I didn't know Andi Watson's Glister #3 was going to be a Christmas-themed issue, so in a way, it was like a surprise Christmas present. What was NOT a surprise was how good Glister #3 was - as Watson has really delivered a remarkable little comic with Glister.

Glister is a remarkable young girl who lives with her father in a magical home called Chilblain Hall. In the latest issue (which is 64 pages long and costs six bucks, from Image Comics), some interesting things occur when the land of the Faeries is relocated to bordering right upon Glister's home.

Here are some preview pages to show you how the book looks...

The importance of the faeries moving in next door happens when Glister is contacted by her (missing and thought to be dead) mother through Glister's mirror.

Obviously, faeries are involved, and it is a very disturbing sequence of events to read, as Glister gets more and more caught up in the faeries' web of lies, all for the very real possibility of meeting her mother again. Watson pulls off an excellent treat here - as the trick is obvious to us, but at the same time, it is not a case of Glister being a dummy to fall for the tricks, as the faeries are taking advantage of something so sacred to her - her mother.

Luckily, though, Glister is no ordinary little girl, and she has been taught well, so it is quite endearing to see Watson show her get trapped in the land of the faeries, but never see her lose her composure, even in the face of some tough circumstances (really, the whole thing is quite scary).

Watson really is quite a storyteller, with the way he weaves in a number of tiny threads, but they all pay off - even the whole deal about her father turning Christmas into almost a chore for Glister.

My only complaint about the issue is that, at times, Watson's artistic choices seem a bit rushed, as though he could have come up with more clever designs than he ends up with in the comic.

Still, the end result is a very fun (but scary, too - in the best kind of "make you feel for the character" way) Christmas treat.

Definitely recommended.