Krampus! TP
Image Comics
Writer: Brian Joines
Illustrator: Dean Kotz
Colorist: Ron Riley
Letterer: Charles Pritchett
Reviewer: Rob Wrecks
Summary: Meet the Krampus, yuletide terror and punisher of wicked children. Long imprisoned for his outdated methods, the holiday horror suddenly finds himself freed and tasked with a mission: recover the stolen power of the Secret Society of Santa Clauses! With his flying wolf Stutgaard, the Krampus crosses the globe, encountering various figures of winter lore and uncovering a sinister scheme to topple the Santas and change Christmas as we know it forever.
Review: Having not read this back when it was just single issue to single issue, I can certainly say that reading it in full on trade form is pretty much a huge treat for me. As I found it really enjoyable from start to finish. The idea of there being a Santa for pretty much every part of the world is something I find I like a lot. And makes sense when you think about it. The detail used in firmly establishing the looks of every Santa was done really well. Clearly showing just how much interest the artist and as well as the colorist had in making this great story come to life along side the writer. And speaking of the writer, this guy has done a damn fine job from start to finish. You practically don't want to tear your eyes away from it unless you've got no other choice. Like an Apocalypse or some random threat made by your mom or some other person for example. That's how damn good this story is that Brian Joines has given us here. Heck, Brian's interpretation of Krampus pretty quickly had me thinking of that bad scientist guy from Phineas and Ferb! If this ever got adapted for film (animated or otherwise) I seriously hope they get that voice actor for Krampus. Would make my friggin' day for sure.
Krampus getting stuck with the naughty bomb courtesy of the Santas is something I actually liked. Even though the idea of it is kind of silly and something you'd never think a group of Santas would do. But the fact its on him leads him to doing things he likely wouldn't do otherwise, making it an interesting challenge for him in a few various ways. Including ignoring a certain instinct about naughty kids. Though with one kid's actions, I think quite a few people would have been up to some punishing. Brian has clearly taken his time in planning this story cause it really shows it very well. Especially the kind of history we are seeing be used here. Along with certain family dynamics in the Frost family and established groups of support with certain Santas. Which certainly plays a part in this in a way that makes you think 'Yo old guy, that's seriously not needed!'. Fear is a heck of a thing like that though. I imagine those that have read this would get what I'm talking about and likely nod in agreement.
The character of Doc Holiday is someone I can't say I'm too familiar with, but after having read this I wouldn't mind looking him up. His horse is also something I really liked in this book, especially the fact he likes to sing. Getting to see the relationship Doc has with him is a pretty nice touch too. The revelation from the main bad guy (Who seriously reminds me of someone, but I can't my finger on it) we get in this story clearly shows just how human the Santas are. Though I imagine had they not pulled that stunt before the events that took place here, they likely wouldn't have done something like that. Certainly a lesson to be learned here! Reading all the craziness that Krampus and his loyal canine companion Stutgaard went through and managing as well as they did made for a fantastic read for me. Heck I often had to make sure I looked at the art due to how quickly I wanted to get to the next bit of reading. A hint around the beginning is a nice touch too, even if you really don't even have a clue about it. Like me for example.
I really hope that Brian and the rest of the awesome creative team will come back to this title soon. As the ending clearly shows that this whole situation is far from over. And a heck of a way to leave us readers with a big tease too! I think this is an absolute must read for everyone, and yeah sure Christmas has already passed. But don't let that stop ya! Another lesson also learned at the end of this is to never trust a Sugar Plum!
Image Comics
Writer: Brian Joines
Illustrator: Dean Kotz
Colorist: Ron Riley
Letterer: Charles Pritchett
Reviewer: Rob Wrecks
Summary: Meet the Krampus, yuletide terror and punisher of wicked children. Long imprisoned for his outdated methods, the holiday horror suddenly finds himself freed and tasked with a mission: recover the stolen power of the Secret Society of Santa Clauses! With his flying wolf Stutgaard, the Krampus crosses the globe, encountering various figures of winter lore and uncovering a sinister scheme to topple the Santas and change Christmas as we know it forever.
Review: Having not read this back when it was just single issue to single issue, I can certainly say that reading it in full on trade form is pretty much a huge treat for me. As I found it really enjoyable from start to finish. The idea of there being a Santa for pretty much every part of the world is something I find I like a lot. And makes sense when you think about it. The detail used in firmly establishing the looks of every Santa was done really well. Clearly showing just how much interest the artist and as well as the colorist had in making this great story come to life along side the writer. And speaking of the writer, this guy has done a damn fine job from start to finish. You practically don't want to tear your eyes away from it unless you've got no other choice. Like an Apocalypse or some random threat made by your mom or some other person for example. That's how damn good this story is that Brian Joines has given us here. Heck, Brian's interpretation of Krampus pretty quickly had me thinking of that bad scientist guy from Phineas and Ferb! If this ever got adapted for film (animated or otherwise) I seriously hope they get that voice actor for Krampus. Would make my friggin' day for sure.
Krampus getting stuck with the naughty bomb courtesy of the Santas is something I actually liked. Even though the idea of it is kind of silly and something you'd never think a group of Santas would do. But the fact its on him leads him to doing things he likely wouldn't do otherwise, making it an interesting challenge for him in a few various ways. Including ignoring a certain instinct about naughty kids. Though with one kid's actions, I think quite a few people would have been up to some punishing. Brian has clearly taken his time in planning this story cause it really shows it very well. Especially the kind of history we are seeing be used here. Along with certain family dynamics in the Frost family and established groups of support with certain Santas. Which certainly plays a part in this in a way that makes you think 'Yo old guy, that's seriously not needed!'. Fear is a heck of a thing like that though. I imagine those that have read this would get what I'm talking about and likely nod in agreement.
The character of Doc Holiday is someone I can't say I'm too familiar with, but after having read this I wouldn't mind looking him up. His horse is also something I really liked in this book, especially the fact he likes to sing. Getting to see the relationship Doc has with him is a pretty nice touch too. The revelation from the main bad guy (Who seriously reminds me of someone, but I can't my finger on it) we get in this story clearly shows just how human the Santas are. Though I imagine had they not pulled that stunt before the events that took place here, they likely wouldn't have done something like that. Certainly a lesson to be learned here! Reading all the craziness that Krampus and his loyal canine companion Stutgaard went through and managing as well as they did made for a fantastic read for me. Heck I often had to make sure I looked at the art due to how quickly I wanted to get to the next bit of reading. A hint around the beginning is a nice touch too, even if you really don't even have a clue about it. Like me for example.
I really hope that Brian and the rest of the awesome creative team will come back to this title soon. As the ending clearly shows that this whole situation is far from over. And a heck of a way to leave us readers with a big tease too! I think this is an absolute must read for everyone, and yeah sure Christmas has already passed. But don't let that stop ya! Another lesson also learned at the end of this is to never trust a Sugar Plum!