Four Gathered on Christmas Eve

by Eric Powell, Mike Mignola (Illustrator), Becky Cloonan (Illustrator)

Four of the top creators in comics gather to continue the Victorian tradition of ghost stories on Christmas Eve.

Four tales of the bizarre and terrifying to keep you company on the cold yule night. A unique approach to the ghost story format where the creators themselves become part of the story in this deluxe edition hard cover designed by the award-winning Phil Balsman.

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Short Stories, Christmas, Fantasy, Fiction

72 pages, Hardcover

Published December 19, 2023

About the author

Eric Powell has contributed work on such comics titles as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Hellboy: Weird Tales, Star Wars Tales, The Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, The Avengers, The Hood, MAD Magazine, Devil Dinosaur, Swamp Thing, the Avengers, She-Hulk, the Simpsons, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Action Comics.

Although eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric didn't find true success until he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. The Goon was subsequently picked up by Dark Horse Comics and boasts a diehard cult following.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the Christmas ghost story tradition, and while it is not quite yet the festive season, spooky season is fast approaching and Four Gathered on Christmas Eve was a nice way to kick it into gear. An anthology of sorts with each story featuring a different art style between Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Becky Cloonan, and James Harren, this is a fun and eerie little graphic novel framed as a group of friends all gathered for the holiday and each telling a story around the fire.

While the book provides some quick and exciting little thrills for the reader, each guest is dismayed by the others stories and tensions between them start to build towards a delightfully shocking finale. I really enjoyed the variety of tales, one of which is a graphic novel retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, which is pretty fun. But what I’m really into is that there seems to be a slow return to the christmas horror story in general. Ghosts and other menacing spirits have long been part of yuletide folklore, one of the best known being celebrations of Krampus going all the way back to the 6th or 7th century. But there are many others as well, such as Jólakötturinn the Yule Cat of Iceland that would devour children if they didn’t wear their new holiday outfits, the ogre Bloody Thomas who is said to appear around the winter Solstice in Bavaria, or the Kallikantzari trolls in Greece said to break in and destroy households during the period of the twelve days of Christmas. Pre-Christian traditions around the world had many beliefs of spirits emerging during the winter solstice and these tales were passed down for centuries.

‘But the ghost story as a phenomenon is a 19th century phenomenon,’ Jeanette Winterson writes in her introduction to Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days. Ghost stories from Christmas, she explains, hit peak popularity during the Victorian Era. While one theory of this rise in popularity is attributed to the printing press and the transfer from oral tradition to printed stories in every home. Authors like Elizabeth Gaskell and Arthur Conan Doyle were quick to move the supernatural stories from small towns and villages into printed works to be read in cities, and in 1819, Washington Irving published one of the first Christmas ghost stories. Winterson explains another theory:

‘ithe spectres and apparitions claimed in so many sightings were a result of low-level carbon-monoxide poisoning from gas lamps (it does cause fuzzy, drowsy hallucinations). Add in the thick fogs and plenty of gin, and it starts to make sense.’

And what goes better with some Christmas cheer than some holiday chills? ‘But there’s a psychological side to this too,’ Winterson explains, ‘The 19th century was haunted by itself,’ and the gothic tradition began to blend with the new struggles around industrialization. This is most notable in one of the best-loved Christmas ghost stories, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol where three ghosts visit a cantankerous old man on Christmas Eve to instill in him a feeling of charity and goodwill and showing the tragic outcomes that would befall himself and his workers if he continues to be ruled by greed. But while this story has persisted and even been adapted by the Muppets, the Christmas ghost story never quite caught on across the ocean in the United States. I think that could change, especially with the renewed interest in horror stories.

Anyways, lets all embrace christmas horror stories and Four Gathered on Christmas Eve is a great way to do so. A short, but fun little read.

3.5/5

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a dark yet very classic and fun graphic comic. A set of four stories told within a story gave me ‘spooky ghost stories with your friends in the dark’ kinda vibes. Like you’re sitting around the campfire as a kid again but as an adult.

Highly enjoyed this short little comic, would make a great gift to a dark comic lover for the holidays. The artwork is phenomenal.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!!!

[Benji's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy, spooky, and occasionally funny graphic novel about a group of four gathered on Christmas Eve to tell ghost stories.

The introduction explains this story was conceived through inspiration from Peter Straub's "Ghost Story" and how Eric Powell, creator of "the Goon" thought of a group gathering together on a winter night to share ghost stories was fascinating (and it is).

Strangely, I enjoyed the scenes involving the four--particularly any with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, more than the actual stories being told.

