When the holiday season hits, it an be a great time to curl up and dig into a new graphic novel. The benefits include the books featuring holiday stories, but also that they are usually self-contained stories that sit comfortably in the season. There are a ton of great holiday graphic novels, but here are a few that standout.
Klaus
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Dan Mora
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Klaus tells the story of how Santa Claus really came to be-the tale of one man and his wolf against a totalitarian state and the ancient evil that sustains it.
Award-winning author Grant Morrison and Eisner Award-nominated illustrator Dan Mora revamp, reinvent, and reimagine a classic superhero for the 21st century, drawing on Santa’s roots in Viking lore and Siberian shamanism, and taking in the creepier side of Christmas with characters like the sinister Krampus. Klaus is “Santa Claus: Year One” and finally answers the burning question: what does Santa Claus do on the other 364 days a year?
Naughty List
Writer: Nick Santora
Artist: Lee Ferguson
Publisher: AfterShock
Marking the comic book debut of screenwriter, producer and novelist Nick Santora, showrunner of the of the hit series Reacher and veteran of a number of gritty actioners including The Sopranos, Law & Order, Prison Break and The Fugitive, Naughty List is the Santa Claus origin story we’re sure you’ve never heard before.
With art by Lee Ferguson, colors by Pippa Bowland and lettering by Simon Bowland, the series imagines Santa as a bitter immortal who has outlived his family for hundreds of years. When his Naughty List is stolen, Sinterklass must hunt down and retrieve it before it’s used for nefarious purposes.
GRAB A COPY OF NAUGHTY LIST!
The Deviant
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Publisher: Image Comics
Hannibal meets Silent Night, Deadly Night in this pitch-black holiday horror story, The Deviant, that cuts right through our most taboo notions.
As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called “Deviant Killer,” who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax.
Multiple Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV and acclaimed artist Joshua Hixson unite for a psychological crime thriller that explores the intersection of queer identities and a broader scope of cultural transgression and deviance.
Death Comes for the Toymaker
Writer: Dakota Brown
Artist: Ryan Cody
Publisher: Magma Comix
Death comes for us all. But for Gil the Toymaker, the visit is an eternal tragedy! Every year the holiday gift giver visits children all over the world on a special night, but Gil’s immortality comes at a cost. Forced to do the work of Death, carrying a list of ready-to-harvest souls alongside his naughty and nice lists, Gil gives toys AND takes souls all in one night! But as the Toymaker reflects on the relationship he’s had with Death for several millennia, an associate reveals a scheme that may just put an end to Death’s contract (and, perhaps, Death himself)!
An epic twist on the legend of Santa Claus from writer Dakota Brown and artist Ryan Cody!
Batman: Noel
Writer: Lee Bermejo
Artist: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: DC Comics
Inspired by Charles Dickens’s immortal classic A Christmas Carol, Batman: Noel takes the Dark Knight on a journey into his own past, present, and future as he battles villains from campy 1960s rivals to dark modern menaces. While Batman fights for his soul in a frozen Gotham landscape, his supporting cast take up recognizable roles analogous to Dickens’s original holiday tale.
Written and drawn by comic book superstar Lee Bermejo, Batman: Noel offers a beautiful and unexpected retelling of a beloved classic.
Krampus
Writer: Brian Joines
Artist: Dean Kotz
Publisher: Oni Press
When the Secret Society of Santa Clauses are robbed of their holiday magic and rendered powerless by an unknown force, they have no choice but to enlist the infamous yuletide terror known as the Krampus to journey from the North Pole to recapture their magic in time to save the day. Oh, SURE — besting a malevolent gang of Sugar Plum Fairies, a holiday-themed gun for hire, and Krampus’s own hatred for the Society (and all of society in general) sounds like a cake walk, but when a dark secret from the Santas’ past comes to light, the Krampus is put to the ultimate test.
The Last Christmas
Writer: Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan
Artist: Rick Remender
Publisher: Image Comics
The writers behind the hit series Deadpool present the sad, funny, and true story of Santa Claus after the apocalypse.
After tragedy strikes the North Pole, Santa turns his back on humanity and gives up on Christmas. Even though the world has been completely overrun by naughty men, there’s still one boy that believes in Santa. But could that be the biggest mistake of his life?
Wraith
Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Charles Paul Wilson III
Publisher: IDW Publishing
The graphic novel prequel to the bestselling novel NOS4A2.
Discover the terrifying funhouse world of Christmasland and the ageless monster who rules it. Climb into the passenger seat as Hill and artist Charlie Wilson III explore Charlie Manx’s twisted beginnings, introduce a new and depraved cast of characters to Christmasland, and take us for a 100 MPH ride down an icy nightmare road in a car with no brakes…
GRAB A COPY OF WRAITH!
Holiday Spirits
Writer: Various
Artist: Various
Publisher: Orange Cone Productions
Holiday Spirits is a comic book horror anthology with suspenseful and thrilling Christmas tales brought to you by 15 super talented indie creators. This high-quality 80-page book is a must-have under the tree this year! if you like Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, this comic book is for you.
GRAB A COPY OF HOLIDAY SPIRITS!
Dread the Halls
Writer: Chris Ryall, Jordan Hart
Artist: Various
Publisher: Image Comics
The perfect holiday stocking stuffer-a collection of horror tales to read curled up by the light of the Yule log “Be of Good Fear!” Long before Americans celebrated horror on Halloween, the Victorians did it gathered around a fireplace on Christmas Eve. Dread the Halls honors this macabre tradition by wishing you and yours “Happy Holidays” with stories of ghosts, ghastly abominations, and vile creatures.
