As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called "Deviant Killer," who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax. Eisner-winning writer JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH) and acclaimed artist JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot, Children of the Woods) unite for a pitch-black holiday horror story.

The Deviant Killer was apprehended half a century ago. So whos behind the grisly slaying of a young man in a Chicago department store…and why does Michael see so much of himself in the man locked behind bars for the original murders? JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33) and JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot) cut deeper into their Christmas horror tale, just in time for the holidays.

The only police officer to get close to the Deviant Killer in ’72 took an ax to his face…and lived. But when that same officer starts tracking down possible leads, will the primary suspect survive the encounter? The winter nights stretch on as JAMES TYNION IV (DRACULA) and JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot) continue their snow-swept horror story.

When Michael Schmitz decided to turn his lifelong fascination with the Deviant Killer into a comic book, he didn’t realize the process would bring him so close to the abyss. Now, as new blood spills in a decades-old story, Michael discovers that he might already be in too deep.

Michael Schmitz is working on a book about the man imprisoned for the grisly slaying of two teenage boys fifty years ago. But for Michael, the Deviant Killer isn’t just his subject, but an obsession—one that changed the course of his childhood. THE DEVIANT returns as Michael’s connection to these gruesome slaying begins to unravel.

One of the grimmest chapters in Milwaukee’s history repeats itself as the law descends on Michael Schmitz, eerily echoing the Deviant Killer’s arrest half a century ago. But is Michael the copycat murderer…or just another outsider primed to take the blame for an act of horror he didn’t commit?

With Michael accused of being a depraved copycat killer, Derek struggles to put together the clues to clear his partner’s name. And the only person he can turn to for help is Randall Olsen...the man convicted as the original Deviant Killer.

The police are sure that Michael is guilty. Derek is convinced that he’s not. And if Derek is right, that means the killer responsible for the grisly murders is still on the loose…and is very, very unhappy that Derek is getting closer to unraveling the truth.

Hannibal meets Silent Night, Deadly Night in this pitch-black holiday horror story that cuts right through our most taboo notions. As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called "Deviant Killer," who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax. Multiple Eisner Award-winning writer JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH) and acclaimed artist JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot, Children of the Woods) unite for a psychological crime thriller that explores the intersection of queer identities and a broader scope of cultural transgression and deviance. Collects THE DEVIANT #1-4 (of 9 total issues).