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When it comes to Christmas specials, it's always better not to expect anything. This applies to the special Christmas episode of your favorite sitcom just as much as it does to your beloved Ongoings. Though if you do expect something, better expect a bunch of kitsch, magic and corny love stories.
As I find it difficult to expect nothing at all when the series is called "Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight", I was prepared for the latter. And fortunately I was disappointed. Because what writer Jeff Parker, artist Michele Bandini and colorist Alex Sinclair offer us here is just a lot of fun.
It begins in classic Batman style with a crime scene, butchered Carolers, drained of blood with suspicious bite marks on their necks. Smells a bit too supernatural for Detective Batman, so he calls in Zatanna. As she dissolves the source of the evil, the source of the evil flies in and attacks. The Draugs, vampiric undead from the Norse.
Sounds like some nice Christmas fun. But it gets even better, because while Robin and Batman are dealing with the screaming bloodsuckers, Batman's old buddy from his European days arrives. Yes, that's right, it's Santa, the monster hunter, stacking the shit out of them.
And it all gets even better. But I won't give that away here. Just this much: with all this mythological mishmash, Krampus should of course not be missing.
So, no kitsch...well, a bit, otherwise it wouldn't be a Christmas special..., magic in any case, but fortunately the corny love story is replaced by horror and revenge.
Now, if you're in the mood for a Batman-Santa story that's just plain fun without being cheap, this should be the thing for you. Parker's story has just the right drive, a good mix of humor (the dialog sometimes seems a bit cheezy, but it's all still within the Batman-typical bounds), action and suspense, with a dash of horror and...of course...Christmas!
And if you're in the mood for some really great artwork - honestly stunning, Bandini and Sinclair can certainly help you out here.
To be frank, I didn't expect it to be like that, but Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1 is really good entertainment.
(You can subscribe to this series at Walt's Comic Shop through Manage Comics. Simply click HERE).
Batman Santa Claus Silent Knight #1 (Of 4) Cover A Dan Mora
€5,90
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! The four-part crossover event of a generation begins when a not-so-jolly St. Nick hits Gotham City to investigate a brutal crime in the days leading up to Christmas... What manner of man or beast… read more
