Looks like Christmas has come early this year, as Oni Press will release Yuletide — a new family adventure comic set at, when else, holiday time, this October. Coming from writer George Northy and artist Rachele Aragno, the series has already been picked up for development as a feature film by Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment. But don’t worry, the comic literally and figuratively comes first.
“It’s exciting for sure!” Northy told Comic Book Club over email. “Especially because TV and film is where I primarily work, though before I started working in screenwriting, my original goal was to become a comic book creator. So it kind of feels like I’ve come full circle with this debut book. We are currently trying to focus on making this book the best it can be, regardless of any adaptations down the road.”
Taking place in the town of Christmas, Pennsylvania, the series follows three teenagers interested in the dark side of the holiday who decide to investigate an abandoned wing of the local Christmas museum. Unfortunately for them, and maybe the world, they end up releasing a bunch of “yuletide horrors” int he process.
To find out more about the comic, the inspiration for the book, and the personal holiday nightmares of Northy and Aragno, read on.
Comic Book Club: We’ll get to the book in a second, but the first most folks heard of this was the announcement that it’s been picked up for movie development… Does that happening before the book’s release give you a sense of relief — hey, it’s a success! — or does that put the pressure on even higher?
George Northy: It’s exciting for sure! Especially because TV and film is where I primarily work, though before I started working in screenwriting, my original goal was to become a comic book creator. So it kind of feels like I’ve come full circle with this debut book. We are currently trying to focus on making this book the best it can be, regardless of any adaptations down the road.
Rachele Aragno: That was truly amazing news! It’s one of those things that leaves you speechless for a while, and you struggle to understand if it’s true. I felt very proud of the work we’ve done and are doing. There’s still the pressure of knowing if our books will be liked and how much, but knowing that someone so prestigious believed in our story fills you with pride.
It seems like there were a number of influences here, from old yuletide lore to Buffy the Vampire Slayer… What went into making sure that Yuletide was its own beast?
Northy: I’m one of those annoying people who will say no story is truly original. We are all just retelling the same Greek myths and classic folktales over and over again. I think the key to making something ‘original’ is to take inspiration from not one or two, but 20 or 30 sources. For this story, we were inspired by Buffy, Amblin-style adventure films like The Goonies, Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas, Goosebumps and the darker 80s era Jim Henson films like Labyrinth, just to name a few. But of course, the real inspiration is the forgotten Yuletide folk monsters like Perchta, The Yule Cat and Mari Lwyd. I went to Iceland a few years ago and took a folklore tour around Reykjavik during the Holiday season, so that was also a big influence!
Aragno: Christmas is a magical time: fire, snow, presents, decorations. And it’s precisely this magic of feeling close and safe that sparks the desire, at least for me, to read or listen to creepy stories featuring monsters and magical creatures. Books, movies, and comics are full of this combination of holiday festivities and dark atmospheres. But here we go a step further, playing with folklore, which is always fascinating, regardless of nationality. That thrill of knowing Santa Claus is coming down the chimney while you’re sleeping, or the elves or even the reindeer themselves, makes us want to crawl into bed and dream.
Speaking of beasts, what can we expect from the book, creature-wise?
Northy: Perchta, the Witch-Queen of the Yuletide and the embodiment of Midwinter Darkness is our primary antagonist. In researching her, I learned that in some legends she was said to be the leader of ‘The Wild Hunt,’ a mythical assortment of ghosts and goblins that haunted the winter skies and this led me to the idea that all these dark midwinter monsters from different cultures could be connected by one figure. In YULETIDE, you’ll see our kid protagonists facing off against not just Perchta, but her entire Wild Hunt including the chaotic gnome-like Yule Lads, the gigantic Yule Cat, a horse-skull wraith named Mari Lwyd, the murderous scarecrow Hans Trapp and these creepy beak-faced, scissors-wielding henchwomen known as The Schnabelperchten.
Aragno: The book features all sorts of creatures, from evil little lads with a thousand weapons to a magnificent species of fierce and powerful witch, or horses made of skulls and rags. Monsters have captivated our imaginations for centuries, and depicting them without being too banal was quite a challenge.
Rachele, this takes place at wintertime, which means a lot of white space in the art (because, you know: snow and ice)… How does that impact your layouts and approach to the project?
Aragno: It was a lot of fun drawing snowy landscapes. Even if there’s a lot of white, it doesn’t mean it’s empty. You have to convey where you are, so snow-covered trees or rocks or valleys and hills. When there are elements like water and snow that tend to obscure things, you have to be even more careful and meticulous to avoid everything looking a bit neglected. You have to convey that you’re intentionally leaving white and give that white a meaning.
What is it about the holidays — and winter time — that inspires so much dread in people?
Aragno: It gets dark early, it often rains or snows, it’s cold, it’s windy. All factors that drive us to hide inside our warm homes. The atmosphere and the contrast between the lit-up houses and the snow outside have always piqued everyone’s imagination, leading us to believe that there are creatures of all kinds lurking outside our homes. Christmas is the perfect holiday, combining creepiness with the colors and beautiful things we find under the tree.
Northy: Plus, on top of all that seasonal cold and darkness, there’s the modern element to the Holidays where we all feel like we need to bury our own personal demons, put on a happy face and replace it with holiday cheer. Let’s be real, for some people, coming home for the holidays can be its own kind of metaphorical battle for survival. This story was meant to find a balance between the mythical darkness of the ancient Yuletide and a more modern, emotional darkness that can often come with the Holiday Season.
Time to get extremely personal: what’s the most horrific thing that’s happened to you in real life at holiday time?
RA: When I was little, my parents, thinking it would be nice, invited two of their friends to bring me presents from Santa Claus. I was shocked—not only were there two of them, they were also wearing wedding rings! I never wanted to see Santa Claus again!
Northy: Well…one Christmas I went with a bunch of friends to see the CATS CGI movie-musical? That was pretty nightmare inducing!
This is definitely putting the cart before the horse, but based on Gale Anne Hurd’s quote on picking this up and the expansive lore, is there more Yuletide to come?
RA: There’s no news yet, but you know, the comic book world always has something new to offer!
Northy: Stay tuned! We believe there are more stories to tell within this world. Whether that’s tackling even more Yuletide Spirits (where is Krampus, after all?) or uncovering the hidden creatures associated with an entirely different Holiday, the places we could go are endless!
Yuletide #1 hits stores on October 15, 2025 from Oni Press.
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