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Released by: Image Comics
Released on: May 14, 2014
The final issue! Mos Gerila has forced Old Man Winter to unleash a global freeze, having first secured Krampus' allegiance to his cause against their mutual oppressors, the Society of Santa Clauses. Gerila managed to do so by removing the Naughty Bomb that that group had strapped to Krampus' chest, to get him to do their bidding.
[SPOILERS ABOUND IN THIS REVIEW!]
However, now that his plan is underway, Gerila reveals that he wants revenge on the whole world that turned its back on him, not just the Santas. The extent of his plan is unknown but he does communicate with someone more powerful through a snow globe about it all, with Gerila demanding to get the powers he was promised. But the voice on the other end wants to wait until their victory is complete, much to Gerila's chagrin.
Krampus, though, is smart enough to realize that Gerila's plan will clearly involve his own subjugation and that just ain't gonna happen. He punches Gerila, takes the skull of St. Nicholas and goes to take his leave. But he's prevented by the Sugar Plum Fairies that Gerila has summoned in astonishing numbers.
Meanwhile, back at the North Pole, Krampus' loyal steed, Stutgaard, has returned to the Santas and they're quickly able to tell that, rather than signaling Krampus' demise, this is a signal that he needs their help in defeating Gerila. Back at Gerila's base of operations, he knocks down Krampus with the staff of Belsnickel, allowing the fairies to overpower him, with one moving in with a massive knife to skin him alive.
Thankfully for Krampus - and due, mostly, to his pop-singing horse, Mari Lwyd - he's saved at the last moment by the gun-toting Doc Holliday who's had a change of heart. But Gerila's forces are too massive and it appears they're going to lose the battle so Krampus does what he really, really doesn't want to - he uses that skull to restore the Santas' powers. Now, Gerila has a tattoo on his arm that shields him and his location from the Santas' omniscience. This time around, though, led by Stutgaard, the Santas have found him by “going down zee biggest chimney of zem all.â€
The Santas have formidable combat abilities, apparently, and also release their own elves to the fight and, soon, the tables are turned. But Gerila makes his escape on his own flying sleigh. He appeals to the power behind the snow globe who give no answer. Krampus gives chase and they fight in the sky, with Gerila saying he'll never be taken alive. That, though, is Krampus' plan, who straps the Naughty Bomb to him and tears off the arm with the protective tattoo, sealing Gerila's fate once and for all.
Krampus also manages to return the skull while making his own escape, earning a pass from the Santas as they're thankful for his help. Krampus, a little bit later in Italy, explains what happened next, how he used Gerila's severed arm to get a perfect replica tattoo of his own, to shield him from the Santas' power. This leaves Krampus free to return to meting out punishment for the naughty as indeed he's telling all this to a particularly naughty boy while holding him above a river that he proceeds to drop him into. But he can't help but wonder what, truly, was the extent of Gerila's plan? And, so, in denouement, the authors set up another famous character who's apparently far more insidious than once suspected…
This has been one of the most surprisingly-entertaining series I've read in years. It's well-researched, thoroughly plumbing the rich depths of Christmas-lore and throwing in some extra items nicely and with great humor (Doc Holliday, for example, getting brought in by a cosmic mixup due to his last name). Brian Joines really deserves a great deal of credit for creating something fresh and original out of a story so very, very old. Likewise, Dean Kotz' artwork is to be highly lauded as well, bringing to life these ancient folk characters in a new and dynamic fashion. HIGHLY recommended picking this whole series up, either as individual issues or in the TPB whenever that's released.
