What happens when the magic of Christmas cozy clashes with a dark folk tale buried in pagan roots? This is a central issue of Yuletide, the new third issue of ONI Press, which was released in October this year, an extra-length comic series.
Yuletide is the brains of writer George Nordie (best known for his fascinating work due to the renewal of CW and ONI EC comics) and artist Rachele Aragno (Leonide the Vampyr). Here you will follow three teenagers on Christmas in Pennsylvania, stumbling over ancient artifacts and unleashing hordes of terrifying holiday monsters. I think Goonies will meet Goose Bump with the touch of Hocus Pocus.
Even before the first issue appeared on the shelves, Yuletide has already been featured for film adaptations, with no-de-scripting and production. But before Hollywood gets it, readers experience the story when they are first born. It’s an equal story of comic pages, heartfelt adventures, folk-driven horrors, and holiday magic.
I talked with Northee and the artist Alanho, how they created this balance, the monsters that inspired them, and why Yuletide is the perfect story to unravel this holiday season.
Provided by Oni Press.
The holiday quiz was (wonderfully) wrong
For Nodie, the Yuletide idea began in the most unlikely place. A Christmas trivia quiz he made for his in-laws, a visit from the UK. One round was called “The Forgotten Monster of Yuletide” and soon he realized he was stuck with Perchita’s figure. Sometimes portrayed as an evil Christmas witch, and in other narratives she is the descendant of a pagan goddess who led a wild hunt, a spectral procession of ghosts and demons across the winter sky.
“That’s the idea of using Perchta to connect all these different creatures to one adventure,” Northy said. What began as a family game quickly became a spark in a vast adventure story.
While it may be difficult to balance easy fun with real fear, Yuletide thrives on that tension. Naughty points to 1990s adventure films, like the aforementioned Goonies and Hocus Pocus. Aragno agreed, adding that they approached the series with the same mix of folklore, fantasy and youthful adventures.
“In the 90s, these types of films mix darkness with fantastic creatures. She further stated that the balance was the guidance spirit of their collaboration.
Provided by Oni Press.
Design a small town with big terror
Alanho’s art played an important role in setting the tone, and she first approached Yuletide by grounding the human character.
“We wanted a diverse and very attractive group of children,” Aranho said. “They are at the heart of the story and they must be attracted and loved.”
When our lead (Jake, Abe, Wynn) appeared on the page, Alanho turned his eyes to the monsters and inspired by artists and filmmakers such as Mike Mignora, Guillermo del Toro, Jim Henson, and Steven Spielberg. As a result, there is a world that feels comfortable and scary. There, sparkling Christmas lights cast shadows long enough for the monster to hide.
Thinking in manga and dreaming in movies
Northy comes from film and television, so his scripts naturally take on cinematic quality.
“Yuletide is divided into three issues that work in much the same way as the three-act structure of a film,” says Northy.
Alanho admitted that she felt the same pull during Yuletide’s development, visualizing the story of the movement the moment she read the script.
“It’s important to give them life, movement, actions. It gives them all the credibility,” Aranho said. The fact that Yuletide is already heading towards the big screen feels almost inevitable.
Three teenagers, three views of Christmas
Jake, Abe, and Wynn are effectively bound by curiosity and common charm with the dark side of Christmas. Jake is a skeptical and a miniature scrooge with his own reasons to doubt the holiday spirit. His best friend Abe offers counter points as a holiday outsider. He is Jewish and there is no harm in accepting cheers. Meanwhile, Wynn is someone who knows the origins of paganism and forgotten legends, and she becomes the gateway for the boys to the world of monsters and mythology.
“They are attracted to those who are forbidden and encourage them to push each other and do things they shouldn’t,” Aranho said. The charm and danger of that dynamic and equal parts only burns the story even further.
Provided by Oni Press.
Monsters as a seasonal phor
Yuletide rejoices in the fear that fuels folk tales, but Northey says that fear is also deeply personal.
“Really, it was about making sure each human character faces some sort of ‘devil’ or personal problem. And I took a list of Yuletide creatures and tried to understand how these demons lead to what is going on with each character,” Northy said.
Monsters are as phors as their antagonists, and are a rich embodiment of emotional struggles that tend to emerge during holidays.
Of all the creatures designed by Aranho, Perchita stands as her favorite.
“She’s strong, powerful, very cruel and ruthless,” Aranho said with a laugh. “I imagined her in my mind with her cloak and her knife – she was majestic.” Readers, and ultimately the film’s audience, can soon meet her in her horrifying glory.
Provided by Oni Press.
If you had to survive Christmas, Pennsylvania…
For fun, I asked both creators how they would survive a Pennsylvania Christmas night and survive when they were surrounded by the horrors of unleashed yuletide.
Naughty improvises a BL with fruit cake stuffed into stockings. Meanwhile, Aranho imagines a star-shaped wooden topper. It is a playful answer that cleverly emphasizes what makes Yuletide so appealing. It’s a book about fun and creativity like about fear.
A holiday story worth wrapping
In the heart of the Yuletide is a fast-paced, monster-filled runaway about three children trying to save the town. But it is also about growing up, facing fear and discovering that the holiday season (very similar to life itself) is just as much about darkness as light. With Aragno’s Gothic visual talent and Northy’s cinematic storytelling approach, the book promises a thrill and mind blend that feels both timeless and completely new.
