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“Wraith – Welcome to Christmasland” #1

By | December 25th, 2020
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

We are taking a few days off from publishing new content for the holidays, so enjoy some of our favorite Christmas-themed writing over the past 11 years! Merry Christmas to all!

Have a holly, jolly Christmas
It’s the best time of the year
I don’t know if there’ll be snow
but Charlie Manx is here
Have a holly, jolly Christmas
And when you walk down the street
Look for Mr. Manx’s Wraith
And you’ll be in for a treat

Written by Joe Hill
Illustrated by CP Wilson III

Joe Hill’s New York Times Bestselling novel, NOS4A2, introduced readers to the terrifying funhouse world of Christmasland, and the mad man who rules there: Charlie Talent Manx III. Now, in an original new comic miniseries, Hill throws wide the candy cane gates to tell a standalone story that is at once both accessible to new readers, and sure to delight fans of the book.

While we never reviewed it on the site (though I wanted to, I’m just a terribly slow reader and missed the relevant window), “NOS4A2” is easily one of the best horror novels of the year, if not the best. A rather grand adventure following the life of Victoria “Vic” McQueen from her childhood through her adulthood as her life intertwines with Charlie Manx, the owner of a black Wraith with the license plate NOS4A2, the book is both a mix of classic horror sensibilities and modern-day narrative tropes. The book itself reads like a perfect television mini-series, with Hill’s voice sounding through and truly delivering some haunting visuals through the prose. It’s a tense read, one that stays with you and is sure to ruin Christmas for everyone.

So to continue the story by showing us what happened before the events of the novel is an interesting proposition. Prequels are often double-edged swords; they can both enrich the original material (see: the Dunk and Egg stories by George RR Martin) or they can make you want to wash your brain out with soap (see: the Star Wars prequel trilogy). But with this being based on a short story that Hill wrote in conjunction with “NOS4A2”, available in a special edition of the novel through Subterranean Press, it seems pretty reasonable to believe that “Wraith” is more of a conceptual exploration of a particular brand of evil rather than anything disingenuous.

And so it is: “Wraith – Welcome to Christmasland” #1 features Joe Hill and Charles Paul Wilson III at some of their unbridled best, both being allowed to play to their strengths in a dark and engrossing read that is just as captivating as the original novel was. The issue itself is largely just a prequel, both to the novel and what I presume is the rest of the series; “Wraith” in its entirety when announced appeared to be the 5-part origin of Charlie Manx and his car, but the first issue takes care of that and more in one single outing. Everything you need to know about the character and the concept of what he and his Wraith embody are all present in one issue, a 20+ page exploration of what turns someone from an idealistic child into a walking nightmare.

The notion of inscapes is also explored in an exciting way, as now we have a visual to go along with “NOS4A2’s” text. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to the novel, which had a very specific way of illustrating its point (pun intended). And while it’s not explored too far in depth, assumedly to hold back for later issues or to entice readers to pick up the novel, it’s just enough to familiarize readers with the other key element to Manx’s evolution.

The book’s effort to give you everything you need to know in one go becomes both its greatest strength and its biggest burden. On the one hand, “Wraith” is an amazing introduction to the world of “NOS4A2.” Having read the novel myself, it was great to see that every aspect of Manx that I would’ve hoped to see addressed were addressed in one single story, meaning that this can be handed to anyone with a love of horror to be adored. Manx’s backstory was touched upon to an extent in the novel, but it was always more about Vic than Manx; as he never took the narrative center, we can only perceive him as other characters do, and “Wraith” #1 is very much staring into the abyss and having it stare back at you.

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On the other hand, “Wraith” #1 suffers from the one thing that hurt “Locke & Key: Alpha” #1, in that there is a general abundance of over-explanation here. It’s more noticeable towards the end where Hill backs off from the narration and allows Wilson to take the reigns with some visual cues to drive the dark story to its conclusion (pun again intended), but this just makes the opening’s penchant for verbosity all the more apparent. There’s always an odd balance to be struck in the give-and-take there, because with this issue packing a lot into a single outing obviously there are concepts and elements that need to be displayed to the reader. If “Wraith” in its entirety was the origin of Manx it’d be different, but seeing as this issue is very much a primer a concession has to be made — it’s just a matter of that concession at times leaning too far into “infodump” territory.

