Krampus!

Krampus! (single issues) #1-5

by Brian Joines, Dean Kotz (Illustrations)

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 Long imprisoned for his outdated methods, the holiday horror suddenly finds himself freed and tasked with a mission: recover the stolen power of the Secret Society of Santa Clauses!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! Collects Krampus! #1-5 and extras, including all-new material.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Christmas, Fantasy, Horror, Holiday, Comic Book

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2014

Reviews

[Magdalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secret Society of Santa Clauses releases Krampus, yuletide terror and punisher of wicked children when the bones of St. Nicholas gets stolen. Because, without the bones, their powers are gone...

Already tired of Christmas? Tired of naughty children who only wants presents? Then this graphic novel is for you. Krampus is the opposite to Santa Clause and he is here to help them get the bones of St. Nicholas back, yes help, even though they locked him up 60 years ago.

I must admit that I wasn't that captivated by the graphic novel even though it was refreshing to read something related to Christmas that wasn't too sweet. Don't take me wrong, I liked it, I recommend it, I just didn't love it and frankly the art was good-ish but not terrific....

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatly appreciate the recommend 😉
What a crazy ride, loved it!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, the bones of St. Nicholas have been stolen, which is never a good thing. The Secret Society of Santas needs them back, so who they gonna call?

That's right - Krampus!



This conclave of formerly-jolly men reluctantly release the beast from his cell, interrupting his Downton Abbey viewing; he is a huge fan of the Dowager Countess. IF he can get the bones back, he will earn his freedom. BUT, to make sure he stays on task , he's fitted with a Naughty Bomb, which will go BOOM! if Krampus is a bad demon.

I really got a kick out of this one. Decent art, clever plot, funny dialogue, and bizarre circumstances - Krampus and Doc Holliday? And Doc rides an annoying singing horse! Too funny! There are evil pixies, nasty nutcrackers and a villain who looks like a male stripper - what more can you ask for? Plus, I loved Kramus's "pet" - Stutgaard!

The book ends with hints that Krampus will indeed return. To quote the Dowager Countess - "At my age, one must ration one's excitement." I'm willing to risk some overexcitement to have another visit from my favorite holiday devil. C'mon, buddy . . . I'll leave a lager and some pretzels for you.

[Athena Shardbearer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a free copy for review!



This graphic novel is HILARIOUS! It was great story and plot, and this Krampus had me laughing out loud.

Krampus has been in captivity by the Society of Santa Clauses for hundreds of years. Till one day, someone steals St. Nicholas skeletal remains in turn compromising all the Santa Clauses of the world magic. The only one that can save them now is Krampus, the Yule Lord. With his help he is to take down who has stole the remains and return them where they belong. In return he will gain his freedom.

Last year I read Brom's Krampus: The Yule Lord and feel in love with the story of Krampus. I hate how Christmas has become something completely different from what it was when I was a kid. It was about family and being together, and Christmas now is about who gets the most expensive gifts. I'm just overwhelmed and frankly tired of what Christmas should be like, and spoiling our already spoiled children and family.


Anyway, when I read about Krampus he was a creature that punished bad children and was the nightmare of their dreams. I love the history surrounding his story, where he's from and the different variations of him. So when I saw this graphic novel on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. And I loved it!!! SO HILARIOUS!!! SOOOOO GOOD!!!!


Anyway, I don't want to give anything else away, but he fights the Nutcracker!!! Here are some pictures...enjoy...and hope you pick this one up!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Someone has stolen the bones of St Nicholas. The Secret Society of Santa Clauses have lost all their powers and in a desperate move decide to release Krampus to investigate the sinister goings on.

This was a lot of fun, the story was engaging, funny and although Krampus is the 'bad guy' you can't help but like him and root for him to succeed in his mission. There were some nice pop culture references that made me laugh.

The art for the most part was great, I did think it was a bit inconsistent for the panels set in the North Pole but this is a small gripe and overall it looks fantastic.

Great holiday read that funny, not too gory and doesn't take itself seriously. Highly enjoyable.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 3 out of 5]

V pohodě sváteční věc. Art je celkem hroznej, vypadá to jako komiksy na zakázku od youtuberů ale dá se na něj zvyknout. Příběh je troušku přihlouplej ale hej... je to vánoční komiks. Počítám, že se z toho pro mě stane každoroční klasika. Ono těch čistě vánočních komiksů, který nejsou jen speciály a daj se číst zase tolik není.

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wickedly entertaining, Krampus! is a fun and imaginative graphic novel. When someone steals the bones of St. Nicolas, the source of the Santa Claus power, the Secret Society of Santa Clauses make a deal with Krampus to free him from his prison in exchange for his help in recovering the bones. Author Brian Joines does an excellent job at integrating various Santa Claus and Krampus lore and crafting and interesting mythos. Also, there are some clever bits of satire and a good mix of humor. Dean Kotz’s artwork and character designs are pretty impressive as well; tailoring each Santa for a specific country. Krampus! is an entertaining holiday adventure that explores the dark side of the season.

[Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just an alright story

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Krampus' is the kind of over the top graphic novel satire of Christmas that I don't mind reading this time of year. I thought this one was a bit better than some I've read.

The Secret Society of Santa Clauses has a problem. Someone has stolen the bones of St. Nicholas and taken their magic. As reindeer plummet through the North Pole workshop, they know they have to take desperate measures, so they decide to enlist Krampus to help them. Krampus has been locked up for years for his usual brand of holday hijinks, so the Santas put some safeguards on him by strapping a bomb to his chest and sending him out in the snow with his wolfhound to solve the mystery. He finds his share of obstacles along the way. Can he find the bones and save Christmas?

The Santas are all the santas from around the world, and there is a nice identifier at the end of the book. The guest stars are fun. There is one that is so groan worthy, but I loved the addition, and I won't spoil that here.

The writing is pretty funny. The art isn't bad. The story is definitely not for kids, but was a lot of fun to read. I liked it.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun holiday parody.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the being know as Krampus. Comics aren't my normal genre, but I won't turn one down. When I saw that there was a collected graphic novel containing issues of a Krampus comic I had never read, I had to request and read this. The story was great, combining quite a few wintry icons into this quest. (Although I didn't know about the zombie horse being one of said icons until I happened across a Facebook article.) This tale kept my attention, with some twists throughout. The art was top notch and beautifully aided the story. KRAMPUS is the misunderstood hero. He gets the job done, but not the way the Santas would do it and for that he has been locked up for centuries but when St. Nick's bones are stolen and the Santas begin to lose their power, there is only one hero to call.
This was a fun holiday themed read I would rrecommend to young and old.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I randomly picked this up on NetGalley because -- hello -- KRAMPUS! I adore goats and thus I adore the Krampus, so I could not really pass it by. This comic was a pretty cheeky and action-packed story, full of humor and nods to various Christmas traditions and cultures throughout the world. I thought the society of Santas was a great idea, and the way they had to rely on the Krampus to save their butts was awesome. This was a pretty fun little story, if a bit too action-story and less Krampus-awesome for me. Still, I enjoyed it and I'd recommend it to people who want to learn a bit about the Krampus in a fun and colorful way! The illustrations were well-done and quite detailed, so it's clear this comic was an effort of passion on both of their parts.

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like the idea for a Society of Santa Clauses was a really well thought idea, and, of course The Krampus, and the sugar-plums fairies were cool characters, but I didn’t enjoy the story at all. The Krampus turned out to be too ”good”. I didn’t like him at all. The villain was way more likable than him. I hated that the villain had to be camp and was surrounded by pink fairies while The Krampus was the good old masculine hero who will save the world from all the “freaks”.

[Jennifer Freitag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!!!!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I love me some Krampus, and this was a funny, silly holiday story that managed to include some Santa legend history. Had the feel of the the old Myth books by Robert Aspirin. Some language, and a brief background shot of a [non-human?] stripper in a thong and bra, but would be okay for less conservative teen graphic novel collections.

[Burgoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as much a deconstruction of the holiday as it is a savory treat to contrast with your normal holiday stories. mmmm....

http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2014/1...

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

"And zee KRAMPUS bows to No Man!"...

So here it is. Being obsessed with that ancient yule lord KRAMPUS I was desperately trying ro read more about him. But of course Brom's KRAMPUS was undoubtedly a super hit novel to read. Although this was a comic book but even so I just couldn't put out the thought of Gerald Brom's creation of his KRAMPUS Novel...

Now if you ask me about this comic which was all about the KRAMPUS well I will say it didn't do much impression on me if you know to what I am referring to. I know I know that it's not fair to compare this comic to other book. But the truth is and I am sorry to admit that the way Brom created his of version of KRAMPUS was much more terrible than this. It was the kind idol that KRAMPUS he himself a lord who kneel to nobody, He himself decides his own fate but no one. He himself rule his command but never taking command by others. That was exactly I was really looking for a type of KRAMPUS that the author Gerald Brom did to my imagination. With no negative thought and by no offence, by not hurting any religious belief I just want to say that I have less interest about Saint Nicholas. Though of course this holy name is connected to the figure that ancient Lord KRAMPUS if I am not wrong of course. Maybe there will be more book about KRAMPUS and that time I will be the one the first avid reader who will read them all if they find out to be that much interesting to read. Well maybe yes the version of Brom's KRAMPUS made me that type of ambitious by mind. Anyway this one I would like to say definitely worth my reading time no doubt. I enjoyed it but not as I was expecting for but it was enough to entertain me. I will be looking for more book related to this ancient Yule Lord. Nice book with nice story concept and comic...

Thanks to Brian Joines, giving it 4 out of 5...

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is is exactly one female character in this story who isn't just part of a background crowd scene - a scummy real estate agent who only is there for two pages to pass on some info to move the story from one plot point to the next. Other than that... zilch.