As for the actual ghost stories told, all were nice, but my favorite would have to be the one by Becky Cloonan, titled "The Kelpie."

All of these felt like something that would have been in an old horror comic by the likes of Tales from the Vault or DC's House of Secrets.

Overall, I can see why most won't enjoy these as almost none of them deliver on the promise of telling a gory/terrifying tale, but they even bring it up themselves how none of them really delivered and that sort of justifies it for me.

I had a lot of fun with this! Highly recommended.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of four horror-adjacent stories for Christmas! We have four comic book creators (writers and/or artists) in Dickensian get-ups, threatening eachother through their stories.

The stories tend to be on the silly side, some are funny, some less so. Except for the Eisner Award winning Becky Cloonan story, which is beautifully illustrated but feels tonally out of place with the others.

Look, I have a real weak spot for Eric Powell, I'll read anything he cares to put on paper, and so should you, perhaps.

(Thanks to Albatross Funnybooks for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 tales each told by Victorian era Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Becky Cloonan and James Harren.

I can't complain about getting more artwork from these guys. Especially an original Cloonan comic, that's a rarity! Her story was the standout for me and recalls her work on By Chance or Providence.

The framing story, the Powell drawn story, and the Harren drawn story are all written by Powell. So this ends up feeling more like a Powell comic with two short comics (written and drawn by Mignola and Cloonan respectively). I think a splash of color on the Powell story would have helped a lot because he's doing the framing story and the comic it just blends a bit too much. His writing is a bit bland with a ton of text/dialogue whereas the Cloonan and Mignola stories are lightweight. I absolutely love the premise, but it just feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. I think it could have been improved if Powell did the framing story and had 4 other creators write and draw their own stories.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Gathered on Christmas Eve is a Dark Horse Comics graphic novel horror anthology including stories and art by Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Becky Cloonan, and James Harran.

The book’s narrative structure is set up with the four creators meeting up on Christmas Eve in 1843 London. The four are bickering Victorian-era storytellers who meet annually to recite their horror tales. Stories include a Verne-esque space odyssey (Harren), a spectre that haunts a rural marsh (Cloonan), a retelling of the Carrol's Jabberwocky (Mignola), and a soldier who returns to England to meet with an old friend but refuses to come indoors (Powell).

This is a fun collections of stories, especially with the creators being characters in the book and the bickering between them. I wish the stories were just a bit more involved, but the art is really strong in each tale. This could become a unique annual reread or the creators could release more stories on an annual recurrence.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much I have forgotten, so much I've tried to forget. Was it even real...? Or was it all a dream?

This was an ok anthology.

The anthology features stellar artwork by Powell, Mignola, and Cloonan which I personally loved all of their work over the years.

However, the disconnect between the title's Christmas theme and the actual content left me disappointed. Despite a promising setup of the creators sharing ghost stories on Christmas Eve, the individual short stories lacked a festive touch which was unfortunately not what I was expected on a graphic novel with that kind of title, but alas, this was not the problem because the stories were just ok and somewhat forgettable. While the artwork shines, the mediocre stories contribute to an ok anthology.

Misgiving marks his courtship, and he watches ...like a hawk. The moment that you think you're safe, it happens. Knock, knock, knock!

[Matthew Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

The setup for the stories in this anthology was probably the most entertaining story of this collection. The tales weren’t anything great, but were all just fine. The art shines the brightest in each story for sure.

[Void. · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 people gathered on christmast eve to tell horror stories. Not one of them left me an impression whatsoever. Also the end???? Like whaaaat.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super quick little book of ghost stories

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concept is great, execution is just mostly good. I enjoyed all of the art, and the writing's not bad, but it felt like this could have been a lot more of a homerun.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the premise, however I didn’t care for the ending. The four stories within I’d score 3, 3, 4, and 3.5

The first story wasn’t bad, just not as memorable, but I do like space stories/cabin fever elements.
I liked The Kelpie, but was a little disappointed that the story was mostly about its rider and not the creature itself.
I love Lewis Carol’s work and so was thrilled with The Night of The Jaberwok..
The last story was good, a different kind of haunted house and a heavy loss.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Powell, Becky Cloonan, James Harren and Mike Mignola join forces to tell a series of campfire style horror tales. The four cartoonists all appear as fictionalized versions of themselves within the broader narrative as we see them gather in a Victorian era London home to spin four horror stories. Stories in this book include: "The Eyes in the Primordial Dark" by Eric Powell (W) and James Harren (A), "The Kelpie" by Becky Cloonan, "The Night of the Jaberwok" by Mike Mignola, and "The Gift of Major Courtenay" by Eric Powell. Interspersed between the four stories is Powell's illustrations featuring the four cartoonists gathered around a living room regaling each other with their respective horror tales.

