Klaus: The New Adventures of Santa Claus (2024)

Great series!

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire Klaus series, including this book! Fun stories and amazing artwork! Definitely worth a read! 4.25 stars!

Remember how I reviewed the 1st volume and said that it was like reading Thor VS Loki? Well get ready to read about Superman VS Bizarro on this one.

No, really. Not kidding.. but all in all, it brings a fresh take on Klaus' journey. I've found the story an improvement from the previous volume. This time, Klaus finds himself in modern-day Earth, battling on the moon and returning to save 2 kidnapped kids.

The narrative, while enjoyable, didn't reach extraordinary heights, but it was a fun read with interesting additions to the Santa Klaus lore. What truly steals the spotlight is the mesmerizing artwork. Page after page, it's a visual masterpiece, almost dream-like in its beauty. While the story may not be groundbreaking, the stunning visuals make this a worthwhile experience.

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
The first book was a great standalone... but then because money they had to do... this.
I don’t hate this book, there are some things I like about it. The art is pretty solid and there’s some quality action scenes.
However the stories in this volume are kinda cheesy... but not in a fun way, just lame. They also had kinda meh endings and messages that aren’t always bad, just executed in a dumb way... sorta like if those fun movies that families often watch together at Christmas weren’t humorous and took themselves too seriously.
As far as predictability goes, sometimes it’s not too predictable, sometimes it is. Like I said it’s multiple stories in one volume so it generally depended on the story.
Overall, this is an example of how even if a book is good... it doesn’t necessarily need a sequel. Not to say that standalones should never get a sequel (just look at how great Brubaker’s Criminal still is) but Klaus is one of those times where it should have just been one book.

2/5

Stop alluding to things that happened before (Civil war on the moon! The great Pola Cola battle of 1932!) and just show me those things, instead of stories about people going, "Watch out, it's KLAUS!" And then he beats them up. I mean, it's honestly pretty great, the art is especially gorgeous. But the big tease about other, steampunk type adventures? Not fair, man!

Christmas read of the year, keeping in line with last year's reading of the first Klaus hardcover. As expected, both stories were hella fun and wholesome, with just enough of Morrison's brand of crazy to keep it fresh. Great mix of classic Christmas storytelling, folklore, and sci-fi. Dan Mora's art is breathtaking as always. This series may not blow you away but I doubt you'll be able to find a better Christmas comic.

It seemed appropriate to end the year with a Christmas book.

Collecting the first two of Grant Morrison and Dan Mora's Klaus one-shots, this hardcover collection is a perfect companion to the first. This one includes Klaus & The Witch Of Winter, and Klaus & The Crisis In Xmasville.

Klaus has always been a little adjacent to magical fantasy, but these stories delve right in, with a witch, a werewolf, and the Krampus (or what is basically the Krampus) being the main obstacles Klaus faces. Each story brings him closer to our modern day interpretation of Santa, and bounces around the timeline Atomic Robo style so we get bits and pieces filled in as we go along. They're nice self-contained stories, but there's a sense that we're just getting a peek at what Klaus does all year, which makes sense given that we only get one story a year.

Dan Mora's one of my favourite artists in comics these days; his visuals are so well defined, and there's just something about his style that I really love. I can't put my finger on it, but it's just great, and I'm glad he can find the time to reunite with Morrison each year for these stories.

I hope these one-shots continue for years to come, because they're a lovely way to return to the character and these creators each Christmas. It's like seeing old friends!

It seemed really familiar and I thought it was just the setting coming back to me, and then it seemed too familiar and I checked, this is just a shitty combined edition reskinned with a new title to gyp the rubes out of their money with old material in a new wrapper. Nowhere on the cover do they clue in the public to this, which just underlines the slimy, thieving nature of all involved. Avoid at all costs.

**Same review being posted for the other combined edition I was tricked into getting.

A little disappointing because there were some missed opportunities.

