Written by: Axur Eneas
Illustrated by: Rob Harrington and Adam Horrigan
Colored by: Alessandro Alessi
Lettered by: Chas! Pangburn
Published by: Action Lab Comics
Reviewed by: Kristian Horn
If Heavy Metal music is your game, you’re into motorcycles, and you love Christmas…then you’re sure to love the latest comic by Action Lab Comics called Sleigher.
Heck, even if you don’t love all those things you’re bound to enjoy this comic.
Imagine a Santa Claus that’s into Motorhead, rides a flying hog, and combats creepy denizens of the Catholic Church determined to prey on the innocence of young choir boys and you’ve got the idea behind this amusing and very unorthodox take on Saint Nick. Sleigher is not your usual tale of Christmas cheer. The team behind this comic have created a completely brand new take on the jolly ‘ol gift giver. In this book he’s leather clad ass kicker and it’s not a Santa that you’d be likely to recognize anytime soon. He may not be not sliding down the chimney with an armful of presents but he may make you smile as much as the original man in red, albeit in a different way.
Writers craft a fun and action filled tale of a Santa with a taste for justice. It’s a riotous take on the corporate symbol of Christmas that appears to owe a bit of its origins to Robert Kirkman’s Battle Pope. But instead of the Pope getting involved in all kinds of un-PC shenanigans in this book it’s Santa Claus. Sleigher is equal to Battle Pope in its ability to take its canonical religious figurehead and have a blast with twisting it on its ear. This is a comic book that is funny in all the right ways and plays with the conventional Claus in a way that will make readers smile if not laugh out loud.
The art is perfectly suited for the book. The team of artists working on this book have a cartoony and flexible style that brings out the humor in the story. The design of this Claus is hysterical as are many other character elements of the book. The art team of Sleigher have created an artistic method that is cartoony but in some way manages to capture the crafty nature of holiday season artwork. It seems to me that there was some added detail added to the cartoonish nature of the art that brought about the feel of old school holiday charm. The look of the book is original but at the same time it employs a style that makes you remember that the central character is, in fact, supposed to be a product of the Christmas season.
Whether you enjoy Christmas or not, whether you’re ready for Christmas or not, Sleigher is a comic that will appeal to you. It’s a fun alternate take on the one figurehead that everyone takes for granted every December. It’s good enough and yet naughty enough to possibly get the creators some coal in their stocking. If you pick it up you’ll be more than happy that you’ve read it even if it ends up putting you on the naughty list this year.