All the stories were enjoyable enough despite their brevity, though none were all that memorable. The first story by Powell and Harren was the one that landed for me the most as we follow a pair of Victorian-era astronauts who seek to explore Mars but find themselves going slowly mad in the deep recesses of space. The Mignola tale was nice too, though mostly for the artwork than a rather tame adaptation of the Lewis Carroll poem.

A fun time, and just a nice way to get more artwork from some of the best cartoonists in the business currently.

[Andrew Shaffer]

Nice cover. Beautiful art, as you’d expect from the lineup.

[Augusto Alvarez Pasquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very much enjoyable comic, and like every anthology series, the tales vary in quality. First of all our four artists have done a marvelous job, and the cover is a work of art. The first real story, this is not counting the story that intertwines the tales, is the best out of the bunch, and gave real goosebumps with the four panels. The second story is a fun one, while the third one is in my opinion the weakest of the bunch, the retelling of the Jabberwocky's poem is an odd choice, but Mignola's art does the heavy lifting. The last story is also fun, with great art, and nice creature design. Overall is a fun read, in a cold winter's night, if only it had arrived in time for Christmas, but oh well there is always the next one.

[Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one that I got based on the title only. I thought the premise was interesting: horror stories set during Christmas. However, that's not what I got. The actual setting is four writers gathering together during Christmas to tell horror stories hence the title. the stories aren't really connected by theme or anything. They are short they aren't necessarily bad, but not particularly good either.

[Matt Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bangers and Mash - Festive Read

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four excellent horror stories for Christmas told by some of my favorite creators of spooky comics.

I didn't love the connecting material in which unpleasant versions of the creators gather for a night of storytelling and murder. And these aren't all ghost stories, which is the type of horror I most connect with Christmas. But the stories themselves are top notch.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was great, a strong four plus. The overall concept was inspired and a lot of fun, and the wrap-around story set a perfect tone and worked well. But the actual stories, while beautiful, weren't especially mind-blowing. All four of them were good, but none really felt like they lived up to the promise of the art and ambience in the ways I had hoped. Still, a fun little collection, and I loved the idea and overall vibe and wouldn't hesitate to pick up future similar collections.

[kintanakely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les histoires sont intéressantes mais je dois admettre qu'elles ne m'ont pas vraiment fait peur. J'ai bien aimé le twist final, c'était plutôt sympa. Pour les histoires elles-mêmes, même la dernière que j'ai trouvé la meilleure, n'étaient pas vraiment originales. Par contre les dessins sont effectivement très chouettes.

Dans l'ensemble un livre plutôt ok mais qui ne m'a pas laissé une grand impression.

[Rich Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, short Christmas ghost story collection.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect thing to read while sick in Christmas. I hope they do one of these each year.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the most intriguing part of this anthology for me was the interstitials.

3.5 Stars (Rounded to 4)

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four Gathered on Christmas Eve is a short anthology of Christmas ghost stories in the Victorian tradition by Eric Powell, James Harren, Becky Cloonan, and Mike Mignola. Despite the big names though it’s a pretty weak collection of stories.

The framing device is fun. It’s Christmas Eve 1843 and the four creators gather at Powell’s London home, all of them reimagined as Victorians, to tell their stories. They bicker and snap at one another and none of their characters look like their real selves (Cloonan in particular looks wonderfully mental) - it’s an amusing and playfully meta-ish way to set up the book.

The stories themselves though aren’t very entertaining. Powell/Harren’s The Eyes in the Primordial Dark is a Jules Verne-ish tale about some early cosmonauts haunted by a ghost onboard their Victorian spaceship. Cloonan’s The Kelpie is about a ghost that haunts a river. Mignola’s The Night of the Jaberwok is simply an illustrated retelling of Lewis Carroll’s poem from Through the Looking Glass. Powell’s The Gift of Major Courtenay is about a roving soldier who visits his wealthy friend’s country house but refuses to stay indoors for mysterious reasons.

None of the stories do anything fresh or interesting with the classic ghost story framework and the stories themselves are quite plodding and indistinct. Mignola’s in particular is very unimaginative, simply repeating Carroll’s verse in tedious Tom King fashion. All of the creators draw their own stories and each are gifted illustrators, so the book contains great art at least.

