‘The Santa Clauses’ (warmly) critiques the flaws in a popular Christmas franchise
The Santa Clauses are back! Well, kind of. Last year’s Christmas issue was our first look inside of Santa Claus, and it was a very good look at the titular “man in a red suit.” This year’s issue is about to hit stores on December 20, and it opens with two stories, the “Starlit” and the “Merry Christmas,” featuring a rather frosty Santa Claus and a rather icy Mrs. Claus.
“The main character is a nice, jovial man who has a great love for children, but he has one flaw that his wife and friends have begun to notice,” the editor in chief of the Santa Claus comic books, Scott Allie, tells me of this year’s storyline. “It’s that he is kind of a control freak and a perfectionist. He can’t stand someone screwing up a present. He’s not a big fan of his wife trying to spend time with other people.”
Santa Claus #1, which hits stores today, serves as the lead story of the issue. It starts with a story line that will have you on the edge of your seat as you watch this Christmas classic grow from a comic book into a television show. And, boy do I have to admit, this was a fun story about the power of family.
The Starlit storyline follows the origins of the “starlight star,” which plays a vital role in the holiday ritual of lighting the Christmas tree. A young girl named Clara discovers she can use the Christmas star to travel to the star on the other side of the world.
It also stars the very real Christmas star, known as the “Merry Christmas star,” the official Christmas tree of the United States, which is not actually a tree. I wonder, though, how many times this star has been lit since it was first given out in 1892? The Merry Christmas star also doubles as a torch-lit Christmas tree, so it is no wonder the story is so beloved.
Meanwhile, two Christmas trees are battling through a snowstorm, but a