Review: ‘Tis The Season For ‘Top Cow Holiday Special’ One-Shot

With the holidays upon us, several publishers are trying to capitalize on the season with their Christmas special one-shots. Image Comics jumps on that bandwagon this week with Top Cow Holiday Special, a one-off collection of three themed stories from some well-known creators.

First up is The Befana, written by Marguerite Bennett and illustrated by Guiseppe Cafaro. The short tale is a flashback story giving us a brief look at one Christmas from Sara’s past involving her grandmother who was believed to be a Befana or an Italian Christmas witch.

Pulling off a compelling story in a handful of pages is no easy task. But the creative team still manages to take its time and relay exactly the feelings that it wants. Cafaro’s artwork is particularly strong, evoking both the magic of the season as well as keeping the established Witchblade feel.

Writer Marc Silvestri and artist Tina Valentino get into the spirit of the season – sort of – with Twas the Night Before Darkness. Think of it as the Darklings’ version of the classic Clement Moore poem, complete with profanity, reindeer defecation, and a pistol-packing St. Nick. In other words, it’s a delightful story that is cleverly written and well illustrated.

The final story, Twelve Days… features Aphrodite IX and is the weakest of the lot. It’s not a bad idea – the heroine has to navigate through The Twelve Days of Christmas song – but there isn’t enough real estate to tell a compelling tale. Instead, writer Matt Hawkins can do little more than pay lip service to the eight maids a-milking and six geese a-laying. Fortunately, Atilio Rojo makes good use of the sparse pages provided with some quality artwork.

Self-editing is a necessity for any creator – and that challenge is evident in this collection. It can be difficult at times, but ultimately these writers and artists are able to pull it off, just in time for the holidays.

Top Cow Holiday Special One-Shot is available now.