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Happy Halloween, Li'l Santa
By Philip Schweier
Jun 25, 2010 - 8:54

NBM Publishing
Writer(s): Lewis Trondheim
Penciller(s): Thierry Robin
Inker(s): Thierry Robin
Colourist(s): Isabelle Busschaert
ISBN: 1-56163-361-5
$14.95

Happy Halloween, Li’l Santa is a charming tale blending Halloween with Christmas. I know it’s been done before, but in a world where it’s so easy to mimic that which has come before, writer Lewis Trondheim offers a refreshing twist on an old idea.

santa_halloween.jpg
Santa’s domain has been invaded by a mysterious figure, a mummy-like being dragging a coffin. Well, perhaps invaded is the wrong word. Though strange, the visitor is hardly a threat, and greets Santa and Co. with a friendly wave before merrily rolling along. When the visitor finds himself in trouble, it’s Santa to the rescue, as any good-hearted being would do, and the guest quickly is welcomed as a fellow resident of the frozen north. However, Santa didn’t count on him bringing all his super-natural buddies, but no matter. While the friendship with most new neighbors is awkward at first, they soon find themselves united against a common enemy – a lumber company out to strip the land of all trees to feed its match manufacturing machines.

Like Trondheim’s earlier book, Li’l Santa, there is no dialogue, and relies heavily on depiction rather than prose. The art is suitably playful, and Thierry Robin’s ghosts and goblins of Halloween are designed  to charm rather than frighten. They’re playful, much like the peculiar creatures of that other blend of Halloween and Christmas, yet retain the mischief quality we’ve seen before in Loony Tunes or Beetlejuice.

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