On December 4th, Mikey Way, Jonathan Rivera, and Piotr Kowalski’s new feel-good Christmas comic series, Christmas 365, launches in comic shops, so we sat down with the team to learn more about the inspiration behind the series, their favorite Christmas traditions, memories, songs, and more! And if you like what you read, don’t forget to pick up Christmas 365 #1 from your your local comic shop!
1. Where did the idea for Christmas 365 come from?
Mikey: I’ve always wanted to tell a Christmas story. Something that celebrated my love for the season and the mythology of it all. There was one December, I sat and watched some of the immortal classic Christmas movies. While watching, I started trying to figure out what story hasn’t been told yet. I felt like they’ve pretty much covered everything you can think of with the holiday subject matter. Then the idea just hit me… What if Christmas didn’t have to end?
2. Christmas 365 has been described as a “bizarre feel-good” and satirical story. Were there any movies or comics that inspired those tone of this story?
Jonathan: I was definitely inspired by oddball suburban comedies like Better Off Dead and The ‘Burbs. I also love a movie called The Great Outdoors with John Candy and Dan Akyroyd. So those definitely played a part in our inspiration while telling the 365 story.
Mikey: We wanted to tell a story that was a bit of Savage Steve Holland mixed with some John Hughes.
3. In the series, Peter and his family celebrate Christmas every month and create their own crossovers between Christmas and other holidays. What was your favorite holiday to Christmas-ify?
Jonathan: It was Memorial Day for me. That was a true challenge.
Mikey: I think the summer months were pretty challenging, as well as Halloween Christmas. That last idea has kind of been done so much at this point, it was a fun exercise to make it unique and different from what is already out there.
4. What was the most challenging part of creating this series?
Jonathan: Time! There’s definitely a challenge to creating a story that takes place over the course of a year, but that’s part of the fun as well.
Mikey: A big challenge for me was giving each character their own little moments to shine. There were a lot of interesting aspects to each of them and we wanted to be able to maximize that given natural story restraints.
5. By celebrating Christmas every month, Peter hopes to bring his family together and make some happy memories. What’s your favorite Christmas memory?
Jonathan: As a kid, it was the presents. But these days my favorite memories are of the time my family spent together during the holidays. Except for any time I had to get dressed up.
Mikey: My favorite early Christmas memories were me and my brother trying to stay up late to catch a glimpse of Santa Clause. Nowadays, it’s all about sharing the holiday with my two little girls and my beautiful family. It’s the perfect time to celebrate our bonds together and creating traditions with them that stand out when they look back years from now.
And some rapid fire questions:
1. What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?
Jonathan: Christmas lights!
Mikey: Buying people gifts and watching them open them.
2. What’s your favorite Christmas movie?
Jonathan: It has to be a double feature of A Christmas Story and Scrooged. There must be balance.
Mikey: A Christmas Story
3. What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?
Jonathan: Gingerbread Men
Mikey: Italian Christmas Cookies
4. What’s your favorite Christmas song?
Jonathan: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love. Although I highly recommend Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End) by The Darkness.
Mikey: Last Christmas by Wham!
