Review by Frank Plowright

The title is the same, but don’t go confusing this with L. Frank Baum’s fable, although in some respects the title is better fit as presented by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora.

So impressive on the previous two Klaus graphic novels, the series is a showcase for Mora’s artistic versatility and as incredible as the last two volumes looked, this is even better. The opening story isn’t too far removed from Thor, but an incredibly decorative version of Thor where colour lights up the sky. Especially memorable is Klaus on his magnificently designed flying sledge pulled by white wolves. The same story sees Mora invest a snowman with personality and bring clockwork automata to life as Klaus and his allies have to fend off the Norse fire demon after it’s instituted Ragnarok, ending the Norse gods.

Because the second story is shorter, counting down the December days almost as an advent calender, with each page a pin-up illustration, it provides even greater scope for Mora to impress. The sample art also ties in The Twelve Days of Christmas, but that’s not a continuing theme. More than any previous Klaus outing Mora can let loose his inner Rockwell and celebrate Christmas. However, a story is being told, and it’s told with some subtlety. Given the nature it’s likely Morrison had greater input than usual on the art, but it still takes Mora’s skill to render the pages so stunningly.

There’s been a feeling over the previous two Klaus outings that Mora’s the more impressive collaborator, Morrison’s reputation notwithstanding, but that doesn’t apply to this collection. The idea of Santa Claus has been referenced in the previous outings, but here Morrison ensures there’s a little more actual Christmas spirit. There’s a remodelling of The Snowman, and ‘The Life and Times of Joe Christmas’ is unabashed Christmas sentimentality, although with a typical injection of ideas that no-one other than Morrison would come up with. The connecting theme is one of them. Morrison’s shown Klaus has allies in previous stories, and here we’re introduced to Joe Christmas. As the title promises we’re shown his life story, but in glimpses, starting in old age and dropping back a few years with every illustration until we reach his first meeting with Klaus in 1930.

This is the best of the three Klaus outings, but Mora’s art is so impressive throughout that you might want to skip straight the to the hardcover collection.