Review by Frank Plowright

Despite putting the research in to connect the advent of Santa Claus with North European legends, and realising what an artistic talent Dan Mora is, did Grant Morrison ever anticipate Klaus being anything more than a one time project? Eisner Award nominations perhaps paved the way for succession of follow-ups, and The New Adventures combines the first two in either hardcover or paperback editions.

Morrison doesn’t take the obvious route in ‘The Witch of Winter’, starting in the present day and referencing adventures as yet unseen as he learns about two abducted children and sets off to rescue them. His old headquarters have been taken over and repurposed, and setting things right ultimately depends on faith. With the featured characters and what they can do, Morrison steers a little too close to Fables for comfort, but if you want Santa Claus as a man of action and a few answers in passing as to how he operates, this may hit the spot.

‘Crisis in Xmasville’ taps into the Stranger Things vibe with a 1985 setting and a family with three kids taking a wrong turn in bad weather and arriving in Xmasville. It’s always a sinister form of Christmas here, even in August. Morrison has Klaus in a return bout with the owners of Pola Cola, despite the first encounter not going well for them. Several comical references are included, not least Santa Claus vs. the Martians, followed by the idea of commercialising Christmas even further. As with all Klaus stories to date, though, it’s undermined by stretching an idea too far.

The one absolute about The New Adventures is more stunning art from Mora. Even more astoundingly the two stories are drawn in different styles. The first is similar to Klaus, maximising the attractive possibilities of a fairy tale world, even when tainted. It’s the Xmasville outing that really astonishes, though, with Mora pulling influences from everywhere. There’s a little manga, a little Kirby, plenty of horror and the beauty of the festive season to end it all.

The variety, even better art and avoidance of the obvious in constructing a sequel makes for something more imaginative than first time round, and there’s more to come in The Life and Times of Santa Claus. Alternatively, all Klaus material is combined in The Complete Klaus Deluxe Edition.