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Celebrate the life of Joe Christmas in Boom!'s new Klaus Winter Special
We're not sure about you, but besides those iced gingerbread men cookies at Trader Joe's, nothing says Christmas more than Grant Morrison and Dan Mora's glorious Klaus Winter Specials from Boom! Studios — and SYFY WIRE has an exclusive preview of all its yuletide magic.
This year the Eisner Award-nominated duo have outdone themselves with Klaus and the Life and Times of Joe Christmas #1, a joyous 50-page oversized issue sliding into comic shops on Dec. 18 featuring an entirely silent issue spotlighting what could be these stellar creators' finest moment.
Dropping down the chimney just in time for the shiniest of seasons, this stirring keepsake explores the deep relationship between Klaus and his loyal sidekick Joe Christmas, who was adopted by Klaus after being abandoned as an infant and fought beside him in countless battles. Boom!'s advent-calendar-inspired comic depicts Klaus teaming up with Christmas over the ages in 25 two-page vertical illustrations by Mora, each one capturing an adventurous day in his life.
Klaus and the Life and Times of Joe Christmas #1 and its wordless wonders continue the holiday tradition of new Klaus releases, an occasion that dates back to the franchise's original launch back in 2015. Inside, readers will glimpse a never-before-seen period of Klaus’ past, loaded with epic encounters with monsters, touching moments of Christmas spirit, and surprise guest appearances from old friends and new enemies.
Morrison revealed the particular storytelling obstacles of this year's Klaus Winter Special.
"The challenge was to tell the story of an entire human life – albeit the particularly adventurous and fantastical one experienced by Santa Claus’ ‘kid sidekick’ Joe Christmas – in just 25 images, without words, while still making it feel like a proper narrative with humor, excitement, tragedy, love, and all the other stuff life throws at us," Morrison tells SYFY WIRE. "We also wanted to tell the story of the life of Joe Christmas in reverse so that we could end on December 25 with a newborn baby in swaddling clothes."
Dan Mora's transcendent art ascends to even greater heights with this year's edition, and Morrison readily agrees.
"Dan’s work, which was already remarkable, really levels up for Joe Christmas," Morrison notes. "It’s the best stuff I’ve seen from him so far, and it’s amazing to think he’s still a young artist who is constantly improving. His imagination is immense, his eye for striking dynamic composition and character acting is incredible, and his basic drawing and coloring skills are off the charts. It’s always nice to take the annual opportunity to say yet again that he’s one of my all-time favorite artistic collaborators.
"Every single one of these images is packed with some clue or detail, some pop culture easter egg or significant piece of symbolism. There’s a lot more going on in the story than first meets the eye.These drawings are made to be stared at and scrutinized. Working with Dan again is the biggest attraction. Beyond that, I really like the character we’ve created, and spending time in the world of Klaus is always a good workout for my imagination!"
Grab a mug of holiday cheer and enjoy our exclusive look at Boom!'s wondrous Klaus and the Life and Times of Joe Christmas #1 in the gallery below, including Bengal's absorbing variant cover, then wrap one up for yourself or a loved one when it arrives Dec. 18.
