2014 Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday Special

Every year, Krampus surfaces during the holidays to punish humans most deserving of his wrath.  However, the being known to bring death on Christmas wasn’t always a vengeful killer.  The origin of the most feared and ruthless monster of the holiday season is finally revealed!

It’s Christmas time and Sela and Belinda are determined to get the new batch of Realm Knights into the holiday spirit.  Some are taking to rather easily, while others are completely lost as to the purposes of the traditions.  However, all is not well as Sela senses the Krampus nearby and goes to confront him, knowing that his appearance could only mean impending doom. 

This issue was kinda neat as it gives you the backstory on the Krampus.  Turns out, like most villains, he wasn’t all that bad to begin with.  What I can tell you is that the Krampus originally went by the name Andrzej and was the lord of a peaceful village.  The village and it’s lord were renowned for its sense of compassionate justice.  Which begs the age-old question; what makes a good man go bad?  For one possible solution, you’ll just have to read the issue to find out.  Anne Toole gave the book a lot of personality, showing how each of the new recruits is trying to figure out the timeless Christmas traditions.  Like Wulf taking advantage of the mistletoe, or Skye trying to determine what makes her drink “mulled”.  Not everyone comes from the same background and none of these had any semblance of a traditional background, so it’s cool to see how each one deals with the holiday.  Also of note is the excellent line work done by Butch Mappa.  Everything looks very smooth and fluid and the characters designs have the slightest hint of anime inspiration that makes them standout.  I look forward to seeing more pages from Mr. Mappa in the future.  There wasn’t anything I could find lacking with this book, so this is definitely one worth picking up.

The 2014 Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday Special is a story about bringing families together and also tearing them apart. But, it also shows the lengths a parent is willing to go to in order to protect their child. So, if you feel like your holiday is beginning to drag and is in need of a bit of a boost, then check out this latest one-shot in the holiday series. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a throw-down between a magic-wielding hottie and a child-stealing demon. For more info on where to find this issue, visit the Zenescope website, or the Zenescope Facebook page.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.