Merry Christmas 2015...

I've released a newly-colored version of my Santa Claus comic, you can get your own softcover copy on  Amazon at The Jingle Book.

The magnificent new wraparound cover.

It's a new take on an old tale, the mythology of Santa Claus, hopefully relevant to our day and age.  Some say Santa's really just an invention of Corporate America, and there's probably some truth to that.  At the very least old "Saint Nick" got a little co-opted to make a buck.

Corporate re-structuring of Christmas is certainly at full thrust today, as a trip to any chain store like Target or Walmart will illustrate.  All the Big Boys are lined up there to deliver: Marvel, Nerf, Disney, etc. etc.  The dominance is so total that there's literally no room left for anything else.  No cracks at all; totally sewn-up,  and scientifically engineered to penetrate kids' heads.

A push-button prison.

The device or "toy" shown above is only a halfway measure to overtake natural development in a child.  Next are devices for intra-uterine use, so kids can get accustomed to pushing buttons while still in the womb.  Would you feel comfortable giving your child this gadget "at birth"?  If so, why?  To prepare them for "the workplace"?

Then there's the sheer expense, mainly the robotic "toys" that kids tire of in about two days but which cost families a sizeable chunk o' change.  I remember the robot dinosaurs from about ten years back, do you?  They're mainly forgotten in the landfills, but the profits definitely went to the Top.

You can't possibly be a good parent for less than $189.99

Lastly, we have the clear messages that corporate toys send to children.  Plenty of injuries are on record from kindergartens and elementary schools due to karate-chops inspired by Power Rangers, superheroes and violence-oriented toys.  I realize that most stories need some level of conflict to reach necessary conclusions, but in most cases I'd trust the opinions of an expert on children like Mister Rogers rather than corporations, Hollywood or the NRA.

Recommended for children age 3 and up.

It's not really complicated: showing violence as a solution presents violence as a solution. But discussing this subject publicly can naturally lead to some violent verbal arguments, harmless karate chops and nerf-shootings.