Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #3 – Jeff Parker, Writer; Michelle Bandini, Trevor Hairsine, Artists; Alex Sinclair, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: An absurd concept for a series has turned into a great holiday treat from DC, as the battle to save the world from Santa’s greatest mistake hits a fevered pitch. With Krampus unleashing ancient monsters on the world, the heroes are calling in the reinforcements—including Jo Mullein, Hawkgirl, and Blue Beetle. The first threat is a horde of harpies terrorizing the skies, which are foiled when Diana manages to communicate with their leader and form a truce. Of course, not all the monsters are as intelligent or willing to cooperate, so soon other heroes are fighting against a giant sea serpent attacking the coast. I like that all of these seem to be actual monsters from classic mythology, making for some great visuals and a fascinating deep dive into the historic roots of the legends that Santa came from. Michelle Bandini and Trevor Hairsine both deliver great art on these creatures.
However, I’ve got to say I’m an even bigger fan of the character interactions in this strange but wonderful series. We’ve already met Santa and Krampus, and this issue introduces one of his lead elves—a highly intelligent, orderly figure who reminds me of a magical version of Alfred. Every character interacts a little differently with Santa and his associates, from Damian being ruthlessly skeptical to Clark being completely star-struck—which is really the most in-character Superman thing I’ve seen in a long time. The end result is a series that seems to have a real love for the DCU and the absurd, colorful world they live in. After all, in a world of Gods and monsters, is an immortal gift-giver really that ridiculous? Santa doesn’t play as big a role in this issue, being off on his own adventure for much of it, but with the final showdown with Krampus looming, we’re probably in for a great finish.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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