5 Offbeat Christmas Comics

It’s the holiday’s once again, and those who celebrate Christmas are looking for fun ways to take in the Christmas spirit.

Many will turn to classic holiday and Christmas movies or the Christmas episodes of their favorite television shows. And, of course, Christmas music will be played to the point of utter insanity, both in private spaces like homes and cars and in retail outlets and restaurants across the country.

But there’s another option – comics, of course! The comic book industry has put out quite a few Christmas themed books over the years, from publishers big and small, and they tend to be of a much quirkier variety than what you’ll see on a TV or movie screen.

Here are a five fun Christmas comics to light up your holiday.

The Last Christmas

Let’s start at the end then.

The Last Christmas is a 2006 miniseries published by Image Comics, written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan, who later went on to write Deadpool for Marvel Comics, and drawn by Rick Remender, who would later become a star writer for Marvel and Image Comics himself.

The action-comedy sees Santa Claus giving up on humanity after tragedy strikes the North Pole. Now it’s time for Santa Claus to get some payback on the “naughty” men who caused the apocalypse. But could the one boy in all the world who still believes in Santa’s goodness make a difference?

Klaus

Grant Morrison has been redefining iconic superheroes and their origins for decades. Now he’s doing it for the man in the red suit.

Morrison and artist Dan Mora present a version of Santa Claus that has surely never been seen before.

Klaus, published by Boom! Studios, debuted in 2015. Billed as a kind of “Santa Claus: Year One” story, Klaus brings Santa back to his roots in Viking and Siberian lore and turns him into a hero of the people.

The six-issue series pits Klaus and his pet wolf – yes, Santa has a pet wolf – against a tyrannical government abusing its people.

Jingle Belle

Paul Dini is best known for his work on the DC Animated Shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited, but he’s also the creator of Jingle Belle, Santa Claus’ teenage daughter.

Jingle Belle is a bit on the spoiled side and doesn’t appreciate living in her famous father’s shadow, or the attention Santa spends on all of the other children of the world. Jingle Belle’s comedic adventures, which were just collected by IDW Publishing as the Jingle Belle: The Whole Package ominbus, usually involved Jingle Belle acting in rebellion against her family’s traditions.

Dini described Jingle Belle to ComicBook.com as “my annual Christmas card to the world, and to readers who like Jingle Belle and that sort of humor. I really enjoy doing it and I love the characters and I love that I have this little universe, which is sort of somewhere between the Archie Universe and the Harvey Universe, grown up.”

Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special

Lobo is DC Comics’ “main man,” and a nearly unkillable bounty hunter who scours the universe for targets. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get in on the Christmas cheer, right?

The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special was published by DC Comics in 1991 and was written by Keith Giffen and Alan Grant and features art by Simon Bisley.

The story is a unique one, even by Lobo’s standard. The short of it is that the Easter Bunny – yes, that Easter Bunny – hires Lobo to kill Santa Claus.

That’s not all. In an unexpected twist, Lobo discovers that Santa Claus isn’t what he or anybody else expect. Instead, he is Kris “Crusher” Kringle, a merciless boss who pushes his elves to the brink, is armed to the teeth, and has a gorilla named Kong as a right-hand man.

Gwenpool Holiday Special: Merry Mix-Up

Gwenpool Holiday Special: Merry Mix-Up is the second holiday-themed issue for Gwenpool, in what seems to be a new Marvel holiday tradition.

Gwenpool is a recent addition to the Marvel Universe, literally. She was apparently a person from “the real world” who got sucked into the Marvel Universe. Naturally she did what anyone would do and started working as a mercenary.

This year’s special, which released just two weeks ago, is an anthology featuring Gwenpool and other Marvel Comics characters in a world where something is just a bit off, and Santa Claus isn’t the lovable mascot of Christmas. Instead, it’s Galactus!