Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Klaus #1 of 6
Boom! Studios
Morrison & Mora
"Klaus" launches the six-issue mini-series that is the secret origin of Santa Claus as told by Grant Morrison. The first issue is fairly straight-forward as we get introduced to the main character, the problem he is faced with and throws in a great cliffhanger. This comic is a good read and a great start to this series.
Klaus seems like your normal fur trader that lives as a hermit. He lives in the woods and heads into town as needed. This time he heads into a town and finds it to be changed since his last visit.
Klaus learns that the local royalty has put an end to celebrating the yuletime and basically taken the fun out of city. Klaus witnesses some abuse on a child and he takes action.
Klaus is a burly man to put it mildly. Okay, he looks like Conan. However, he is restrained and put to the test as he is made to run from guards shooting arrows at him. Klaus is tougher than he looks, if that's possible.
The book is a good read. There are some strange parts with regards to the men in the woods. It's not clear if the arrows come from the wall or the men chasing Klaus. The issue takes a sharp turn immediately after this scene though. The book certainly throws in some crazy stuff at the end, which puts Morrison's stamp on the comic.
The artwork is very good. Klaus looks like a friendly, cuddly, mountain of a man. The book excels on setting the backgrounds and atmosphere and that ties into creating a dramatic mood to the comic book. Visually, this is a very good book.
"Klaus" introduces the reader to the lead character and presents him with the problem. It's a fast-paced read, with a couple of surprises and with some solid characterizations. It's hard to imagine how Morrison is going to wrap everything up (pun intended) in just six issues as this feels like it could have been ten or twelve issues. If you have any interest in seeing Santa as Conan and learning about his secret origin then I urge you to pick this up. This is a wild comic. Boom! has another hit on its hands.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
