Publisher: Action Lab
Writer: Rob Harrington
Artist: Axur Eneas
Colourist: Alessandro Alessi
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99

Know what really bugs me about this time of year? As soon as we hit September all the shops are crammed with Christmas baubles, advent calendars, Christmas cards and boxes of Christmas mince pies that have to be eaten by the end of October! Now it seems that this Yuletide infestation has even reached the comic book industry.  Boom Studio’s has Grant Morrison’s Klaus and now Action Lab is jumping on the sleigh with Sleigher The Heavy Metal Santa Claus #3.

The idea of an alternative Santa or an anti-Santa isn’t new. Billy Bob Thornton made a pretty good movie about it some years back in Bad Santa. Sleigher #3 gives us a version that’s more hard core than that movie and puts forward the theory Santa is a role passed on from father to son, except Sleigher didn’t get on with his dad and carved out a niche for himself as a rock musician.

However, his father gave up the role, so Sleigher was hauled back against his will to take over the family business. Turning the familiar legend of Santa on its head, we meet the evil troll wizard Leppaluoi (the real anti-Santa in Sleigher #3) who wants to devour the souls of all the world’s children. Only Sleigher, the real Santa can stop him but Leppaluoi has trapped him in his own sack! Sleigher’s struggle to escape the sack and get back into the fight against evil takes up the whole of Sleigher #3 and sets us up for a colossal Christmas confrontation next issue.

Whether you think Sleigher #3 is a Christmas cracker or a Bah Humbug! depends on your tolerance for all things tinselly, but it’s skilfully done and artistically sound, I just don’t know if I want to read it all year round.

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker