Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things
- Posted by Johanna on March 30, 2006 at 3:54 pm
- Category: Graphic Novel Reviews
- CREDITS: by Ted Naifeh
- PUBLISHER: Oni Press; $11.95 US
Courtney and her parents have moved into a creepy old mansion to live with her uncle. Her parents are vapid social climbers who are too stupid to realize that everyone sees through their transparent schemes. Her classmates are sadists concerned only with themselves, their money, and their standing. Her house and town are haunted by odd beasties, like werewolves and goblins. Her life, in short, stinks, and she’s the only one who’s willing to do anything about it.
The viewpoint here is fresh and funny while keeping its edge. There aren’t any fairy godmothers or sudden happy endings, because nobody’s on her side, not her relatives, her teachers, or the magical creatures. Courtney has to make her own way using her initiative and brains. It would be nice if she didn’t have to take so much responsibility at such a young age, but no one here is pure and innocent, and she’s learning valuable life lessons.
Naifeh’s art style is cute in a dark kind of way, well-suited to the edgy fantasy. He’s capable of drawing well both kinds of monsters, the traditional and the human, capturing their essential qualities. The characters aren’t safe and cuddly, and Courtney’s doll-like button eyes belie the intelligence within. Whether getting the school bullies to leave her alone, learning the benefits of anonymity, or discovering that the neighborhood demon child is really a changeling, Courtney is a modern-day heroine, winning the day in a challenging world.
There are two sequels: Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics and Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom. Ted Naifeh has a website. Naifeh has also created How Loathsome, a more adult-targeted graphic novel.
June 18, 2008 at 6:43 AM
[...] describes his series as a quirky fantasy adventure comic for fans of Bone or Courtney Crumrin — I’d add Amy Unbounded to that list as well. I reviewed the CBZ version, and I found [...]
October 30, 2008 at 7:37 AM
[...] a huge fan of Ted Naifeh’s art. The Courtney Crumrin series is one of the few non-manga books that I collect. He’s the perfect choice for this [...]
March 27, 2009 at 6:08 PM
[...] Courtney Crumrin stories really make me wonder. She’s such an odd little character, a girl with no friends and [...]
March 6, 2010 at 8:00 AM
[...] when I thought I was done with superheroes, I saw the news that Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, The Good Neighbors) will be drawing a Teen Titans backup. That’s not enough, by itself, to [...]
April 1, 2010 at 4:39 PM
[...] include stories by Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl), Alex Shiekman (Robotika), and Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin). The connecting conceit is that Guard Mice at a tavern are telling tales to outdo one another. [...]
May 18, 2011 at 7:38 AM
[...] we first met Courtney, her uncle Aloysius was a grumpy old magician, locked away from the world. In this series, [...]
April 14, 2012 at 4:04 PM
[...] so checking out this new series launch (in color!) was a welcome reminder of how much I enjoy the adventures of the … what do we call her? Monster fighter? Young witch? Sorcerer in training? Anyway, her [...]
April 22, 2012 at 2:14 PM
[...] of color, the upgraded hardcover re-release of the first volume of Ted Naifeh’s series looks terrific. Great timing, too, since I was curious to reread these stories after the launch of [...]