DC Comics has announced a new comic book series, Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns by Jeff Parker and Lukas Ketner, coming to local comic book shops this winter, publishing Wednesdays in the five weeks leading up to Christmas! But this is comics, so there’s always a twist when DC’s Santa Claus and Batman are involved!
“I was blown away at how well last year’s Silent Knight series was received, readers really responded to us going full tilt with Norse-mythos Santa in the DCU,” said Parker when asked for his thoughts about writing the holiday sequel. “We followed the old tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas (remember the line from ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’?). Then to be asked if I wanted to do another one AND have an extra issue? That was the Happy New Year.”
“The first Silent Knight series wasn’t quite what I expected, and I loved it for that,” said Ketner. “Jeff has an amazing ability to take an idea like a Batman & Santa team-up and play it straight with a great story, new DC lore, and a real threat. There’s humor of course, but it’s so much more effective when the stakes are real.”
In the five issues of Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns, horrors haunt the Christmas season as life-drained bodies litter the countryside, each marked with a strange symbol. The Justice League responds—but it’s a trap! The heroes are pulled from our world, but not before Batman helps Robin escape. Now Damian Wayne must seek out Zatanna and the one and only Santa Claus if there’s any hope of saving their friends and family.
Santa comes to the aid of the DCU heroes in the crossover-event sequel you wished for! And you must have been extra good because a wintry mix of DC’s wildest characters arrive this time to face a powerful foe…the Silent Knight!
“Once Lukas started on Silent Knight Returns our inboxes were blowing apart with visuals better than anyone imagined,” continued Parker. “The Bat Office started us good and early so we’ve had that rare planning time to really build out the story and craft an ominous and creepy villain. Cool monsters, exotic locales—you’ll love the smart details Lukas works in, it will reward multiple readings.”
“I come from a cartoony horror comics background,” added Ketner, “but when Jeff first brought up the possibility of a next installment of Silent Knight, I had a real ‘put me in, Coach!’ moment. The story leans into some great fantasy horror vibes, and I love that it could just as easily have been a DC Halloween series.”
“It’s still unclear to me whether Batman will be speed-skating in the story,” said Ketner when asked about his initial character designs. “I may have been heavy-handed with the Xmas flavor in my audition sketches; it was meant to show how interested I was in doing THIS story specifically. I loved the first series, and Jeff was dangling an Etrigan-shaped carrot.”
So, no Bat-Skates then? And did Ketner say ETRIGAN? You’ll have to wait until the end of the year to find out! All five issues of Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns by Jeff Parker, Lukas Ketner, Marcelo Maiolo and Pat Brosseau will publish Wednesdays between November 27 and December 25.
“We also get to welcome back maestro Michele Bandini who is drawing the scenes of the Justice League lost in The Hollow Kingdom of the Knight,” said Parker. “You’ll see many of the creatures he designed return so there’s another direct connection to the first series. You might want to reread that before Silent Knight Returns kicks off in November (visualize me doing the Superman wink here).”
“The team is amazing, and I’m thrilled to be alternating scenes with Michele Bandini,” said Ketner. “I loved his work in the first series, and I couldn’t wait to draw some of the monsters he introduced there. Sharing the page with Marcelo Maiolo’s colors and Patrick Brosseau’s lettering is humbling to say the least.”
Batman – Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns #1 will have a main cover by Bernard Chang and variant covers by Dan Mora, Kevin Wada, and Erica Henderson. Collectors can also kickstart the holidays with a special gift-wrapped (polybagged), evergreen-scented variant cover by Dan Hipp!
