Oni Double Feature was an anthology series produced by Oni Press. It ran for only 13 issues from 1998-99. The final issue of this series has been on my radar for quite some time. That's because this issue features the debut of a seasonal favorite- Paul Dini's Jingle Belle.
Jingle Belle is the teenage daughter of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Bored with a life of building toys at the North Pole, Jingle seeks thrills like taking her flying yak for joyrides and rubbing noses with the local Eskimo boys. In our introduction to Jingle Belle, the Claus family are hashing things out in family therapy. Let's just say things aren't going to be fixed with just 1 session...
This early version of Jingle is a diamond in the rough. The artwork isn't of that clean Disney look that artists like Stephanie Gladden and Kyle Baker helped to elicit through the half dozen or so one-shots and miniseries that were the result of this debut issue. Everything here looks crude and that's kinda how I would describe this early version of Santa's only daughter.
In the sequels, Jingle Belle is a lot like a festive version of another Paul Dini creation that I am a huge fan of: Harley Quinn. The established Jingle is playful, chaotic and maybe just a bit insane. This first take of the character is more like Tank Girl. Here, Santa's daughter is rude, crude and maybe a bit loose. But one thing is for sure; that Paul Dini magic that made me such a fan of Jingle Belle's universe is still at the heart of it all.
Being that this series made a point to feature 2 different properties, and that the cover states that this is an 'All Paul Dini Issue', I was prepared for only 1 of the stories being about Jingle Belle. I also suspected that the other story would not be holiday themed. With that said, I was okay with this issue not being 100% Christmas. As long as I am aware of it beforehand, a comic with a holiday cover not being completely festive is okay with me. However, I really was confused by the second story.
Story #2 was the second half of a Paul Dini tale about a trio of characters known as the Honor Rollers. The Rollers are high school students who seem to have stolen drugs from a dealer and that's made them the target of retribution. Meanwhile, there's a vindictive authoritarian type after the trio of boys. Not sure why and I'm also not very sure why these boys seem to be part of a boarding school while their classmates live at home with their folks.
I obviously missed a lot of detail in the past issue. I've got the other 12 issues on my wish list as I am a sucker for anthology titles. Once I get my hands on issue #12, I'm sure I'll get my answers. I'm also sure I'll give this one a re-read. The Jingle Belle introduction wasn't perfect. But it was classic enough to enjoy again.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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