Ten Books To Read For Halloween: #2
I haven't read too many "gothic" comics like Emily the Strange and Lenore, but I have read Ted Naifeh. I didn't much care for Gloom Cookie, but I loved the series that put him on the map...
2. Courtney Crumrin by Ted Naifeh
A sarcastic, bitter little girl claims the second-highest spot in the countdown, as she is deep in the world of witchcraft and monsters (her uncle Aloysius is a warlock, after all). The Eisner-award nominated Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things was the first book in the series that introduced us to Naifeh's universe of clawed hands and gloomy atmosphere. After that was my favorite of the series, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics, followed soon after by Courtney Crumrin In the Twilight Kingdom. There's a werewolf character who haunts the woods near Courtney's house who appears in each of the volumes, along with a few other supporting characters, who becomes a sort of friend as the series progresses, if not a great source for information. As Courtney is drawn into her uncle's mystical world, she learns that she's really quite good at things having to do with the supernatural. In the Coven of Mystics, she even ventures to the goblin market to help a helpless creature. But aside from the cute monstrous elements, there are some truly scary moments as well, like the story of Tommy Rawhead at the beginning of Coven of Mystics, about a fearsome hobgoblin that stalks children. It was quite chilling. But overall, Courtney Crumrin is just a smart, witty story that's written damn good, full of action and suspense and everything that makes good little sarcastic girls fun to read about.
2. Courtney Crumrin by Ted Naifeh
A sarcastic, bitter little girl claims the second-highest spot in the countdown, as she is deep in the world of witchcraft and monsters (her uncle Aloysius is a warlock, after all). The Eisner-award nominated Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things was the first book in the series that introduced us to Naifeh's universe of clawed hands and gloomy atmosphere. After that was my favorite of the series, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics, followed soon after by Courtney Crumrin In the Twilight Kingdom. There's a werewolf character who haunts the woods near Courtney's house who appears in each of the volumes, along with a few other supporting characters, who becomes a sort of friend as the series progresses, if not a great source for information. As Courtney is drawn into her uncle's mystical world, she learns that she's really quite good at things having to do with the supernatural. In the Coven of Mystics, she even ventures to the goblin market to help a helpless creature. But aside from the cute monstrous elements, there are some truly scary moments as well, like the story of Tommy Rawhead at the beginning of Coven of Mystics, about a fearsome hobgoblin that stalks children. It was quite chilling. But overall, Courtney Crumrin is just a smart, witty story that's written damn good, full of action and suspense and everything that makes good little sarcastic girls fun to read about.
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