Krampus: A Yuletide Adventure

by Brian Joines, Dean Kotz (Illustrator), Ron Riley (Colorist)

"The best and funniest Christmas comic book ever." — SLATE

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.

Collecting the original five-issue series by Brian Joines ( Backtrack , Imagine Agents ) and Dean Kotz ( The Butcher of Paris ) in a new special edition printing, Krampus is back with a fresh cover as well as bonus content from the creators!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Humor, Fantasy, Christmas, Holiday

144 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[D · Rating 1 out of 5]

mediocre art, worse story.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! The Christmas lore was interesting and used well within the story, and I love this snarky Krampus. He's like that one annoying friend who's bitchy and kinda mean sometimes but you can't help but love them, y'know? There's an action movie feel to this, with intrigue, suspense, and secrets galore, and the art is glorious, rich and detailed. The bad guy reveal makes a lot of sense in the context of the story (I admit to having to google); the way that bit of lore was worked in fit so well! There is still a bigger boss at the end, the real mastermind behind all this, and the ending is open enough that there *could* be a sequel arc should the creators decide to pursue that (which I would love to see), but not so open that we're left hanging in desperation. A perfect read for the holiday season!

[Yasmin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite what is said in the Afterword the "jokes" fall incredibly flat and the stereotype accent of Krampus reads more French than German. The jab at Communism is very poor attempted and the overall impact seems to be unremarkable. Throughout all the rushing around of Krampus and the bizarre attempts of Gerila the rest of the world wasn't impacted in the slightest but for a bad bit of winter weather. The pacing didn't make sense because while time was "running" out for the Santas that impact wasn't made known. Nothing happened to people's sense of the holidays and there was no real sense of who or what Krampus is if readers are not familiar with him. The choice of him to be green makes me think of vomit. I don't know what that was supposed to do for the reader. And I think it necessary to add that Mari Lwyd means Mary Lloyd so the choice of the horse to be a "he" is misplaced.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reprint of ISBN 978-1-63215-182-7. It appears thicker than our old beat-up original copy, but mostly seems to be due to additional chapter page breaks. Font is easier to read, too, creating a cleaner overall look. One page in the end is missing from the new version, and I miss it. Otherwise a nice version of the comic.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. This was just a dumb fun romp. I don't know when I last laughed reading something.

I would have liked more info on the Santas, but I guess that's up to me to wiki walk.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't think much of the stereotype accent which came across as more French than German. Seemed a bizzare story overall.

[Steve Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read with some cool artwork.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tickled the ol funny bone for me. Love the concept, the lore, the humor. Great read