by Randy Lander

JINGLE BELLE JUBILEE Recommended (7/10) Oni Press Writer: Paul Dini Artists: Steve Rolston, Dan DeCarlo, Bill Morrison, J. Bone, Jill Thompson & Sergio Aragones Editor: Jamie S. Rich Price: $2.95 US I remain confused as to whether this is an all-ages book or not, because despite assurances that it isn't meant as one for the most part, this issue definitely has an all-ages feel to it. That's not a bad thing, of course, because we need more good comics for kids, and this one would make a good stocking stuffer for the not-yet-interested-in-comics young'un in any reader's life, as well as a funny read for themselves. Dini uses the framing device of another illicit party by Jingle Belle to introduce a couple new characters and tell the story of how they met Jingle, and along with a variety of talented artists, he tells some funny stories that have more to do with adolescent hijinks than holiday cheer. I'm generally not a fan of multi-artist books, because the odds are that I'll be disappointed in at least one segment, but I was pleased by all of the art in this book. Rolston's work is very well-suited to the world of Jingle Belle, and he does some terrific comedy with the interaction between Jingle and her friends (and lemmings). DeCarlo is of course a veteran of Archie comics, and he delivers the excellent performance you expect, ironically the most least "Archie-like" of the bunch, as he shows a parody of a Jerry Springer-type show in all its white trash glory. J. Bone takes another turn at Jingle as well and is as strong here as he was on Mighty Elves, and a couple of nice one-pagers from Jill Thompson and Sergio Aragones finish up the package. Leaving aside the solid artwork, though, Dini seems to have either gotten more of a handle on Jingle's character or has gotten better at conveying his intent to readers. The tone is something of a twisted version of the old Claymation holiday specials, and the new characters introduced fit right into that mold. Ida Red, Texas lawgirl and mutant super-hero, is a new favorite of mine, and Dini takes the myths of Texas and makes them an interesting setting, the same way he did the myths of Christmas. Polly Green, the would-be Halloween mascot, isn't what you'd expect from the style of the books, as she doesn't live in Halloween-land or anything like that, but still her powers and attitude make her a fine fit for Jingle's gang. There's some wonderful humor to be found in this issue. As always, the lemmings are a lot of fun, whether it's in the splash page with a group of them or the hilariously inappropriate reactions that one of them has when he's turned into a duplicate of Jing. The Easter Bunny and his son on Jerry Springer are a laugh riot as well, and Ida Red's description of how her town of Mutant, Texas came to be was quite amusing too. I'll be honest, I usually find Jingle Belle's adventures a bit formulaic and easy-to-guess, and this one's not much different. However, a good sense of humor and solid artwork go a long way, and while Jingle Belle may not be as amazing as Dini's work on the animated Batman or Superman, it's always an entertaining read. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.