Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Dan Mora
Publisher: BOOM!
I have fond memories of watching Santa Clause is Coming to Town, the claymation Santa Claus origin story, in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This was a tradition that my family upheld pretty much every year, and, honestly, we still revisit that movie. The result is that Klaus #1 is kind of a blast from the past for me. The story seems pretty similar to Santa Clause is Coming to Town, just framed in a more mature context. It’s not super dark and gritty throughout, but this is definitely a Santa Clause origin aimed at an audience that isn’t children. That may be one of the reasons I loved the book so much. How often is it that adults get Christmas stories? I mean sure, we can revisit those from our childhood, but at this point, I’ve watched A Christmas Story more times than I can count, and there’s nothing wrong with new Christmas stories.
For those worried about Grant Morrison’s trademark insanity; that shouldn’t prevent you from picking this book up. There are hints at some psychedelic madness (which I do hope we get to explore more in future issues), but for now it’s kept to a minimum. And by “a minimum” I mean exactly one scene. Other than that one scene, it’s actually fairly grounded. It’s definitely fantasy, but you wouldn’t know it until a giant wolf shows up.
The bulk of this issue is used to establish the setting and characters. Klaus, who is a wandering merchant, enters a town that has changed greatly since he has last been there. It is now ruled by a dictator with an iron fist, and, as one might expect, all toys are banned. For everyone but the son of the town’s ruler, who is discontent with all the toys that he gets. Even though characters are introduced for the first time in this issue, it’s already clear who these characters are as people. Each of the individuals that will likely end up as a major player gets at least one strong character moment, and the result is a cast that I’m already invested in. The same is true of the issue’s setting.
Dan Mora’s art is just as great as Morrison’s writing. It isn’t unique, but it fits the book, and gives it a great aesthetic. It also helps that the visual storytelling is quite effective in this issue, and gels well with the written story.
My one major gripe with Klaus #1 is that it feels almost too familiar, as if we’ve seen all of this before. This is the first issue, so there’s a lot of time for the book to shake that. I’m sure that Morrison will explore new avenues with the character of Santa Clause, rather than just playing out an origin story we’ve already seen with more violence. To clarify, some parallels to existing mythology are beneficial, and so those sticking around would be perfectly fine.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend Klaus #1. It’s a great introduction to a series with a lot of potential. If you’re looking to get into the Christmas spirit way too early, this may be one of the few acceptable ways to achieve that goal.
