Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us like a battalion of unstoppable Terminators—except, you know, slightly less bloodshed. We’re in that time of year of gift giving; of reflecting on the year past; of counting our blessings; of the magic and wonder that kids young and old look forward to.
However, depending on the circumstance, these months could mean something vastly different or maybe nothing at all. That’s certainly the case of the children of The Resistance and the future of Skynet and Terminators in which they live. But some of those older human freedom fighters still recall holidays past and share those memories with the younger generation in The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, on next month from Dynamite Entertainment. From writer Paulina Ganucheau and artist Kendall Goode, the holiday special shows the elders regale the youngsters with tales of a happier time, and the kids have questions, particularly about Santa Claus’ infiltration methods. These are children who only know war and their inquiries frame that understanding of the jolly old elf, particularly whether or not the benevolent bearded benefactor is friend or foe.
I spoke with Paulina Ganucheau recently about the conceit of The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, what the holiday season means to children post-Judgment Day, her favorite dystopian tales, and the scourge that is Santa Terminator.
Paulina Ganucheau never misses. Dynamite’s output of Terminator tales has been gangbusters. Combine the two? A holiday gift that we’re all lucky to receive!
The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town #1 cover by Kendall Goode
FreakSugar: So, before we start, the premise? HOOKED from the jump. How did you become involved with this project? Was it something you pitched to Dynamite?
Paulina Ganucheau: Thank you! I am also hooked. I’m a huge Terminator fan. And yes, it was something I pitched! I brought the idea of a Terminator special to my editor Nate Cosby and he so graciously said, “Let’s gooo!” Still beyond chuffed I got to do this.
FS: Where do we find The Resistance at the beginning of the one-shot?
PG: We start our story following our two main leads: an older platoon leader named Eva and Chris, a young teen soldier. Both are part of a small resistance faction out on a scouting mission away from their home base. It’s a routine mission, but they very quickly run into trouble.
FS: One sentence from the press announcement for the book really intrigued me: “How different was [Santa] from the hulking, mechanical monsters now advancing on their positions?” What do the children hearing these Santa tales think of him?
PG: That’s a big point for one of the characters in the story and I thought it would be an interesting perspective to take note of. How much do these children born post-Judgement Day even know about Santa or Christmas for that matter? It was fun to ponder on the idea of “holiday lore” being much more nebulous to the people of that world. A tradition that maybe felt closer to ancient Greek mythology by that time.
FS: Do you have any favorite dystopian holiday tales?
PG: Oh gosh, maybe Over the Garden Wall? I feel like it maybe half counts. The purgatory fantasy world kind of feels dystopian in some respects. I also really enjoy the movie Krampus if we’re talking holiday horror.
FS: Do you have any more Terminator tales in you that you’d like to write?
PG: Absolutely. I pitched another special that I would love to do one day, but even beyond that I would love to continue to play in that world more. A long form story would be great.
FS: Is there anything you can tease about what we can expect from the one-shot?
PG: I think it’s a fun (and violent) holiday romp for any Terminator fan while also being accessible for non-fans as well! The artist working on it, Kendall Goode, is the biggest Terminator devotee so I know he’ll treat it with great care. Also, Santa Terminator is scary. Maybe even scarier though: be prepared for some withering holiday one-liners.
The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town goes on sale Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from Dynamite Entertainment.
From the official issue description:
HUMANITY IS ON THE NAUGHTY LIST!
It’s Christmas Eve in Skynet’s apocalyptic future, and the atmosphere is pretty far from festive. But even in the blasted rubble of civilization, the surviving elders of the Resistance have fond memories of the holiday – and in between drone attacks, the younger members are eager to hear about them.
The story of the jolly old man in a red suit who infiltrated people’s perimeters is especially intriguing. How did he avoid the sentries and guard dogs? What kind of exfiltration technique was he using? And most important, did he have glowing red eyes that matched his fur-trimmed hat – like the hulking figure that’s now advancing on their position?
Get ready to deck the halls with phased plasma rifles as relentless comics machines PAULINA GANUCHEAU and KENDALL GOODE celebrate the most wonderful time of the year in The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – featuring seasonal cover wrappings from GOODE, WILL ROBSON, FRANCESCO BIAGINI, and REESE HANNIGAN!