When I first heard James Tynion IV was writing a holiday horror story I immediately knew it was going to be up my alley. Add in the fact that Joshua Hixson, one of my favorite artists current comic book artists, would be on joining him with Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou providing lettering, it sounded like an all-star creative team if I’ve ever heard of one. Thanks to Image Comics, I had a chance to read an advance review copy of The Deviant #1 and ho, ho, holy crap my already heightened expectations weren’t high enough for what the super spooky, yuletide caper had in store!

The first few textless pages, full of picturesque suburban mall Christmas cheer, immediately captivate you with a gentle uneasiness with the fact that you know something terrible is waiting to be found. But when? What? Tynion and Hixson reserve that surprise for a few more pages as they introduce Michael, the main character of the series, through an eerie interaction with his girlfriend after he’s shaken up seeing the mall Santa.

Tynion then takes us back 50 years and to a different city, but still at a mall during the holidays. Here again there are minimal words used, with Tynion allowing Hixson’s art to slowly build tension until a gasp-worthy crescendo occurs and the story kicks into high gear. These first 15-pages or so combine for one of the most disturbingly unsettling beginnings to a story that I can recall. Perhaps it was the gilded holiday veneer or Hixson’s disarmingly welcoming illustrations, but not much will prepare you for the moment when we first see what we’ll be dealing with the rest of the issue, and likely the series.

Though used sparingly in most scenese, but to extremely great impact, Tynion’s dialogue provides just enough exposition to ground you in what’s happening and who these characters are, while leaving you eagerly anticipating the next issue to learn more. Tynion also does well to introduce Michael as compelling, yet damaged protagonist who has demons of his own to deal with. There is one scene in the middle of the book, where Michael interrogates a prison inmate, which provides the majority of the issue’s exposition to fill in gaps and connect the dots across the various characters and timelines. It’s also an example of Tynion’s impressive ability to write psychological horror.

While there’s limited text from Tynion to work with, Otsmane-Elhaou is still able to work wonders with conversation bubbles and sound effects being utilized in creative ways to ramp up the tension as the story progresses. Otsmane-Elhaou and Hixson masterfully combine visuals and sound effects during two scenes leading up to the reveals of the series’ main villain in each timeline. It’s maniacal and magnificent. If you don’t get goosebumps, you may need to ask yourself a few questions.

I may be biased, but Hixson’s visuals are the clear highlight of the issue. Every page is visually arresting with gorgeous illustrations that perfectly covey the brooding and brazenly suspenseful tone. He uses shadows and shading to wondrous effect, especially during the issue’s most foreboding scenes. His design for the evil Santa Claus is something straight out of a nightmare and its absolutely perfect.

Overall, the issue reads like Miracle on 34th Street meets Fargo meets True Detective — a mashup I never knew I wanted or needed, but holy jingle bells do I know it now. I loved this issue so much and can’t wait to see what other horrors this team has planned for us. This ranks up there as not only one of the year’s best new debuts, but has the making of one of Tynion’s best series ever. Make a list, check it twice, buy The Deviant #1 on Wednesday, it’s beyond worth the price.

Rating: 10/10