But then again, that does seem to be a part of what makes Manx tick. What makes Manx an interesting villain is that in his own mind he’s actually the hero of his story; there’s no doubt in the pages of “NOS4A2” who is the antagonist, even during a few less-demonic moments where you might believe he’s redeemable, but it’s never in doubt what his intentions are and they’re horrible. “Wraith” allows the line to be blurred just enough; you won’t come away rooting for Manx (I’d be shocked if you did), but you’ll at least see the world in the same distorted static-y way that he does, and a big part of that is Manx’s love of his own voice built off of a childhood and early adulthood of being shut up and shut down. Manx is performing for the reader, who sits in the backseat of his car and transforms along the ride into a passenger of Manx’s design, someone who understands him and wants to live in his world — as horrible as that is.

Charles Paul Wilson III is the real star of the show, however. “NOS4A2” itself featured spot illustrations by long-time Hill collaborator Gabriel Rodriguez (“Locke & Key”), and Wilson plays off his designs with a sense of abandon and glee that brings Manx to a next level of horrific. There was always a slender and composed elegance to Rodriguez’s illustrations, showing that Manx throughout all his faults was still put together, but Wilson delivers a crooked man apparently shaped by the horrors that live within him. There’s still enough in Charlie to be considered handsome or even charming, perhaps earnest or even misunderstood, but Wilson does not shy away from showing us what always was beneath the surface — and it’s horrible. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when an artist truly brings out the best in the character comprised by the worst in him, Wilson has given us the perfect example.

For every time a horror movie has featured a crescendo of string instruments to tease oncoming terror, Wilson delivers the same feeling of unease and impending doom in the soundless artwork. Wilson brings a decidedly dark world to life in the issue, illustrating a forgotten time when roads were made of dirt and snow falling was still mysterious and beautiful. With colors by Jay Fotos, Wilson is given a tremendous forum in which to showcase his art in a way that’s different from “Stuff of Legend”, boasting his talent for mood and setting in a new fashion. It’s clear that Wilson is taking a lot of nods from classic horror in the same way “NOS4A2” did, both in terms of visuals and the pacing, and whether he’s drawing slightly static images against a grid or simply bringing to life the unreal talents of Manx, Wilson nails the grit and grime usually present only in the gutters of the book.

Wilson also manages to pack the book with tiny little nods and easter eggs to the book, one in particular that has a direct and changing effect on the former narrative for the better. Hill is clearly writing to Wilson’s strengths, and it’ll be wonderful to see if further issues do indeed allow Wilson to get even more twisted than he is with just this one issue.

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And while it’s not particularly relevant to a critical review of the comic itself, I will note: when all is said and done, I do think doing a “NOS4A2”-related comic as opposed to an adaptation is pretty brilliant. Fans of the book have a road to comics, fans of comics have a road to books, and those that are fans of both mediums get to celebrate wildly and endlessly. Hill has said before that he identifies as not just a prose writer but as a comic writer moonlighting (if I remember the quote correctly), and “Wraith” effectively proves that in a wonderful way. That he managed to get Wilson along for the ride only makes the journey that much better.

“Wraith – Welcome to Christmasland” #1 reads like a one-shot, and it’s tough not to see that as the design. But that’s not in any way a bad thing; what we’re given here is a perfect entry point for readers new and old, one that sets the stage for whatever is to come. Despite originally billed as a 5-issue book, “Wraith” has been bumped up to a seven-issue mini-series, leaving plenty of time for you to join Charlie on his ride to the happiest place on Earth. And what a ride it seems to be! Fans of Hill’s comic and novel work will find something delightful here, and seeing Wilson break-out and past the work that had previously defined him is incredible, cementing Wilson as one of the most talented and underrated artists around.

“Wraith” is only just getting started; where it goes from here will certainly be a sight to see, and something impossible to miss.

Final Verdict: 8.5 – This isn’t your average throwaway Villain’s Month tie-in. This is true horror.

As an added note, it will be interesting to see if the connection to “Locke & Key” returns within the pages of “Wraith” at all given the medium of delivery, as fans of “NOS4A2” certainly must have noticed that the book introduced a definitive link between all of Hill’s fiction, “Horns” and “Heart Shaped Box” included.

Those of you who have not read any of the novels will just have to go pick up the books to find out what that is, though.


Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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