It's that time of the year again!
And what better book to talk about than Paul Dini's own creation, Jingle Belle!
A book for all ages.
I reviewed this comic for New Readers.. as well, check it out if you want a more in-detail analysis.
Comic title: Jingle Belle: Naughty and Nice
Story by Paul Dini
Art by Stephen DeStefano
Lettered by Sean Konot & Stephen DeStefano
"Little Matchstick Girl" Illustrated & lettered by Barry Caldwell
"Jingle Belle Conquers the Martians" painted by Lawrence Marvit
Chapter one illustration by Bill Morrison
Chapter two illustration by Lynne Naylor
Published by Oni Press From 1999-2000
Lineup Jingle Belle
Format: Trade paperback collecting Jingle Belle's original stories from 1999 and 2000 (one shot miniseries), a short story from Dini Double Feature #13 and an all-new exclusive color story.
Jingle Belle is an original creation by renowned comic book legend Paul Dini.
A cartoony elf girl Dini created in '99, that has seen various stories published periodically since then every year.
Most of her stories are either one-shot Christmas specials, original graphic novels or like this one, the previous ones collected in trade paperback releases.
"Naughty and Nice" collects her first two years worth of material, where she was defined under the pen of artist Stephen DeStefano.
The other characters weren't as clearly set in stone as Jings', but even so, the outlines were placed which would be explored in other tales.
Jings' is your typical Dini character.
She was designed by Dini, she's just this fun loony girl like you probably seen in cartoons from the 90s (Batman: The Animated Series or Freakazoid).
But what does an adventure of Jingle Belle consist of...?
A long time ago, Santa, yes the Santa Claus, saved the elves leader Queen Mirabelle from the clutches of an evil tyrant named the Blizzard Wizard.
This Saint went on to become a legend across the world, a giver of gifts and the protector of the North Pole.
He eventually married Mirabelle.
1999.
Jingle Belle is the rebellious daughter of Santa Claus.
While her father spends most of the year thinking about the children of the entire world and preparing for that very special night, Jings causes havoc and mischief all around her.
The stories in "Naughty and Nice" are self-contained tales of the mischievous gal.
There's a light sense of continuity in the stories following one another, but anyone can pick up this or any other Jingle Belle story, they aren't meant to be complex or hard to get.
This book is mostly composed of two bigger tales by Dini & DeStefano.
Jingle Belle is a good kid at heart that only wants to have her parent's attention once in a while....which is quite the difficult task when your dad's Santa Claus I presume :P
Meanwhile the Blizzard Wizard is carefully preparing his revenge on Claus....
The TPB also contains various one page-stories here and there, as well as some pin-ups you might expect from a Dini character, including art by various artists such as Evan Dorkin, Alex Ross, Sergio Aragonés, Jill Thompson & Coop!
All stories and Jingle Belle content's usually in black & white.
Finally, there's a bonus color tale, painted by Lawrence Marvit. Which makes a nice bookend story.
Overall, the perfect recommended gift for comic fans and children alike!
It's a very nice ans sweet comic book which I recommend for anyone!
Kids will no doubt like the fun stories that seem pretty self-conscious of traditional Christmas stories. It's just a fun bright book!
Adults will enjoy the cartoony art style and the style very reminiscent of 90s cartoons classics like Animaniacs or Tiny Toons. (which Dini worked on actually)
Jings is one cute and fun leading character. She bounces from one story to another, from one artist to another!
Of course some might not like the fact it is in black & white, but I'm rather fond of this comic strip look of Jingle Belle. It suits the characters. (also, with all the snow around, it's not like colors would have given anything more to the story graphic-wise)
The book also has an introduction by Eddie Gorodetsky (TV writer and producer behind such shows as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air & Saturday Night Live).
Check it out!
There's also many more Jingle Belle comics to be read, this is as good a starting point as any!
I give it:
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