Via the Hoopla service, I downloaded some graphic novels from my library for Christmas —
SCROOGE AND SANTA by Matthew Wilson and Josh Kenfield has Ebenezer’s descendant Stephen kidnapping Santa to make Stephen’s company the go-to for Christmas gifts — sure, Christmas just picks people’s pocket once a year, but it’s not so bad if you’re the pickpocket, right? Stephen’s assistant Bonnie discovers Ebenezer’s reform didn’t take (once he learned how much he spent that first Christmas, he snapped back to being a miser) and that even though Stephen gets an annual visit from the three ghosts, he’s not reforming either. Can she change things around?
This was amusing, but not quite amusing enough. I did like that Bonnie isn’t in love with Stephen, she just likes him despite himself, and some of the riffing on Dickens is fun; when Christmas Past shows Stephen his youth, for instance, Scrooge snorts that he’s already lived through it so why would reliving it change him.
KLAUS isn’t what I expect from Grant Morrison (art by Dan Mora) but Morrison often does stuff I don’t expect. Here, he’s telling a sword-and-sorcery version of Rankin-Bass’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town (and sword-and-sorcery Santa has already been done in Seabury Quinn’s story “Roads”) — the eponymous woodsman and toymaker discovers the town where he grew up is now a dystopia where toys are banned, kids are miserable and the evil baron is forcing all the men to labor in the mines, digging for something — or someone … This was a lot of fun; I know there are sequels but I haven’t read them yet.
BATMAN: Noel by Lee Bermejo is a lot less successful. Set in a vaguely Dark Knight Returns future where both Batman and Bruce Wayne are hard and cold, this presents the Bat as the Scrooge to a hapless Cratchett working for the Joker out of desperation (he has a kid to take care of). It’s a good idea but the execution didn’t win me over.
Marjane Satrapi is best known for Persepolis but her EMBROIDERIES is also very good. Marjane and her female relatives sit around discussing everything from the merits of opium to being deflowered on your wedding night (or convincing your husband he has) and whether European men are terrible lovers. Lighter than Persepolis but there’s always something fascinating in the kind of story where women talk without men.
There’s little fascinating in CAPTAIN AMERICA: Sentinel of Liberty by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Carmin Carnero though as I mentioned over at Atomic Junkshop, it was something close to a hate read for me. Cap discovers that his shield’s symbol is really the symbol of the Outer Circle, a shadowy conspiracy that’s been manipulating the world for a century, and manipulating Bucky to keep Cap under control. There were a number of little moment I liked but more that I didn’t (click over to my in-depth discussion if you want details).
HELLBOY: Castle Full of Blackbirds by Mike Mignola, Angela Slatter and Valeria Burzo didn’t do it for me either. The Return of Effie Kolb introduced us to Appalachian witch-girl Sara May Blackburn, who ended the book attending a mysterious magical school for girls in the Big Apple. This book follows Sara as she begins her studies, makes friends, but wouldn’t you know there’s some mysterious and sinister secrets behind the school’s friendly facade?
This frustrated me, constantly jumping from Sara to people having mysterious conversations or watching her mysteriously to the point I lost track of what was going on, who was who or why things were happening (though the backstory of the school was good). Not one of the stronger series entries.
#SFWApro. Covers top to bottom by Kenfield, Mora and Wylie Beckert, all rights to images remain with current holders.
