This is the last of the Christmas themed books that arrived on my desk early last winter. I didn’t have room to include them all in the columns leading up to Christmas, but this one is too nice to miss.
There are, of course, several different Christmases competing for our attention now, and this story is from the one that deals with magic and Santa Claus. Thompson seems to be telling us that it is only the special magic of the season which allows impossible sacks to hold all those toys, enables reindeer to fly, and turns Santa’s blue winter gear a slight shade of red as they all pick up speed on that special night.
The story is about the gathering of the magic, the anticipation of the ride, the joy of giving and how it changes things.
Jon J. Muth’s art has come a long long way since I first encountered him illustrating a Wolverine mini-series back in 1990. This is lovely stuff and deserves the oversize format in which the book was produced.