CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023 #1, by Image Comics on 12/6/23, presents two tales of Holiday terror to warm your black heart on a chilly night. A group of bullying cousins trying to spoil a little girl’s Christmas cheer make up a monster that runs out to be all too real. And a couple of porch package thieves get a taste of their own medicine.
The Details
- Written by: Daniel Kraus, James Asmus
- Art by: Jonathan Wayshak, Letizia Cadonici
- Colors by: Adriano Lucas, Francesco Segala
- Letters by: Pat Brosseau
- Cover art by: Guillem March (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: December 6, 2023
Is CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023 #1 Good?
CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023 #1 delivers two great Holiday-themed tales of horror, rich with bad people getting just what they deserved from the darker side of Christmas. Of the two shorts in this anthology, Daniel Kraus’s tale of bullies trying to scare a little girl on Christmas is the strongest, with an art style and premise that suits the Creepshow brand to a tee.
James Asmus’s story about thieves getting what they deserved for robbing Christmas joy from others is also a strong offering, but the art from Cadonici is weak and lacking in detail.
In all, the Creepshow entries in Volume 2 are entertaining and fit the Creepshow aesthetic with more hits than misses.
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What’s CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023 #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all our anthology reviews, we’ll describe each short in brief and what did or didn’t work.
Christmas Man
Young Esme looks forward to Santa’s annual visit, but her antagonistic cousins bully and berate her over her childish ways. One cousin, Mike, goes so far as to recount the legend of the Christmas Man – a vicious monster with a bloodthirsty desire to kill Santa, and the toeless beast relies on the warmth of Christmas stockings to help him in his annual chase of Santa’s slay. But watch out! If you forget to put out stockings, the Christmas Man won’t be happy.
Daniel Kraus’s tale of a made-up taunt that turns out to be real is the kind of wicked yarn Creepshow was made for. Kraus creates a perfect group of bullies begging to get their comeuppance, and Wayshak’s art nails the outlandish tone of the story.
Package Thieves
Joy and Holly make easy money during the Holiday Season by stealing porch packages and reselling the contents for fast cash. When Holly keeps finding packages with body parts inside, Joy believes the two are simply the target of pranksters intent on scaring them off from their “victimless crimes.” Unfortunately, the prankster turns into something far worse.
Heartless thieves at Christmas time getting what they deserve is a can’t-miss scenario. James Asmus delivers a killer premise and peppers in plenty of callousness by Joy and Holly to make their fate satisfying. That said, Cadonici’s low-fidelity art looks unfinished and rushed in spots.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023 #1 delivers two short stories about bad people doing bad things and getting what they deserve, Christmas style. Both shorts have creepy premises that conclude with a satisfying ending, and the art teams’ offerings are mostly good.
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