The Witch of Winter arguably contains some similarities to the recent Game of Thrones when it comes to the "bad guy". Couple points off for the lack of originality. But I really liked the idea of Geopetto and wish there was more to that. Klaus' trophy room and how that fits into the story was fun as well. Couple points added back for cool (ahem) elements but overall this needed to be expanded, instead of what felt like an abbreviated story.

Crisis in Xmasville had even less going for it. Another takeoff of someone else's villain (DC's Lobo), more hints at previous adventures, which gives Klaus history and depth, but not much in details. If you think of Klaus as the Superman, this story introduces the Batman, Grandfather Frost, complete with a Frost Cave(?). Found this to be less interesting and served more to keep the series going.

Мені дуже подобається, як це намальовано. А от сама історія дуже, звичайна, хоча й гарно написана. Персонажі саме такі, як від них і чекаєш, і тому трохи не об'ємні. Мені не вичстачило інформації, звідки в Клауса контакт з духами - натяки ніби є, але лише натяки. Як і про те - що сталося, коли ГГ ці духи забрали.

There were aspects of this comic that I thoroughly enjoyed - dear Lilli, Father Frost, the offhand comment of Santa Klaus vs. the Martians... those things appealed to me hugely. As did the wonderful werewolf design which deserves all sorts of appreciation. Other things, unfortunately, fell very flat for me. The issues didn't seem long enough to encompass the full stories that Morrison wanted to tell, and as a result, things were more stilted than the Volume 1 tale - a bit more chaotic in a not very good way.

Did I enjoy it nonetheless? Certainly.
Would I read more? Of course.
It was just a minor letdown after how much I adored the previous volume.

Volume 2 collects a number of short stories that involve a war with the beings on the moon, a conspiracy within Pola Cola to harvest children's imaginations, a werewolf Santa from the other side of reality, and Gepetto. You know. Those sorts of normal things.

Never change, Grant Morrison. Never change.

Another wonderful pairing of Grant Morrison's stories and Dan Mora's artwork.

Who do you call when global warming melts the ice caps enough to wake the Winter Witch? When a tyrannical soda company kidnaps people and gives them to an alien in exchange for power and glory?

Santa of course. But this Santa is not the one of Marketing Hype. He's the one and the same from Volume One - well built, ruggedly handsome, axe and sword weilding man with a sleigh driven by wolves.

Storywise, I liked volume one better, but the art work in this one appealed to me more.

Quick graphic novel read that I would recommend after reading the first volume.

(Read as Single Issues)

Any semblance of groundedness has left the Klaus series at this point. These two stories are so out there it's hard to even grasp. One has numerous multiversal variants of Santa fighting an evil soda company that took over his image (which is metatextually interesting but feels utterly unearned within the story itself), and the other borrows a Fables storyline with wooden soldiers and a frozen witch. It's at least coherent, but that's about all it has to recommend it.
I will grant that the art is fabulous throughout both issues, but it seems to be art in search of a plot to hang itself on. Outside of the holiday season, there's nothing to recommend a reading.

3.5
Slight downgrade from the last volume, but still perfectly enjoyable and reccomended for anyone who enjoyed the last book. The only issues I had were that I felt the pacing was a little bit off. Probably because they're one shots, but it felt like there was some times when there were small jumps between panels that could've used a little more in between. Still good art, but a very small downgrade from what was in the previous volume. This one still has plenty of good, like the villain in the second story. I thought he was the best part of the book, design-wise at the very least. No, actually, scratch that. Lilli is always the best part of the book!

Grant Morrison might be certifiably insane. Or a genius. In Klaus, he takes the various legends and myths, both ancient and contemporary, and creates a violent fantasy world where Santa Klaus battles the forces of darkness and evil. The idea about stealing children's imagination in "Crisis in Xmasville" was actually fairly poignant. But make no mistake, this is hack and slash writ large. Morrison infuses each of the two stories with more than enough weird elements, such as a demented elf aptly named Spoonlicker.

