Klaus

If I told you there was a comic telling the origins of Santa Claus in Middle Ages Scandinavia, you’d be forgiven for assuming that was a fairly twee premise, and not give the title a second thought. What if instead I told you about a comic that was ‘John Rambo does First Blood’ in the medieval town of ‘Arendelle from Frozen’, and it just happened to be called Klaus? Now we’re talking!

In 2015, Grant Morrison wrote what was effectively ‘Batman Begins’ for Father Christmas, deconstructing all the iconic elements of the hero, and then spinning a tale which showed how they all came together over 7 issues. The trick is that, even though the subject matter is fantastical and ridiculous, the script plays it completely straight, and it’s tongue is kept firmly out of it’s cheek. As a result, you find yourself investing in the Robin Hood style swashbuckling, and delighting in each step that the man takes towards becoming the myth. The tone is very well judged; although there’s action, it’s not violent, and although there’s darkness, it’s not horrific. I suppose you could liken it to the early Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, which has probably been done on purpose; this is Morrison’s Big Summer Christmas Blockbuster.

Dan Mora’s artwork is phenomenal. It’s a style which seems to be part European, and part Manga; so the widescreen environments are beautiful to behold, while the action all packs a real wallop. The pacing of Morrison’s script is very deliberate, with the beats getting more spectacular as it progresses, and Mora is more than up to the challenge; as the final issue provides some stunning designs and storytelling.

The initial miniseries is a complete package, but the same creative team have returned for the last two years with one-off Christmas specials; Klaus and the Witch of Winter (2016) and Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville (2017). These widen the scope of the original mini; drawing in more sci-fi elements (including several nods to infamous 60’s B-movie ‘Santa Claus Conquers the Martians’), but also drawing on Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen and even Coca Cola’s appropriation of the festive season. They are both fantastic reads as well, and I don’t see Morrison running out of inspiration anytime soon.

I could happily read these comics every Christmas from here on in, and I don’t really see what higher recommendation I can make than that.