REVIEW: Klaus #1
STORY BY Grant Morrison, ART BY Dan Mora, PUBLISHER BOOM! Studios
‘Tis the season for countless cash-ins, tra la la la, la; la la la laa!
Grant Morrison is used to taking on existing mythologies and giving them a bit of a polish. Just look at what he did with Batman! So after taking on the Bat, Boom Studios have let Morrison work his magic on someone with a little less history, Santa!
Morrison weaves a Nordic tale of yore that features a red hooded bearded man, who may not be friends with reindeer’s yet, but he still has a way with a certain animal. Looking to trade furs for food and beer in the local town, said bearded man is disappointed to see that the welcoming haven of which he remembers has decayed into something a lot lees friendly. Following an altercation, started by saving some children, he is driven out of town, needing some “magic” potion of his own.
Morrison is definitely not afraid to mess with established fables, here mixing in drugs and alien 
looking fairies. Dialogue wise, there is enough style, maybe part homage from any number of films or books, in the stranger with the heart of gold, looking out for the mistreated suffering villagers.
Morrison is joined in this festive story by veteran Dan Mora, who produces a strong looking book, filled with a strong archetypal lead character. Mora provides all the art for the book, from pencils, to inks and finally the colors. As I have said before, I like it when artists ink their own work. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case it is certainly the former that applies. Mora gives the book a painted look with his colors, adding to the fantastic visuals.
Admittedly, I am one of those people who finds it more than a little annoying when Christmas stuff hits stores before Halloween has occurred. That said, fortunately, for all involved, I don’t mind a bit of Christmas story shenanigans, especially when they are done with as much aplomb as is on show in this comic.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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