The art is fantastic. The larger format of this hardcover really helps bring forth the epic nature of Klaus and his enemies. There were a few scenes of aliens that were difficult to discern, though. The different versions of Santa were neat to see but not given nearly enough screen time.

I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much if I read it any other time of the year than December, though.

Ho ho ho.

After a whole year break from reading the first volume of the Klaus comic, an origin story of how the myth of Santa Klaus came to be: a fighter for children and celebration of the Yuleball. Now Klaus is on for new adventures. This continuing saga comes in two separate, standalone stories. The first one is where Klaus attempts to rescue two children from the Witch of Winter, who now has taken over his former toy factory and has created a foot army of wooden puppets to take over the human realm. The second story has Klaus infiltrating Xmasville, a Disneyland-esque city designed to monopolize on the Santa Klaus trademark, only to discover its sinister secrets deep underneath.

Grant Morrison continues to create excellent stories for this superhero Santa. He's buff, he's deadly with a sword, knows magic, yet he is still very much holly and jolly to all good people around him. Dan Mora's art is still top notch as well, with the second story using more combinations of pencil & watercolor, making the entire comic resembling of those classic Christmas card covers. While the first volume was an origin story, these standalones are okay, but as together, it's just not as solid as it lacks the factor that can connect them. They are still thoroughly enjoyable for that matter. My only complaint is that, unlike the first volume, the supporting cast present here gets very little development. We don't know much and many remain a mystery, and likely forgotten by the next volume. Yet I am satisfied with this conception of one-off stories, as our protagonists brings most of the enjoyments in himself and I look forward for more.

My Review: After absolutely loving volume 1, I was pretty excited to see Klaus' story continued. Instead of having a cohesive story line throughout this volume, it is more of a bunch of stories broken up, they do have connections but they don't read like a full story. I also wasn't as much of a fan of the stories themselves, it does have a great basis in the commercial war on Christmas but the execution wasn't my cup of tea. For those that really like much darker and obscure almost sci-fi books, this might be more enjoyable but for me it just went a bit too far into the weird.

Klaus and the Witch of Winter is a nice one-shot but honestly probably the weakest of the Klaus stories. It's pretty, it's got some neat world-building and promise, but it's just a nice one-and-done.

Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville, though, wow god damn. Evil mirror Santa aiding a corrupt mega-corporation in the kidnapping of children and selling their imaginations to aliens in exchange for weapons? That's crazy talk and I love it. It's this huge "Crisis" story but done in the world of Santa, it ~~rips off~~ lovingly homages both DC Comics and Doctor Who. It's Grant Morrison emerging from the 'superheroes are mythology' phase of their life and really hammering home 'corporations owning our heroes is awful, stop trademarking dreams you jerks'. It's beautiful, and maybe Klaus at its best.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first one. It was two standalone stories that really didn’t further the storyline but more complimented it. I will still read more of these though

Très peu convaincue par ce second tome. J'avais beaucoup aimé le premier, mais là je n'ai pas du tout accroché. Les deux histoires m'ont semblé improbables et décousues. Il n'y a guère que le graphisme qui m'a beaucoup plu.

Gorgeous art but the stories just don’t cohere. Feels sloppy and undeveloped.

The original Klaus was unexpectedly enjoyable, so I was relatively thrilled to see a new set of adventures for old Kris Kringle. However, I was somewhat reticent to read it in dark, frozen mid-January with zero Christmas cheer flowing through my veins.

Take heart! Klaus: The New Adventures of Santa Claus is so good that you can read it at any time of year! In fact, you should be reading it at all times of year!! Where the original Klaus was a straightforward fantasy tale staring Santa Claus as a handsome Robin Hood type, these new adventures are straight bonkers and endlessly thrilling. In the first tale, Santa must return from a war on the Moon (?!?) to save children kidnapped by the Witch of Winter. It's clear we've moved into new territory when Santa starts battling ice monsters carved into being by Geppetto (of Pinocchio fame). It all leads to a wild climax inside one of Santa's old factories with Dan Mora's unprecedented artistic skills flourishing in numerous full-page and two-page spreads.

