Klaus #7

Written by: Grant Morrison

Art and Colour by: Dan Mora

Lettered by: Ed Dukeshire

With the miniseries now behind me, while I can't say that Klaus was exactly what I expected, I can say that it was a terrific journey. With the release of Krampus from his coal prison and the apparent death of Klaus out on the ice, along with the death of several of the Kings men, we have reached the darkest hour in the story so far. It's frankly amazing how Grant Morrison, along with Dan Mora's amazing artwork, has managed to keep me enthralled by a series about Santa Claus well into the summer, but here we are at the last hurdle, and it took its rightful place as the first thing I read this week.

The issue follows directly from the end of the previous issue, with Krampus storming into the castle's main hall. Laughing at the Baron for his ignorance in thinking that he would ever be able to control him, Krampus takes his son and puts him in his bag, leaving to find more children and terrorize the town. Just as he is about to attack another group of kids, however, Klaus returns on a spectral sled pulled by wolves and strikes the monster, preparing to deliver the final blow when suddenly the baron returns, running him through the chest. After telling the demon to give him the kingdom that he always wanted and demanding that he get what he deserve, the baron is incinerated by the demon, his last words being a whisper for someone to save his son. Klaus arises, revealing that he can no longer be killed, fighting the monster on his own twisted version of a sleigh before eventually slaying him, saving the Baron's son as they fall back to earth. While simple, the end of this story was very satisfying, with the Baron's son specifically finding his redemption and even showing valour in protecting other children from Krampus. The child grows up, learning compassion from Klaus, and eventually Klaus leaves to return once every year to bring toys for the children of the town.

I once again find it hard to find words for just how gorgeous this book looks. Krampus looks sufficiently scary, the backgrounds are always dense and detailed, and the use of lots of colour creates a mystical feeling at just the right moments. Specifically worth pointing out are the panels of Klaus in the air, both on his own sleigh and on Krampus', the starry sky in the background looking beautiful with an occasional hint of the ground below. While I'm a fan of Grant Morrison's writing, I honestly believe that had it not been for Dan Mora's artwork and colouring, the book wouldn't be nearly the gem that it truly is. Amazing art can make up for poor writing, and vice versa, but when both people working on a project deliver this level of quality, we get something genuinely special.

Klaus is quite simply a joy to read. Every issue delivers on a simple yet epic story combined with gorgeous artwork, and while I'm a bit sad to see it go, I could easily see it being incorporated into a holiday tradition to read it every year. I would honestly recommend this book to anyone even the least bit interested in the premise, or simply want to pick up something festive to get themselves in the holiday spirit. Any praise that I give this series I don't believe could be enough, and it's something that I think people will be really missing out on if they pass it by.