Story by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Dave Franchini Company Holiday Party Written by Dave Franchini Art by Ario Murti and Jorge Cortes Elf on the Shelf Written by Erica J. Heflin Art by Butch Mapa and Ceci de la CruzA Tale of Two Christmas Eves Written by Ben Meares Art by Marcelo Mueller and Fran Gamboa Santa Hotline Written by Terry Kavanagh Art by Moy R and Leonardo Paciarotti

The holidays are here and the gift-giving season fast approaches. Loved ones gather together to show their appreciation through either a warm embrace or a shiny wrapped present.This year Zenescope and the team behind Grimm Fairy Tales have delivered a gift of their own.The cover is beautiful, the pages therein are promising, and best of all it’s addressed to everyfan of the horror genre. The 2018 Holiday Special is an anthology from a quartet of creative teams and their combined efforts have ensured that somewhere inside this great red bag is a story tailor-made for whoever might be reading.

The anthology opens with the Company Holiday Party, which serves as the bridging narrative for the remainder of the stories. It’s the color-themed wrapping paper that connects each gift. In Company, a group of snide business-types are visited by a hired Santa who sits among them and begins to recount his horrific tales of Yuletide terror. He’s the red suited Creep And the mysterious storyteller. Ario Murti and Jorge Cortes combine and create a series of detailed visuals which remain aesthetically pleasing even if the backdrop is limited to the range of an office party. Dave Franchini compliments the art nicely by presenting realistic and engaging dialogue which encourages readers to continue through the stories. As with most anthologies however, Company struggles as the overlapping narrative in its lack of resolution or importance. The pages could have been better served telling a complete story of their own instead of acting as the transition between others.

Elf on the Shelf is the first tale recounted by the peculiar Santa. It grabs the reader’s attention from the very first page and maintains a sense of anticipation throughout. Butch Mapaand Ceci de la Cruz deliver solid environments with plenty of contrast and color, even if they misstep with the occasional botched expression. Erica Heflin’s dialogue also begins a little heavy-handed but thankfully soon settles down and even lends itself to the haunting story of a child and his toy. At its very best, Elf on the Shelf captures the same tension of Child’s Play.Those moments are few in number but they are worth noting. The story struggles with pacingand crams a lot of information that would most likely be assumed by the reader even without the written aid. Fortunately an eerie conclusion soon redeems those mistakes and makes Elf on the Shelf a worthy entry.

After another quick visit with the office party Santa, A Tale of Two Christmas Eve Begins and the 2018 Holiday Special transitions from acceptable to exciting. The Grimm gifts seem to be arranged in escalating quality as most of the previous stories’ issues soon dissipate.Ben Meares writes the tragic tale of two families living a decade apart and weaves a nearly seamless narrative that winds through their years. Marcelo Mueller and Fran Gamboa use colors and shadows to thrust beauty unto every panel. There are even times where Meares Exposition, although fun and well-crafted, takes up a little too much space in Mueller and Gamboa’s scenes. No matter how intensely the creators competed for space on the panels, the story wraps up very well and delivers a heavy dose of violent satisfaction.

That momentum is continued and then elevated as Santa Hotline begins. It’s the last story in the collection and it is by far the best. This is the biggest and brightest present beneath the horror fan’s holiday hedge. Moy R and Leonardo Paciarotti were meant to work together.Each clean line and vivid dose of color brings the panels to life. Expressions are defined,textures are distinct and characters appear both unique and purposeful. Similarly, Terry Kavanagh delivers the most consistent and engaging narrative of the anthology. The story is disarming, discomforting and distinct in the very best of ways. While expectedly short, space is used to its maximum efficiency and the pacing of the story thrives as a result. The characters and moments born in this piece would be at home in a series of their very own.

Santa returns once more and ends the Holiday Special. While his own story is never fulfilled, he proves a memorable image and closes the collection on a powerful note. As with any gift-giving occasion, this offering from Zenescope is filled with equal parts highs and lows. After Unwrapping it all, that Special Edition Blu Ray is set right next to the ugly pair of pajamas that will never quite fit right. It’s the experience and the effort that makes the unwrapping a special event. Zenescope offers readers both in this anthology. The teams involved clearly poured their love into the workshop this year. While clearly not meant for every comic reader, the Grimm Fairy Tales: 2018 Holiday Special is a nice gift that will satisfy the naughty fans of the horror genre.

Final Score: 7/10.