Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #196
Published January 1972
Cover Price 0.50 USD
Pages 84
Editing Richard Goldwater
Notes A "double giant" issue running 84 pages (rather than the usual 52 of "giant" issues at this time).

Cover Details - "Sabrina's Christmas Magic"

Characters Sabrina; Aunt Hilda; Cousin Ambrose; Aunt Zelda
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Pencils Dan DeCarlo
Inks Rudy Lapick
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

10 page Sabrina story "Hidden Claus"

Characters Sabrina; Aunt Hilda; Santa Claus
Synopsis After Aunt Hilda tells her that Santa Claus isn't real, Sabrina sets off around the world in search of Santa. When she arrives at the North Pole, she meets the real Santa Claus, whose workshop has shut down due to the world's "lack of faith."
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida
Notes One of many examples of Al Hartley working religious messages into his mainstream comics stories.

1 page Sabrina story "Sabrina's Wrap Session"

Characters Sabrina; Jughead Jones
Synopsis Sabrina offers tips on how to wrap presents in a personalized way.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

1 page Li'l Jinx filler "Sweet Words"

Characters Li'l Jinx; Hap Holliday
Genre children; humor
Script Joe Edwards
Pencils Joe Edwards
Inks Joe Edwards
Letters Joe Edwards

6 page Sabrina story "Hot Dog With Relish"

Characters Sabrina; Hot Dog; Ethel Muggs; Reggie Mantle; Archie Andrews; Jughead Jones; Pop Tate
Synopsis Sabrina turns Hot Dog into a human: a long-haired hippie wearing peace symbols. Ethel promptly falls in love with him.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

1 page Aunt Hilda story "Aunt Hilda's Beauty Secrets"

Characters Aunt Hilda
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

10 page Sabrina's Christmas Magic story "The Spell of the Season"

Characters Sabrina; Aunt Hilda; Della; Harvey; Archie Andrews; Betty Cooper; Jughead Jones
Synopsis After Della and Aunt Hilda read her the riot act over getting the goody-goody Christmas spirit, Sabrina resolves to do her duty as a witch and resist doing good deeds for people at Christmas. But when she's taken hostage by two bank robbers, she sees the opportunity to do good by doing evil.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Frank Doyle
Pencils Stan Goldberg
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

2 page Sabrina story "What Does Christmas Mean To You?"

Characters Sabrina; Veronica Lodge; Mr. Lodge; Moose Mason; Reggie Mantle; Hot Dog; Archie Andrews; Waldo Weatherbee; Jughead Jones; Betty Cooper
Synopsis Everyone says what's most important about Christmas. They all have materialistic answers except Betty, who says "It's not just a holiday -- it's a holy day!"
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

1 page Sabrina story "Sabrina's Instant Christmas Decorations"

Characters Sabrina
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

2 page Sabrina text article "Sabrina Answers Questions About Christmas"

Characters Sabrina
Synopsis Some facts about Christmas, including the fact that some of its traditions originate in Pagan rites.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Joe Edwards
Pencils Joe Edwards
Inks Joe Edwards
Letters Joe Edwards

1 page Li'l Jinx filler "Picture That!"

Characters Li'l Jinx; Gigi
Genre children; humor
Script Joe Edwards
Pencils Joe Edwards
Inks Joe Edwards
Letters Joe Edwards

6 page Sabrina story "Mission Possible"

Characters Sabrina; Aunt Hilda
Synopsis Sabrina and Aunt Hilda join the Salvation Army and use their magic to get more donations and food for the Sisters. But they learn that there's something the Salvation Army provides poor people that witchcraft can't: "God's love."
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

1 page Sabrina story "Popcorn Poopsie"

Characters Sabrina; Jughead Jones
Synopsis Sabrina's recipe for popcorn balls.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

8 page Sabrina story "Animal Crackers"

Characters Sabrina; Waldo Weatherbee; Veronica Lodge; Moose Mason; Reggie Mantle; Archie Andrews; Jughead Jones; Dilton Doily
Synopsis Sabrina shows us what the Archie gang would be like as animals. In the animal kingdom, everyone is having fun at Christmas, until Dilton the Owl reminds them that Christmas should be more than just a "make-believe time."
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida
Notes Another example of a typical Christian-comics message in Hartley's stories: Dilton argues that the theory of evolution only applies to the pre-Christian world: "It used to be survival of the fittest, but the miracle of Christmas changed all that!"

2 page Sabrina story "Sabrina Keeps in Christmas Trim"

Characters Sabrina
Synopsis Sabrina demonstrates various exercises.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

2 page Sabrina story "Sabrina's Witch Wisher!"

Characters Sabrina; Veronica Lodge; Archie Andrews; Moose Mason; Reggie Mantle; Waldo Weatherbee; Pop Tate; Jughead Jones; Geraldine Grundy; Miss Haggly; Mr. Svenson; Dilton Doily
Synopsis All Sabrina's friends make Christmas wishes, capped by Dilton's wish for mankind to become more religious.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Al Hartley
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida

12 page Sabrina's Christmas Magic story "A Tree Named Obadiah"

Characters Sabrina; Archie Andrews; Betty Cooper; Veronica Lodge; Mr. Lodge; Smithers; Chuck Clayton; Aunt Hilda; Aunt Zelda; Cousin Ambrose; Della; Obadiah
Synopsis Veronica's new Christmas tree is possessed by a spirit that only Sabrina can see: Obadiah, a powerful warlock who was confined to the tree as punishment for showing off his magic to humans.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Frank Doyle
Pencils Stan Goldberg
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida
Notes The line "She talks to the trees!" and Sabrina's response, "but they don't listen to me," are quoted from the hit song "I Talk To the Trees" from PAINT YOUR WAGON.

1 page Sabrina story "Sabrina Pin-Up"

Characters Sabrina; Waldo Weatherbee
Synopsis Sabrina's magic causes Mr. Weatherbee to switch decorations with a tree.
Genre teen; humor; fantasy
Script Al Hartley
Pencils Al Hartley
Inks Joe Sinnott
Colors Barry Grossman
Letters Bill Yoshida