Exclusive: Bobby Moynihan previews his Captain Cold story in DC's 'Tis the Season to Be Freezin'

This week, DC Comics is helping to usher in the holidays with their latest winter special, packed with new short stories from top talent starring DC's most beloved characters. Featuring everyone from Harley Quinn to Captain Cold, 'Tis the Season to Be Freezin' follows DC's heroes and villains as they deal with various holiday and winter-themed conundrums ranging from the supernatural to the mundane, and everything in between. The talent roster for the oversized special is, of course, massive, and includes everyone from Alan Burnett and Paul Dini to Jason Howard to Tee Franklin to Bobby Moynihan.

If you follow the world of comedy, you might know Moynihan best for his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, when he played everyone from Drunk Uncle to Guy Fieri and made a name for himself as both writer and performer. Since then he's kept busy with everything from playing Louie in DuckTales to providing voices for shows like Star Wars Resistance to co-starring in the NBC comedy series Mr. Mayor. In between all of that, he's also been able to indulge in his lifelong love of comics by contributing a story following The Flash and Captain Cold to 'Tis the Season. 

Below, check out some exclusive pages from Moynihan and artist Pop Mhan's story –– in which The Flash and Captain Cold form an unlikely connection over Christmas –– then read on for our Q&A with Moynihan about putting the story together.

Photo: DC comics

Photo: DC Comics

Photo: DC Comics

You're known as a comics guy. What's your past experience with The Flash and Captain Cold, just as a fan?

I have always been a fan of the Flash but wasn't as familiar with Captain Cold, so it was fun to get to take a crack and read up on what I had forgotten. Such a cool rivalry between the two.

How did this story come about? Did you pitch a Captain Cold idea or was that the character DC was most interested in having you tackle?

I had written a story to be included in the Gotham Radio Hour special comic about the Penguin and the first time he saw the Bat signal. DC asked if I wanted to try writing a story for the Flash for 'Tis the Season to be Freezin' and I jumped at the chance. For this one [associated editor] Andrew Marino pitched an idea that I liked, and we sort of took it and ran with it. I loved the idea that they kind of put everything aside for a minute to just deal with what it means to be a good person at the holidays.

What's it been like working with artist Pop Mhan to bring this story to life?

Pop is fantastic. Easy to work with and such a great vision. Really enjoyed seeing his work take shape. His last page of this comic is truly stunning. It sets the tone for Christmas perfectly and I truly believe he has given the world my favorite depiction of Santa ever.

You've been involved in a lot of superhero media in various ways, from The Awesomes to Flora & Ulysses and beyond. Is there a dream comics project you'd like to tackle?

Maybe a villain? They are more fun. I have wanted to play the Blob in an X-Men movie since I was 11. I also would love to try an insanely weird character like Detective Chimp, Danny the Street, or Woozy Winks in Plastic Man. The weirder the better!

How did your years of writing for sketch comedy prepare you for writing comics shorts for an anthology like this?

My years of loving comics prepared me more than sketch comedy. I found myself trying to write jokes for Captain Cold and thinking, "Is he canonically funny? Or do I have to make him humorless?" It was fun to find the line.

'Tis the Season to be Freezin' is in stores Tuesday