And that's not even the best tale in this collection! The second story features Xmasville, a town composed entirely of brainwashed Santas helping Pola Cola achieve world domination. A weird take on the depths to which corporate marketing will go gets even weirder when it's revealed that an alternate universe Santa has been sucking the imagination out of children to power Xmasville. Soon, Santa arrives to battle aliens, destroy evil-Santa, and save the kids before their creativity is sucked dry.

Both these stories spend a not-insignificant amount of time expanding the Klaus world, from those mentions of a lunar war to revelations about the multiple Santas in existence. Again and again and again in these stories, Grant Morrison's endless creativity is topped only by Dan Mora's unbelievable art. I'm sure I said this with the first volume and I'll say it here again: even if you're uncertain about reading Santa Claus comics, pick up this volume of Klaus merely to pour over Mora's beautiful illustrations. And with this volume especially, it'd be worth your time to read the words too.

KLAUS: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS - Volume 2 by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora offers a festive yet slightly uneven ride through holiday-themed tales. The graphic novel, penned by luminary author Grant Morrison, introduces an intriguing mix of elements: an ageless ice queen, robotic snowmen, and an evil soda corporation. Mora's illustrations breathe life into characters like dear Lilli and Father Frost, with a standout werewolf design deserving special mention. However, the collection falls short in its brevity, leaving some narratives feeling rushed and chaotic. Despite this, the charm of Klaus vs. the Martians and other whimsical moments prevails, ensuring an enjoyable read. While not reaching the heights of its predecessor, Volume 2 remains a worthwhile addition to the modern Santa mythos, promising more holiday adventures to come.

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Grant Morrison is kind of the king of mythology when it comes to comics, I feel that the majority of my fellow comic readers know that so I was excited to hear that he had not one but two comics focusing on the mythology of Santa Klaus. I knew it would be an extra fun read for the season as well.
Morrison’s writing can get a little convoluted with time jumps and not enough explanation verbally if the visuals can’t do the trick but overall I was happy with the storyline’s progression.
I read volumes 1 and 2 back-to-back so I didn’t do a written review on volume 1. It know that I have it 4 stars and that volume 1 focuses on more of the true mythology of Santa. Volume 2 was a spin off of the original and it made Santa out to be more of a super hero saving various people from the evil powers that be trying to ruin the spirit of Christmas. I didn’t hate this concept at all actually I really loved the first part. Volume 2 was set up in two parts each focusing on a different storyline. The second part was a bit sad though. Dan Moras are and especially his use of lighting is gorgeous. I was kind of freaking out about how pretty the artwork was in the first volume and I got more of the beauty in the first storyline in the second volume but oh my gosh you guys did the art in the second storming just die off. I’m going to assume they ran out of time or budget because we know what Mora can do but the art was literally not complete in the second volume. The ice castle you guys, they should have left that panel out. Matter of fact I feel they should have just published the first story in volume 2 in trade and just scrapped the second part and put it out later or something it was so unfinished. So, I give part 1 another 4 stars and part 2 just 2 stars just because it was unfinished. That’s all. If I were you I’d just read volume 1 and skip volume 2 people.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Another Mr. Hot Klaus book and another two strangely epic tales. Although some parts were cheesy, I thought that this was another hilariously great piece of work. I can’t stress enough that this series should not be taken seriously and as a first time reader of Grant Morrison and Dan Mora’s work I think that’s how they’d want people to enjoy it. The Klaus series is a light read with great artwork and easy to follow story plots.

In the New Adventures of Santa Klaus, we have two new stories that continue Klaus’ life many many years past from his origin story. The first is he returns from a out of this world situation and finds that a Witch has taken his toy factory to build an evil winter army. Klaus rejoins some old friends and some elves to take out the Winter Witch, save some kids, and take back his factory to bring back joy and happiness to all.