This wasn’t a bad idea for an anthology but unfortunately none of the pieces come together to form any compelling comics. Writing good ghost stories, or even good horror in general, is tough as this uninteresting collection shows. All four creators have done much better work elsewhere - don’t expect much if you’re going to check out Four Gathered on Christmas Eve.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Congratulations for the Eisner 2024 Best Short Story: “The Kelpie,” by Becky Cloonan, in Four Gathered on Christmas Eve, a project that seems to be largely written and shaped by Eric Powell, who imagines he and three friends--Cloonan, Mike Mignola, and James Harren--gather on Christmas eve for a grog and ghost-story experience, in keeping with the British tradition. It's okay, not remarkable, though the Cloonan and Powell stories are my two faves.

But get this: I just picked this up because I had seen Cloonan was awarded the Eisner, and I am in the middle of rereading Henry James's Turn of the Screw for my Fall 2024 Ghosts class, and I had no idea it was a book inspired by the James story, which is also set on Christmas eve, a ghost story session. Cloonan has a book I love, By Chance or Providence, and so I ask you, is this just coincidence that I read this right now or is a psychic phenomenon?! Is this providence that I happen to pick up this very ghost book?! Mwahahhah!

[Niina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neljä - paremman sanan puutteessa - ystävää kokoontuu jouluna kertomaan kummitustarinoita. He eivät ole oikein ystäviä, mutta eivät tarinatkaan ole kammottavia. Parasta antia oli ensimmäinen tarinoista, jossa matkattiin ilmapallolaivalla Marsiin. Jollakin tapaa kiehtova konsepti. Samoin kelpie-tarinassa oli hyviä hetkiä, mutta tämä oli kokonaisuudessaan yhtä aikaan liian pitkä ja liian lyhyt.

Parempaa luettavaa:
- A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story
- Suomaat
- Eden

[Evan Ransom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can imagine someone reading this and being surprised I gave five stars to a work that even the in-universe version of the creators says is terrible.

But I did because I have a sense of humor and tradition.

Anyone hoping to have their blood curdled and spine shivering with new ideas guaranteed to leave you awake should you face the nightmares will find themselves wanting. (Assuming you’re not some temporal traveler traversing the times with a two century or more gap in recent education.)

But if you want a fun romp reminiscent of the archaic tradition of old friends (and just as much rivals) gathering to entertain each other like they did before television, film and Tik Tok, than I hope you find this as enjoyable as I do.

It’s not breaking any mold. But then again, it would fail if it did.

[Alexander Lisovsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Заходят как-то Эрик Пауэлл, Майк Миньола, Бекки Клунан и Джеймс Харрен в рождественскую избушку и давай рассказывать другу другу страшные истории в викторианском стиле — небольшой сборник которых тут и получился. Звучит чисто как анекдот, и сами истории соответствующие, а в интерлюдиях сами же авторы ещё и подтрунивают над ними. Более-менее мне понравилась только последняя, про жуткий заморский подарок, который британский офицер привозит на родину своему товарищу.

Бекки Клунан получила Айснера за историю про келпи (шотландскую русалочку, обычно её изображают лошадью). Я лично не понял, за что — история совершенно традиционная (и вообще не про лошадь), а её стихотворная форма то и дело даёт течь. В общем и целом сборник откровенно посредственный, разве что нарисован красиво. Прикладываю небольшую ознакомительную галерею.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Kelpie by Becky Cloonan is the only one worth reading in this anthology. That comic was a solid four star story. The art is tight, the panelling is tight, the mood and tone are eerie, made all the better with the writing as a cautionary tale in poem reminiscent of days of yore. Cloonan clearly understood the assignment. It was exactly what this book's premise promised, and what I came here for and loved it.

Unfortunately, the rest of this book was a huge disappointment and let down, ranging from far too wordy and bland to too abstract to too lazy for any other tales to win me over on the premise of the book. I still can't believe Mignola showed up with such a banal attempt at Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, telling the poem in the least compelling way possible.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 Eisner Award winner - Best Short Story: “The Kelpie,” by Becky Cloonan

This anthology of four horror stories is basically a modern version of one of the old EC horror comics, with some fairly intense violence. Stories like these are probably better when they are short, as they are here, but yet, I felt that most of them needed at least another page or two to breathe. The framing story, by contrast, seems to go on too long. The idea for this anthology is excellent, but the execution is somewhat lacking, emphasizing mood over actual content. Becky Cloonan's Eisner winner is a perfect example of this. One thing I can't complain about, though, is the artwork, which is quite good.