Review - KRAMPUS: SHADOW OF SAINT NICHOLAS

Stories by: Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty, & Zach Shields

Written by: Zach Shields, Todd Casey, and Laura Shields (II)

Pencils by: Christian Dibari (I), Maan House (II), Stuart Sayger (III), Michael Montenat (IV)
Colors by: Mike Spicer (I, IV), Guy Major (II, III)

For those who like a little horror with their christmas tidings, Legendary Comics has something right up your alley with Krampus: Shadow of Saint Nicholas. Just as in Trick R’ Treat: Days of the Dead, Krampus is also split up into four short stories that intertwine amongst one another. While Trick R’ Treat: Days of the Dead has a prevailing thread of hope throughout its stories, Krampus skews more towards the notion of redemption.

In each Christmas tale there is at least one, if not more, character who is attempting to find their way out or back from something. Book I, for instance, stars a mall santa who for all intents and purposes has just given up on trying to be, well, anything other than a drunkard. Book II revolves around moving on from a lost loved one, and story III is a Dickens-esque stroll through an individual's life choices. Each tale focuses on a different kind of loss, and a different sort of recovery, and the writers do a lovely job of keeping the focus on the characters themselves. It would be easy to lose that with all the nightmarish creatures running around, as well as Krampus himself, but luckily Zach Shields, Toddy Casey, and Laura Shields manage to keep their eyes on the prize. By story IV you can't help but be invested in how these stories intersect, and how, or if, I should say, they manage to move on. Whether that happens or not, well, you’ll just have to read it for yourself, but suffice it to say I was pleased with how things concluded.

Shadow of Saint Nicholas includes a talented art roster, including Christian Dibari (Story I), Maan House (Story II), Stuart Sayger (Story III), and Michael Montenat (Story IV). The pencils and colors are perfectly attuned to the tone of the stories being told, but story III with Sayger may just be the most interesting story, at least art wise, in the collection. Sayger's art style is like controlled chaos, and can transform a rather normal panel into something far more intense. Some of the most terrifying bits of Shadow of Saint Nicholas are found in story III, and they are due in large part to Sayger's pencils. Story III does struggle in places, though, due to this frenetic style, however, as it sort of hinges some of the other stories on its shoulders, and because of the frenzied art, it is sometimes hard to tell what exactly is going on. 

There is a great deal to like in Krampus: Shadow of Saint Nicholas, and even if you are not a horror fan there are still some fantastic stories for you to sink your teeth into. I definitely recommend giving it a read.

Krampus: Shadow of Saint Nicholas is in stores now. Krampus releases in theaters on December 4th.