Saturday, December 20, 2014

CBR Mutant Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red

 

Since these last couple of years there wasn't any new Jingle Belle comics, let's review the next best thing to slightly tie into "Tis the Season".

Let's head outside the North Pole, and have a look at Mutant, Texas.

For more of Jingle Belle's shenanigans check this other review!
Christmas 1999-2000: Jingle Belle: Naughty and Nice
Christmas 2001-02: Jingle Belle's Cool Yule / Winter Wingding
Christmas 2003: DASH AWAY ALL
Christmas 2004-05: Paul Dini's JINGLE Belle / The Fight Before Christmas
Christmas 2006: The Bakers Meet Jingle Belle
Christmas 2008: Santa Claus Vs. Frankenstein
Christmas 2010-11: Jingle Belle: Gift Wrapped

Comic title: Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red 
Written by Paul Dini 
Illustrated by J Bone

Published by Oni Press
From 2002
Lineup Paul Dini's Jingle Belle series
Format: Digest-sized trade paperback collecting.Mutant, Texas - Tales of Sheriff Ida Red #1-4 and Ida Red's story from Oni Double Feature #13.

Remember Sheriff Ida Red? From Paul Dini's Jingle Belle comics?

Ida Red is another character created by cartoonist Paul Dini. Her first appearance was in Oni Double Feature #13, in 1999, in the same one-shot issue that introduced Paul Dini's Jingle Belle.

Since then Dini only used her in a couple of Jingle Belle stories. And it was about time she received her first proper tale. 

"Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red" is a four-issue miniseries , written by Paul Dini and illustrated by another Jingle Belle regular, J. Bone, and published by Oni Press in 2002.

It's the origin story of Ida Red, the tale how this redhead heroine became the Sheriff of a very particular weird little town.


Our story begins many years ago.

Orphaned as a baby in the desert outside the small remote town of Mystic, Texas, Ida Red was then raised by a local native, Tia Oso ("Aunt Bear" in Spanish) a bear-shaman that thought her everything she knows. She always lived in the outskirts of town and felt like an outsider. This old bear-woman was her only real family and she befriended the blacktail tribe at a young age.

But how did it all began? One time Tia Oso decided to tell her how all of this started, how Mystic, Texas was changed into Mutant, Texas!

Mystic was home to a nuclear plant. Following several random occurrences, a satellite was hit by cosmic ray and crashed into the nuclear plant which resulted in an atomic explosion, this disaster combined with mysterious mystic forces at work changed everything. In the wake of this nuclear accident, Mystic, Texas was changed from one day to another. The inhabitants of the town were changed into part-mutant plants and animals.

Ida Red looks like your normal regular 16-year-old girl, but it turns out she also has some powers of her own! The lived most of her life as outcast, until she was finally able to control her own powers.


We meet some of the locals.

There's this small mayor Beaumont, a rancher and politician. Sheriff Wade Brunt ho is also one of the last "real people" in this area.

Mezcal, this sultry humanoid plant who runs the local cantina. A Clint Eastwood-lookalike named Clint Saguaro, a cactus-man. The villainous trailer trash coyotes, called the Kiyotes.

One time Ida gets a new friend, this armadillo called Rollalong Diller.

And who or what is that strange mysterious giant snake lurking around the town?

Ida will have to fight for the peace of her adopted hometown. She will have to self-appoint herself as the new Sheriff. Only Ida will be able to serve and protect the unique citizens of this weird little town! 


Ida becomes the new Sheriff while her friend Rollalong Diller becomes her deputy.

Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red is such a fun book! (Also, I love the subtitle "Tales of Sheriff Ida Red" which suggest more stories could come next!)

It features Dini's usual clever and fun dialogues. Great humor and tone.

With stunning art by J. Bone. Bone always gives his cartoony characters this timeless classic cartoon which Paul Dini also loves to play with. The characters look great, from great parodies and caricatures to all this funny amusing supporting cast of talking animals.

The book also contains a few bonus materials including a nice introduction by Joe R. Lansdale (about Paul Dini's incredibly crazy ideas).

But also Ida Red's first appearance from Dini Double Feature #13 which featured art by Barry Taldwell.

There's also a few production sketches by Paul Dini himself.

And finally a short pin-up gallery including the work of Sergio Aragonés, Spike Brandt & Tony Cervone (the creators of The Looney Tunes Show).


Overall, it's such a fun book!

A great all-ages title, she's a fun character and even a good role model for kids!

It's a great change of pace from all the usual stuff Marvel and DC offer these days.

Ida Red is a great spunky teenager with amazing powers, who's just trying to fit in and be "normal"... before deciding to accept who she is and let the other do the same.

This book comes Highly Recommended for everyone! Children will love the humor, art and tone, and the adults can enjoy the gorgeous vintage cartoon style and Paul Dini's sly humor.

I give it:
2.5 / 3 Snoopies!
 
 

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