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Klaus #1-3
Klaus: The Complete Collection
A hardcover, deluxe collection of Santa’s secret origins–brought together for the first time!
Before he became a myth... Before he became a legend... The complete, deluxe hardcover collection of the man who would be Santa Claus, and who dared to challenge the dark forces of magic and malevolence! From the genre-colliding mind of comics icon Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Luda) and the dazzling artistic talents of superstar Dan Mora (World's Finest, Once & Future) comes a bold adventure into the lands of endless winter, where the sword-swinging adventurer known as Klaus and his wolven companion, Lilli, would begin a centuries-long journey to uphold his immortal mission… and make the world safe for everyone who holds the spirit of Christmas in their heart. Deftly threading traditional tales of Santa's roots in Viking folklore and Siberian shamanism together with the pulp-inspired prototype of the superhero and barbarian swashbuckler, witness the true secret origin of Santa Claus, long thought lost to history...and the rise of the malignant foes that have stood to oppose his sacred duty across the Krampus, the Witch of Winter, the Pola Cola corporation, and more. Collects Klaus #1-7, Klaus & the Witch of Winter, Klaus & the Crisis in Xmasville, Klaus & the Crying Snowman, Klaus & the Life and Times of Joe Christmas, and Pen & Ink Edition.
Before he became a myth... Before he became a legend... The complete, deluxe hardcover collection of the man who would be Santa Claus, and who dared to challenge the dark forces of magic and malevolence! From the genre-colliding mind of comics icon Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Luda) and the dazzling artistic talents of superstar Dan Mora (World's Finest, Once & Future) comes a bold adventure into the lands of endless winter, where the sword-swinging adventurer known as Klaus and his wolven companion, Lilli, would begin a centuries-long journey to uphold his immortal mission… and make the world safe for everyone who holds the spirit of Christmas in their heart. Deftly threading traditional tales of Santa's roots in Viking folklore and Siberian shamanism together with the pulp-inspired prototype of the superhero and barbarian swashbuckler, witness the true secret origin of Santa Claus, long thought lost to history...and the rise of the malignant foes that have stood to oppose his sacred duty across the Krampus, the Witch of Winter, the Pola Cola corporation, and more. Collects Klaus #1-7, Klaus & the Witch of Winter, Klaus & the Crisis in Xmasville, Klaus & the Crying Snowman, Klaus & the Life and Times of Joe Christmas, and Pen & Ink Edition.
496 pages, Hardcover
Published November 28, 2023
24 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,791 books4,564 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 19, 2024
This is a collection of all the Grant Morrison and Dan Mora Klaus tales to date. Klaus is Grant Morrison's exploration of Santa Claus' darker origins and a reimagining of the character to some degree. This Klaus is a nigh-immortal badass in addition to being a giver of gifts.
The origin of Klaus is a six parter, the classic tale of an outsider coming to town and finding things amiss, shaking trees until the problem falls out. Visually, Klaus reminds me of Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn from Peter Jackson's LOTR movies.
While the origin feels like a fantasy tale, the other stories feel like they could be Doctor Who stories or possibly Superman. Klaus goes up against aliens, monsters, and such, and his sleigh is pulled by magical white wolves.
I like this quite a bit but it isn't perfect. There are some sloppy transitions at times, like a panel or two was missing. The stories after the origin feel a little thin and I feel like Morrison still has hundreds of pages of Klaus stories to tell. Mora's artwork is great, though, and this is a much more coherent book of Morrisons than the Flex Mentallo book I just read last week.
Four out of five stars.
The origin of Klaus is a six parter, the classic tale of an outsider coming to town and finding things amiss, shaking trees until the problem falls out. Visually, Klaus reminds me of Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn from Peter Jackson's LOTR movies.
While the origin feels like a fantasy tale, the other stories feel like they could be Doctor Who stories or possibly Superman. Klaus goes up against aliens, monsters, and such, and his sleigh is pulled by magical white wolves.
I like this quite a bit but it isn't perfect. There are some sloppy transitions at times, like a panel or two was missing. The stories after the origin feel a little thin and I feel like Morrison still has hundreds of pages of Klaus stories to tell. Mora's artwork is great, though, and this is a much more coherent book of Morrisons than the Flex Mentallo book I just read last week.
Four out of five stars.
December 26, 2023
I didn’t expect this to be as good as it was. Part of me thought this would be a typical Christmas type of story that might feel a bit hard to get through, but Morrison and Mora made sure that wasn’t the case. This book takes the familiar story of Santa Claus and creates a beautiful fantastical background to the character. Morrison doesn’t go as deep and philosophical in this one as he usually does and it was a welcome change. The brightest shining aspect for this series though for me would be Dan Mora’s art. Absolutely beautiful. Really enjoyable Christmas story overall!
