Klaus And The Crying Snowman is published by BOOM! Studios, from writer Grant Morrison (Animal Man, Batman, All-Star Superman) artist Dan Mora, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. The issue follows the 20015 holiday-themed mini-series Klaus: How Santa Claus Began, also from BOOM! Studios, Morrison, and Mora.
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In this new issue, Klaus helps an absentee dad, who happens to now be a snowman, make amends before melting away for good. All of this while combating a pantheon of Norse Gods.
Since I had not read the previous Klaus run this book at times was hard to follow. There is a lot of the book already assumes you know about its world-building and lore. However, once the comic is in the crux of its story it becomes a bit easier to understand.
The story itself is immensely imaginative an offers a very unique take on the Christmas classic, but it doesn’t quite offer enough of an emotional punch. The snowman, Sam, is the most compelling character of the book. As he melts he loses his intelligence and subsequently his memories. Once Klaus is able to get him to a colder environment he slowly is able to remember what happened.
Mora’s art is absolutely flawless and the strongest point of the book. The character design of Klaus feels like a mix of the Santa Claus from Rise of the Guardians and Thor in Thor: Ragnarok. I’m not sure if you could pay a character a higher compliment.
Additionally, the colors are absolutely brilliant and despite the snowy landscape, nothing feels washed out. Everything is bathed in a light blues and purples keeping to the holiday and winter theme of the book. I really enjoyed the choice to make the Snowman’s inner monologue in a similar light blue.
Dukeshire’s lettering was fantastic. Characters more traditionally known in Norse mythology carried a very distinct font. I enjoy when comic lettering attempts to create accents for characters by utilizing fonts and it was done well here.
Traditionally, Morrison’s writing for me can be a hit or a miss. In this comic, unfortunately, it is a miss. It was difficult to follow and I couldn’t bring myself to be connected to any of the characters. That being said, I did not read the original run and may have felt differently if I did.
If you are a fan of that run, this is a good pick for your pull list. But, if you are looking for a holiday comic with a similar tone and haven’t read the original Klaus run, I recommend checking out the Red Sonja: Holiday Special from Dynamite Comics.
Klaus and the Crying Snowman #1 is available now at local comic book shops and at digital retailers.
Klaus and the Crying Snowman #1
TL;DR
Traditionally, Morrison’s writing for me can be a hit or a miss. In this comic, unfortunately, it is a miss. It was difficult to follow and I couldn’t bring myself to be connected to any of the characters. That being said, I did not read the original run and may have felt differently if I did. If you are a fan of that run, this is a good pick for your pull list.
