Review by Frank Plowright

There isn’t actually a town called Christmas in Pennsylvania, but it represents plenty of places that attempt to celebrate the festive season all year round. What’s it like growing up in such a community? Jake’s family buy into it, and he’s viewed as a grouch for publicly pointing out the cynical commercialism. However, as seen on the sample art, he’s previously been unaware of the assorted more sinister manifestations of Christmas pre-dating the current traditions. As the title suggests, the most pertinent of them is Perchta, the Winter Witch.

George Northy and Rachel Aragno set a convincingly sinister undertone from the beginning via introducing a form of Pandora’s box, never to be opened, but which inevitably is, loosing ancient horrors. The remainder of the story becomes the quest to put everything back in the box. Fortunately, Jake and his friends have an ally and advisor.

It’s a well produced adventure for teens, with Aragno’s inventive cartooning bringing both characters and threats to life, with the pages punctuated by intensively detailed spreads. The occasional switch of style is interesting, and a subtle touch when it comes to effects.

To avoid a predictable journey, Northy punctuates the ongoing crises with the complicated feelings Jake has about his father’s death, and that his parents kept the severity of his condition from Jake. It feeds into the main story at a pivotal moment. It’s a smart look into the self-absorption and lack of understanding afflicting even the generally good teenager.

More astute readers will guess early how everything’s going to be resolved, but it’s a cathartic moment nonetheless, and Yuletide pulls off the clever trick of buying into the Christmas spirit without succumbing to crass sentimentality.