December 26, 2025
A delightfully zany science-fantasy set of Santa Klaus stories illustrated by the gifted Dan Mora. The concept is effectively: what if Santa was a superhero? The miniseries take us from his origins to a few offshoot adventures. I’d happily read more if any comes along!
December 14, 2025
Klaus is an imaginary and beautiful series crafted by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora. This collects all the tales within this series into one package. Like what you expect from Grant Morrison, it can go from the mundane to surreal just like that, and this is no exception. A lot of Morrison’s work, at least from what I’ve read trying to make sense of the chaos, is missing the point, but the symbolism and message are what matter most. The first narrative is an origin story and is the most realistic of the bunch (though realistic in the loosest sense), and the other tales are a collection of short stories that are very imaginative. I believe the first narrative and the last end up the strongest; the first is a conventional narrative, and the last is a wordless comic showing the life of this one person in reverse order. Dan Mora's art is truly stunning; if you read other works from him like Once & Future, this would be no surprise. I really dug how he would experiment with his art style depending on the narrative Morrison chooses. Especially the second story with the depiction of snow at night is so beautiful. If I had to give a small summary, both artists complement each other's strengths, and Klaus does its most important task, which is creating that sense of magic for Christmas.
7.5/10
7.5/10
January 5, 2025
A picture book about father christmas, but also a sexy, gory yarn weaving together DMT elves, magic wolves, and some good old-fashioned demonic child devouring pit monsters. Dan Mora's art bridges the gap between the warm tales of christmas spirit and the brutal violence with delicate artistry, and Morrison is in peak cinematic story telling form.
December 27, 2024
Klaus #1-7, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Witch of Winter, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Crying Snowman, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Life & Times of Joe Christmas, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Witch of Winter, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Crying Snowman, ☆☆☆☆☆
Klaus and the Life & Times of Joe Christmas, ☆☆☆☆☆
May 30, 2024
With the complete beefy hardcover omnibus of all of Klaus, plus a willing belief of both Mr. Klaus and Norse mythology, I was totally lost as to what was happening and what I was supposed to know about the past, and I was totally lost for most of it. Some of the stories I'd get into enough to care less about what I wanted to know when it started, but some of them I didn't.
The art was above-average for comic art, but considering Mora's reputation I thought I'd have my hair blown back more. There were cool visuals, but the storytelling and the cartooning didn't usually have me looking closely. The action scenes were cool, but cool is the word I keep coming back to, and I'm usually more hyperbolic than that about really good comic art.
The art was above-average for comic art, but considering Mora's reputation I thought I'd have my hair blown back more. There were cool visuals, but the storytelling and the cartooning didn't usually have me looking closely. The action scenes were cool, but cool is the word I keep coming back to, and I'm usually more hyperbolic than that about really good comic art.
December 23, 2024
Klaus: The Complete Collection collects issues of the Boom Studios comics Klaus 1-7, Klaus & The Witch of Winter 1, Klaus & The Crisis in Xmasville 1, Klaus & The Crying Snowman 1, Klaus & The Life & Times of Joe Christmas 1, and Klaus: Pen & Ink 1 written by Grant Morrison with art by Dan Mora.
The origins of Klaus, the Nordic fur tapper and woodsmen, who will go on to become one of the most powerful heroes the Earth has ever known, Santa Claus. In this book we see Klaus rescue a town from an evil and oppressive lord, battle an evil witch and her army of living wood automatons, wage war against a cola company trying to copyright Christmas for their own theme park, teaming up with a snowman who can’t remember his past, and the life of a good friend and compatriot.
The original series of Klaus is fantastic. It’s an epic fantasy reimagine of Santa Claus as if he was a superhero. I also really enjoyed the Crisis in Xmasville one-shot and how it really pokes fun of Coca Cola is an absurd way. As with everything Morrison writes, he doesn’t always explain things and the editing is choppy. I constantly had to go back thinking that pages had stuck together, but no, it’s just Morrison skipping whole scenes or transitioning to a new train of thought. While his writing often frustrates me, it isn’t as bad here, and character dialogue doesn’t feel as forced as usual. The best part of the book is Dan Mira’s absolutely beautiful art that gets a chance to shine in this oversized format.
Morrison did a ton of world building with many events happening off page and brought up throughout the series so there is room for many more adventures. I do hope we see more Klaus from Morrison and Mora in the future.
The origins of Klaus, the Nordic fur tapper and woodsmen, who will go on to become one of the most powerful heroes the Earth has ever known, Santa Claus. In this book we see Klaus rescue a town from an evil and oppressive lord, battle an evil witch and her army of living wood automatons, wage war against a cola company trying to copyright Christmas for their own theme park, teaming up with a snowman who can’t remember his past, and the life of a good friend and compatriot.
