EXCLUSIVE! DC EXPANDS “EARTH ONE” GRAPHIC NOVEL LINE!

Earlier this year, DC Comics revolutionized comic books with J. Michael Straczynski’s Superman: Earth One. The first in a series of graphic novels broke sales records and launched DC’s innovative Earth One line. Now, DC Comics is expanding on that line just in time for the holiday season with their newest title: Santa: Earth One.

Over the years, Santa Claus has evolved from a 4th century Greek Bishop to one of the most revered figures in popular culture.

“You can’t deny the eternal appeal of a character like Santa Claus, but I think the modern audience has trouble relating to him sometimes. I think its long past time that we boil him down to his essence and get back to what really makes the character work.”

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Santa: Earth One promises to reexamine Santa Claus and reinterpret him for a modern audience.

“I feel one of my biggest gifts is my ability to analyze and reexamine whatever art form I’m working in.” said Straczynski. “I mean look at my record! I totally reinvented Thor by putting Asgard in Oklahoma, I gave people a Superman they never saw before by making him not smile, and let’s not forget how I redefined the Fantastic Four by having them argue with each other. So with Santa Claus, we need to really take a look at the character and ask what makes him work. We have to ask why. Why does he need to deliver these gifts? That’s what I’m interested in. What makes him tick and what does he look like in a hoodie?”

“This is going to be huge.” Said DC Co Publisher Chief Dan Didio. “No one has ever seen a Santa Claus story like this before. We’re really stripping everything away from him but the core of what makes him work.”

“We’ve taken away his beard, his reindeer, and made him a young man just starting off in life,” Straczynski added. “He has the ability to deliver gifts to every boy and girl, but is that really what he wants to do with his life? What if he wants to be an Olympic sprinter or a race car driver? I think that’s a side of Santa we haven’t seen before. And don’t forget, he knows if you’ve been naughty or nice. I’m interested in seeing what that does to his mind and what kind of sulking Christ imagery I can wring out of it.”

“Joe redefined Superman for a modern audience,” said DC Co Publisher Jim Lee. “And I know he can do the same with Santa Claus. Our readers will really enjoy reading about this new young, hip Santa in a red hoodie, who looks like he could be friends with any of our readers.”

Santa: Earth One will be available in all major bookstores in time for Christmas.