The second story is about Klaus getting a help signal from another old friend named Kate to save her family from the evil corporation Pola Cola that’s been in war with Santa Klaus over trademarking Santa. Also, Pola Cola created an Xmasville, which is suppose be an attraction “like Disney” but the selling point of it is to have xmas all year round. Anyway, Klaus faces some inner-outer demons… His exact opposite, dark Klaus, who speaks with, what I read to be a Scottish accent but this really depends on how you read i and Klaus kicks his ass, saves the kids, brings back joy and happiness to all.

Honestly, for the subject being Christmas and about Santa Klaus these are some really good comics to enjoy during the Holiday season. They are light-hearted, violent, funny, and overall a fun short read. Not to be taken seriously or overly criticized because again it’s just basically Santa fanfic.

This one is very different from the other Klaus book I read. That one was a concise story with a kick-ass hero. This...is two stories that won't make much sense if you don't understand the references.

The first story combines Han Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen with the folktale of the Yule Lads (which I'd never heard of before I saw Jon Solo's video on YouTube) and even throws in Geppetto from Pinnochio. Understanding where these pieces come from, I personally enjoyed this one.

The second story involves an Anti-Santa (not Krampus) that kidnaps children, syphons off their imagination, and sells it to aliens for them to smoke. He uses the tech of

Overall, not bad if you understand what you're reading. The art is awesome if nothing else.

I love the concept, the stories were fun, and the art is gorgeous, but I wish there was a little more depth. Morrison can get away with substituting fantastical word salad for backstory with a property like the Justice League, because the universe is already well-established. With Morrison's Santa Claus, though, he is still defining the rules of the world he's creating, and while having these ageless magical characters speak to each other like they've known each other for a lifetime makes the world feel lived-in, the relative lack of explanation sometimes makes the audience feel left out. This is the downside of Morrison's tendency to only put half the story on paper. The upside is that he'll rarely talk you to death, which makes his comics consistently dynamic. Which I suppose is a long-winded way of saying I want to know more about Klaus's world and what makes him tick. I don't know how much more Morrison and Mora are going to revisit the Klaus world, but I hope to see more.

Grant Morrison's Klaus Annuals have become a Christmas tradition, and one better than the Doctor Who Holiday Special.

"The New Adventures" are just that--superheroic renditions of what Santa is doing. While the initial volume was more of an origin story (tying shamanic trappings with traditional lore) these are relatively straightforward, yet also letting the character have his beard tugged on.

I.e. 1.) The With of Winter follows some lost children, Geppetto and a Hall of Santas.
2.) Crisis in Xmasville is more focused on Coca-Cola's marketing and usage of Santa.

This week will feature the Crying Snowman. And Morrison has teased that next years story may break tradition and be a little larger in scope. It'll be my Christmas wish for 2019.

I believe Morrison's pitch for this was 'All Star Santa Claus,' which I found more bewildering than anything else, and now if anything happened to Klaus I would kill everyone in this room and then myself. Klaus as mythic hero, superhero, science hero, only Morrison could bring it off, throwing huge storytelling strokes across every page, but the point is always that Klaus brings toys to children at the darkest time of the year, and if he has to battle magic monsters and monstrsosities and capitalism to do it, then battle he will, and each and every goddamn story ends with a huge sentimental lump in the throat and watery eye and you might think that's cheap but it's not it's Christmas.

I always liked the Klaus graphic novels. The first one is still the best of the series so far.
Klaus is a badass and so is his wolf dog Lilli.
For those who haven’t read the series, Klaus is a muscled fighting evil, take no prisoners Santa Klaus.
This is a two story graphic novel. This time he’s fighting The Winter Witch, and evil aliens in The Crisis In Xmasville. I preferred Xmasville of the two stories.
I hate the Lilli always get injured, but she always survives.
This is the perfect series for anyone looking for something different and darker to read for the holidays.