The original series of Klaus is fantastic. It’s an epic fantasy reimagine of Santa Claus as if he was a superhero. I also really enjoyed the Crisis in Xmasville one-shot and how it really pokes fun of Coca Cola is an absurd way. As with everything Morrison writes, he doesn’t always explain things and the editing is choppy. I constantly had to go back thinking that pages had stuck together, but no, it’s just Morrison skipping whole scenes or transitioning to a new train of thought. While his writing often frustrates me, it isn’t as bad here, and character dialogue doesn’t feel as forced as usual. The best part of the book is Dan Mira’s absolutely beautiful art that gets a chance to shine in this oversized format.
Morrison did a ton of world building with many events happening off page and brought up throughout the series so there is room for many more adventures. I do hope we see more Klaus from Morrison and Mora in the future.
June 17, 2024
A fairly simple, pacey, feel good, good vs evil clash story with some decent ideas mixed in. Good presentation from Mora throughout.
It kind of felt like the creators decided: “let’s try to make a Disney kind of story, because that is popular”, and then couldn’t contain themselves, so it became 70% Disney and 30% inspired, more complicated stuff. Like Walt gave them the script, kept a watchful eye during the day, and when he went home for the day, Grant and Dan let loose until the morning shift when Walt would return. This is represented both in the writing and in the art. Most of the art is tame, clean drawn stuff, while some is metal badassery stuff (seemed like the right combination of words). Some is Disney, some is He-man.
It gave just enough satisfaction for me to finish it and lightly enjoy it throughout. It felt a bit rushed, almost like there were pages missing at times. To me, it is over hyped, but still a fun and somewhat different book. It won’t likely be something I return to at Christmas, unfortunately
It kind of felt like the creators decided: “let’s try to make a Disney kind of story, because that is popular”, and then couldn’t contain themselves, so it became 70% Disney and 30% inspired, more complicated stuff. Like Walt gave them the script, kept a watchful eye during the day, and when he went home for the day, Grant and Dan let loose until the morning shift when Walt would return. This is represented both in the writing and in the art. Most of the art is tame, clean drawn stuff, while some is metal badassery stuff (seemed like the right combination of words). Some is Disney, some is He-man.
It gave just enough satisfaction for me to finish it and lightly enjoy it throughout. It felt a bit rushed, almost like there were pages missing at times. To me, it is over hyped, but still a fun and somewhat different book. It won’t likely be something I return to at Christmas, unfortunately
December 19, 2025
Klaus issues #1–7 form the core origin story of Santa Claus—and they’re fantastic! The illustrations are vibrant and alluring (seriously, Santa has never looked better), and the story strikes a great balance between high-energy action and genuine emotional depth. It’s easy to become fully invested in the characters and their paths.
This volume also includes four futuristic one-shot stories. These issues lean into a typical superhero format, often featuring Klaus alongside a loosely explained team of holiday-themed allies as they battle aliens and other cosmic threats. These stories frequently lack enough background context to fully appreciate what’s happening, making them feel less impactful than the main arc. Personally, I would have preferred a second multi-issue storyline that explored Klaus’s experiences in a later era rather than these disconnected snapshots.
That said, the strength of the original arc is exceptional, and for that reason, I’m giving the volume a full five stars. Highly recommended holiday reading!
This volume also includes four futuristic one-shot stories. These issues lean into a typical superhero format, often featuring Klaus alongside a loosely explained team of holiday-themed allies as they battle aliens and other cosmic threats. These stories frequently lack enough background context to fully appreciate what’s happening, making them feel less impactful than the main arc. Personally, I would have preferred a second multi-issue storyline that explored Klaus’s experiences in a later era rather than these disconnected snapshots.
That said, the strength of the original arc is exceptional, and for that reason, I’m giving the volume a full five stars. Highly recommended holiday reading!
December 26, 2023
Fun and gorgeous!
This book collects Klaus #1-7 and 3 Short Stories. I've read all of it in just two sittings on Christmas.
The ongoing series is the origin of Klaus, of how he became supernatural.
The short stories are set in present day but feature a lot of supernatural elements as well.
Either are fun and easy to follow, although the short stories feature a lot of crazy elements (war against the lunar people, civilisations on meteorites).
But the biggest selling point of the book: It's freaking beautiful to look at.
I do recommend this book, albeit it is quite expensive for such a short read.
This book collects Klaus #1-7 and 3 Short Stories. I've read all of it in just two sittings on Christmas.
The ongoing series is the origin of Klaus, of how he became supernatural.
The short stories are set in present day but feature a lot of supernatural elements as well.
Either are fun and easy to follow, although the short stories feature a lot of crazy elements (war against the lunar people, civilisations on meteorites).
But the biggest selling point of the book: It's freaking beautiful to look at.
I do recommend this book, albeit it is quite expensive for such a short read.
