Scrooge and Santa
Written by Matthew Wilson
Pencils & Inks by Josh Kenfield
Colors by Dan Smith & Josh Kenfield
Letters by Jehoaddan Strain & Josh Kenfield
Cover by Josh Kenfield
Arcana Studios
Release Date: January 1, 2011
Cover Price: $14.95

Scrooge and Santa is a delightful Christmas comic book that does everything that it sets out to do. It has charm, humor, and heart. Sometimes the story is a little bit confusing and lacking, but all in all, it’s a great Christmas read.

Matthew Wilson spins a Christmas yarn that is truly timeless. He updates the classic story, A Christmas Carol, but not in the usual way. Yes, there are all the elements of the Charles Dickens classic in there, but he also throws in some very unexpected and out place twists and turns. And, I’m happy to say, they turn out fantastic.

First off, in addition to the basic plot points of A Christmas Carol, Wilson brings Santa Claus into the mix. Interesting, and you’re not quite sure where it’s going at first, but once things start to move along, he’s a nice fit. Well, nice for us, but not so nice for Santa! The whole time I was reading this, I was thinking of the Bill Murray Christmas movie, Scrooged, but not in a bad way. There’s elements of that film in here as well. All in all, Wilson did something VERY unexpected, he turned out a very original take of a Christmas classic that’s been told over a million times.

At its core, this is a children’s book. And Josh Kenfield is the best person to illustrate it. He’s got a very cartoon like style, which fits great with both the Christmas and all ages themes. His work reminds me of an illustrated child’s book, in comic book form. Everything has nice, big, bold lines, and everything is drawn in a simplistic but detailed fashion. All around, some great art for the younger readers.

I gotta give high marks to this graphic novel. It’s a nice Christmas story that you’ll enjoying reading every year. You can read it, your kids can read it, or better yet, you can read it together.