The writers clearly did a LOT of work to research every single MALE winter holiday figure from all over time and the globe. There is one throwaway mention of "Mother Ginger" but other than that, not a single female holiday character mentioned. No Babouscka, no Ice Queen, no Snow Maiden, no Santa Lucia, no Bona Dea, no Frau Holle, no La Bafana, no Gryla, (and more, if I felt like more than 5 minutes of searching Google) - and, most stunningly of all, not a single mention of Mrs. Claus! What?

The rest of the story is good, with Krampus playing the classic, reluctant I'm-a-bad-guy-really-now-let-me-save-this-puppy hero in classic action-movie style, but the gendered gate-keeping really soured the whole thing for me.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has some real cool and interesting ideas going for it. They explained how Santa can deliver presents to the good children of whole world in just one night. Spoiler Alert: Each country/culture has their own version of Santa who looks and talks like the people they are representing.

Krampus has gotten the raw end of the deal. Even if some of the Santa's don't like it he serves a good purpose. The original Santa even needed his help shuffling through and handling the bad boys and girls. Then they lock Krampus up when they do not need or want him anymore. Not cool league of Santas. You Santas should be on the naughty list.

The author did a great job incorporating mythological characters into this story.

The art is just average. I like the character designs, but they are drawn with to many lines often looking like messy sketches.

[Velia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had thought the movie A Christmas Horror Story (2015) was going to be this epic battle between Santa and Krampus. I was so disappointed after watching it. But ever since then I've been craving something of that description and this graphic novel was pretty close. Thanks.

The violence isn't too bad or gory. I wouldn't classify this as horror. The art is decent. It's the story really that drew me in...the Santas have lost their power and enlist the help of Krampus to get it back.

[Alyssa (HeartwyldsLibrary) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was such a pain in the ass to read, it was 140 pages and it felt like it took forever to get through. The fact that all the Santa’s representatives were from different places and yet the ONLY character written with an accent was Krampus was so annoying. And reading all of the Krampus parts was frustrating with all the “z’s” used to create said accent. Overall the story just felt like it dragged, but it was short, so the fact that one could make a short story feel like it was dragging on, is particularly a talent if you ask me.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Really, I am zee nightmare of Christmas ... zee terror lurking inside your stocking ... and zey send a wooden soldier to kill me? I would hope to rank higher zan zee Babes in Toyland treatment."

I loved everything about this! There is even a cliffhanger, so I am hopeful there are more to come. The original by Brom is definitely on my TBR list. Christmas-y goodness to warm my inner child's heart.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some serious holiday fun. A traitor among the Santas, Krampus released to hunt down St. Nicholas' bones, and sugarplum fairies gone wild are just a few of the things you will find in this delightful gem.

[Kayla Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable but it wasn't the Krampus I thought I was in for. The big revel at the end was unexpected and pretty funny but I'm disappointed it wasn't a full blown horror graphic novel.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun take on the Santa Claus (and other holiday) mythologies. Droll and entertaining.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very witty, clever book with great art and tons of Santas from around the globe with fitting names to match! A little evil mixed in with the holiday spirit makes for a great tale!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Christmas and Winter lore. This was so perfect!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was delightful Christmas read for those nerds with dark hearts.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A seasonal re-read just for fun today :)

[Ex Libris Animus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super corny at times but in a good way for the most part. Decent art. The written German accent is a migraine. I'm spoiled when it comes to Krampus. It ended better than I had imagined and I would definitely follow if more was released

[Kimber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.

I received a copy of this book from Diamond Book Distributors on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This comic book about Krampus, the punisher of naughty children, features the beast assisting the Santa Society after their powers were taken away from them. He faces other beats of the holiday world while trying to regain the Santas' powers and return the world to the way it should be - which is not in an ice age, before its too late.

When I saw that this was about Krampus I had to read it, I found the little story about him in My True Love Gave to Me too interesting to ignore further content about him. This didn't disappoint.

The plot of this was really interesting. It's great to see Krampus as the good guy, especially because he's supposed to be "evil". I loved that there were all these different versions of Santa from around the world, and that these other holiday characters were featured as well (like Jack Frost). I think at times things got a little confusing because there was a lot going on, lots of characters, lots of threads of plot lines. It was good, but confusing.

The writing was great. Lots of great humour, though some references were a little dated. I loved Krampus, he was witty and fun to follow. I think it was really fun to read, with some interesting writing and clear voices in the text.

I liked the art. I loved the character design for Krampus it was really detailed and looked amazing. The different Santas were largely distinct, though sometimes it got a little confusing just from the sheer number of them. I think the art was gritty looking, which worked with the content. The colours were really vibrant and vivid which made for a visual feast.

I would recommend this, it was definitely a fun read and great for the holidays. The plot line of saving Christmas was really great and makes this a perfect release for the season. It's definitely great for people interested in Krampus, especially since it's not a common topic. I'd definitely like to see more of this.