December 12, 2023
I have to mention the art first in this review. This is my first read with Dan Mora’s art and I now understand all the hype. His art is incredible and warrants this oversized edition. As the story goes without spoiling anything, this is the origin story of Santa Claus in a fantastical Norwegian setting. Grant Morrison’s writing is very accessible for new readers and weaves an action packed tale for the season.
February 15, 2024
I so loved this! It was a perfectly odd December read. The illustration were beyond gorgeous. Also, the bind-up I got from our local comic book store does not look like what is pictured...it is far more beautiful with its bright white cover, silver edged pages and satin bookmark. It will make such a lovely winter coffee table book.
December 20, 2024
The hype given towards this book did not match my general experience. While the art is great, Klaus feels fairly surface level to me, with underutilized aspects that occasionally left me wondering if I would rather be reading The Life and Adventures of St. Claus by Frank L. Baum instead. I’m glad other people find so much to love here.
December 16, 2025
Seasonal erred and first one for a couple of years. The original seven issue series remains the highlight and strongest story of the collection, but the stand alone stories are not without their own charm.
Fantasy and science fiction combine with moments of both real pathos and wonder, brilliantly realised by Morrison and Mora
Fantasy and science fiction combine with moments of both real pathos and wonder, brilliantly realised by Morrison and Mora
December 26, 2023
I believe this is my 5th year doing a read of this series around the holidays.
I truly love this magical tale full of whimsy. Grant Morrison and Dan Mora created something truly unique and wonderful.
I truly love this magical tale full of whimsy. Grant Morrison and Dan Mora created something truly unique and wonderful.
December 16, 2024
Klaus is Santa's origin reimagined as if he was an action hero with an incredible wolf sidekick and a norse flavoring to it. The 6 part story is very fun and the one shots are great. A beautiful (thank you Dan Mora) Christmas read!
January 30, 2025
The origin story in Klaus 1-7 was greatly told. However there were a few parts there as well as the spin-off stories that left too much to interpret, like there were missing plot devices. Overall good concept and great duo between Klaus and Lili.
May 24, 2025
It’s fine. The artwork/style is perfection. The story line for everything after Winter Witch is meh. I’m not the biggest fan of superhero/comic book narratives though so could biased
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October 17, 2025Not the Romanian Communist Santa called Gerila using a tractor as his sledge
December 7, 2025
I absolutely loved this collection. I read it in a single night. The art is beautiful and the story was thoroughly entertaining.
December 30, 2024
Bangers and Mash - Festive Read
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December 16, 2024Grant Morrison funny as hell - “I wanted to write Santa Claus as a superhero because he doesn’t really have an accepted origin” - proceeds to Assassin’s Creed-ify Santa Claus is Coming to Town. At least he and Mora are having fun. Not much to this beyond that
February 28, 2024
A wonderful interpretation of Santa claus and his further adventures. This was ton of fun. Story is all ages and filled with adventures from Mythological to sci-fi. And beautifullly rendered art with gorgeous colors, just made it to one of my all time favorite books!
Hats off to Dan Mora and Grant Morrison for making such a beautiful book. Also to Boom! Studios for making it available in Oversized deluxe format, where one can really appreciate Dan Mora's stunning illustrations colored by himself.
A highly recommended book for all ages and my favorite Christmas story.
How Santa Claus Bagan: 5/5
Witch of the Winter: 3/5
Crisis in Xmasville: 5/5
Crying Snowman: 5/5
Life of Joe Christmas: 4/5
Additional stuff: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Hats off to Dan Mora and Grant Morrison for making such a beautiful book. Also to Boom! Studios for making it available in Oversized deluxe format, where one can really appreciate Dan Mora's stunning illustrations colored by himself.
A highly recommended book for all ages and my favorite Christmas story.
How Santa Claus Bagan: 5/5
Witch of the Winter: 3/5
Crisis in Xmasville: 5/5
Crying Snowman: 5/5
Life of Joe Christmas: 4/5
Additional stuff: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
January 7, 2025
In typical Morrison fashion, you start off this beautiful deluxe edition with the beginnings of Santa “Klaus.” The stories flow and you’re engaged, everything makes sense. Then Grant does a hit of some magic angel dust or whatever their drug of choice is, and you’re back to reading good ol’ trippy Morrison shit for the remainder of the pages. Klaus slaying witches, helping Geppetto (Pinnochio’s pops) breathing life into a snowman named Sam. Some real trippy shit a sober mind can’t possibly grasp.
Nevertheless, the art was captivating and I read this deluxe edition in one sitting. Will I pick it up again and read it around Christmas time next year? No.
Nevertheless, the art was captivating and I read this deluxe edition in one sitting. Will I pick it up again and read it around Christmas time next year? No.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews