spoon, written by Grace Slick.

As you may have inferred from all the annual hubbub, this Thursday is Thanksgiving. At least I think it still is; perhaps our gravy-besotted president repealed the holiday because of its inherent pro-Native American wokity-wokeness.

I just got back from Grace Slick’s open market and I was a bit surprised at how uncrowded the joint had been. I expect Sundays at the supermarket to be busier because a lot of people actually have jobs, and, of course, logic dictates chefs and gourmands would be using weekends to fill their pantries for the family feast. Prices have skyrocketed and/or portion sizes have decreased, and that can have a dissuasive effect on one’s appetite, particularly if you can’t afford to pay the toll.

That did not lessen the overwhelming presence of Pumpkin Spice. You’d think Halloween would be enough but, no, we’ve got another five weeks of this crap. Pumpkin Spice donuts. Pumpkin Spice coffee. Pumpkin Spice potato chips. Pumpkin Spice Oreos. Pumpkin Spice Pampers. I doubt those at the first Thanksgiving feast had ever seen or heard of pumpkins, not even in its unprocessed cucurbitaceae form.

Maybe that’s why Thanksgiving doesn’t get the same degree of respect as many other holidays. Every October we spend a small fortune on Kit Kat bars, and every December we blow out minds out on peppermint bark. If I’m not mistaken (calendars stopped working for me during Covid), retailers start putting out their Christmas products the Monday after Mother’s Day. The damn turkeys are crowded out of the spotlight from Day One.

For example, let’s take comic books. Lots and lots of Christmas-themed comics are published each year, most of them, seemingly, by Archie. They’ve been doing that longer than most Pop Culture Squad members have been alive. Thanksgiving? Nada. Well, almost nada. There used to be a few really good turkey covers each year, but that was back when children could buy comics at their neighborhood drugstore or newsstand. Turkey comics didn’t generate that extra profit that publishers need, back then and right now.

I suspect some publishers get a bit hinky about how they should depict native Americans. I get that, but am moved to suggest “gee, why don’t you ask a few Native Americans?” That’s not being woke; it is simply being polite. Then again, some think politeness is woke.

However, there is one Christmas comic I will recommend, and it comes out Wednesday, a.k.a. Thanksgiving Eve. DC is doing another one of its wacky anthologies that feature underexposed (mostly) characters written and/or drawn by some of its better underexposed (mostly) writers and artists. It’s called I Saw Ma Hunkel Kissing Santa Claus. Her story is the first of eight features, and if you don’t know or are uncertain who Ma Hunkel is, you just got my point. This is the lead story, the title story in the anthology. Ma was created by the overwhelmingly talented Shelly Mayer in 1939; she became the Red Tornado about a year and a half later. She’s a member of the Justice Society, more or less, and she is a hoot.

She’s the one wearing the pot on her head. No, I did not say she was on pot.

But, lo and behold this year there is a really great Thanksgiving comic book. It’s called “Thanksgiving” and its written by Mark Russell and drawn by Mauricet. Ahoy Comics calls it a gory horror-comedy, and I’ll stand behind that…

… but I won’t tell you why. Not yet. Over on our Pop Culture Squadcast Live! podcast, I’m gonna tell you all about it… in three weeks. Yep, I’m gonna talk about the Thanksgiving comic book right before Christmas.

Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Mike!