by Nicole Keating
The release of Issue #2 of Image Comics’ Krampus! took me by surprise. I was expecting this to be a one-off. The Krampus is a Christmastime figure, so I assumed a comic book tribute to him would be a holiday-only affair, but by Brian Joines (writer) and Dean Kotz (artist) want to give The Krampus his own ongoing story.
There is indeed enough room in the mythology for an ongoing story. Where many comics draw on myths that are no longer told and magic that is no longer practiced, Krampus! uses a mythology that we all still indulge in: Christmas! For those of you who don’t serve your Christmas goose with a side of Krampus, this horned beast originated in pre-Christian, Germanic folklore. Over the years, he has evolved to be a foil for Santa Claus: where Santa rewards the nice, Krampus punishes the naughty. Otherwise there’s not much backstory, leaving Joines and Kotz free to world-build.
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t seem to be built much deeper than holiday-themed jokes: a weapon known as a “naughty bomb,” a drunken Easter Bunny, The Nutcracker as a deadly assassin. While some lines made me laugh out loud—like “Fetch the holiest of the Santa tomes: The List of Nice!”—I grew weary of the gimmick after only a few pages.
The gimmicky jokes are peppered into a plot that is, for lack of a better term, kinda dumb. Here are the basics. There is a Secret Society of Santas, comprised of the Santa-like figures of all different cultures. The concept offers potential, but so far has not delivered beyond delightful one-liners like, “Santas, please, be calm,” and a large group of similar-looking, crimson-clad characters.
Within the first couple pages, the Skeleton of Saint Nicholas is stolen. We find out through awkward exposition that the Skeleton is source of The Santas’ power. This is reiterated several times in the first issue: But the bones are the source of our power. If we do not rescue them, we’ll lose our power. Cause they are the source of our power. You get it?
Yes, Santas, we get it.
With their Skeleton-derived power limited, the Santas turn to a long-imprisoned enemy for help: The Krampus! In order to win his freedom from the Secret Society’s prison, Krampus must track down and return the bones of ol’ Saint Nick. He’s accompanied on his adventures by his enormous, flying, fierce-yet-somehow-adorable dog-bear-creature Stutgaard. In his travels, he encounters pixies and elves, deals with Jack Frost and Old Man Winter, and becomes our antihero.
Despite the frivolous plot, both Joines and Kotz recognize the inherent silliness and really capitalize on the camp factor. The art is particularly joyful, calling to mind the irreverence of a B-movie. I found myself laughing as I read this, and it’s because of the laughs that I’m going to read through Issue #3. If this next bit of the story only gives more jokes, I’m going to leave Krampus! behind.
TL/DR? Krampus! is a B-movie in comic book form, offering holiday-themed puns and a superficial story. It’s worth a look if you’re a MST3K fan, but it’s not hilarious enough to stay on my ever-growing pull list.
Within the first couple pages, the Skeleton of Saint Nicholas is stolen. We find out through awkward exposition that the Skeleton is source of The Santas’ power. This is reiterated several times in the first issue: But the bones are the source of our power. If we do not rescue them, we’ll lose our power. Cause they are the source of our power. You get it?
Yes, Santas, we get it.
With their Skeleton-derived power limited, the Santas turn to a long-imprisoned enemy for help: The Krampus! In order to win his freedom from the Secret Society’s prison, Krampus must track down and return the bones of ol’ Saint Nick. He’s accompanied on his adventures by his enormous, flying, fierce-yet-somehow-adorable dog-bear-creature Stutgaard. In his travels, he encounters pixies and elves, deals with Jack Frost and Old Man Winter, and becomes our antihero.
Despite the frivolous plot, both Joines and Kotz recognize the inherent silliness and really capitalize on the camp factor. The art is particularly joyful, calling to mind the irreverence of a B-movie. I found myself laughing as I read this, and it’s because of the laughs that I’m going to read through Issue #3. If this next bit of the story only gives more jokes, I’m going to leave Krampus! behind.
TL/DR? Krampus! is a B-movie in comic book form, offering holiday-themed puns and a superficial story. It’s worth a look if you’re a MST3K fan, but it’s not hilarious enough to stay on my ever-growing pull list.