What's the graphic novel where the boy learns his grandfather is Santa Claus?

Question

I read this graphic novel once at least seven years ago. All I remember is that the protagonist is a young boy, maybe 10-12 years old, and his family takes him to visit his grandfather's remote home. I think I remember that the house is similar to how Dr. Strange's house looks with odd adornments and strange relics. The grandfather is absent, or has died, or something, because we never see him. I feel like the family is there to assess his estate or sell the house...

The key to the whole thing is that the boy discovers the grandfather's library or inner sanctum. In it, he finds some evidence that his grandfather is/was Santa Claus. And if I remember the very ending, that meant that the kid's father now inherited the role, or maybe the father is a disbeliever and it's the kid who now gets to be Santa.

Any help would be much appreciated! I've been trying to find this every Christmas for the past three years with no luck.

Answer 1

You might be thinking of Herobear and The Kid by Mike Kunkel.

Herobear and the kid is a nostalgic view of childhood, complete with new schools, bullies, true love, imagination, and… a magic bear.

After his grandfather passes away, young Tyler inherits an old stuffed toy bear and broken pocket watch. He soon learns that things aren’t always what they seem, and that you shouldn’t judge a bear by its cover.

This review mentions the Santa Claus situation.

With the press of the bear's nose, the stuffed toy springs into life as Herobear, a walking, talking, super-powered polar bear with a long red cape. Naturally, they team up to fight crime, and if your childhood fantasies aren’t already leaping for joy inside you, it turns out that Tyler’s grandfather was none other than Santa Claus. Really, aren’t all grandfathers?