by Randy Lander

COURTNEY CRUMRIN & THE NIGHT THINGS #1 Recommended (8/10) Oni Press Writer/Artist: Ted Naifeh Editor: Jamie S. Rich Price: $2.95 US In Courtney Crumrin, Ted Naifeh has crafted something of a modern fairy tale, something straight out of Grimm's book of tales. Because while the book is relatively sweet, it has a dark edge to it, in the realistic interactions Courtney has with school bullies and in the treatment of the night things that inhabit her new home. There are mysteries a-plenty around Courtney's uncle and his dealings with the night things, but what's going to be most interesting is seeing how Courtney, an intelligent if somewhat bitter girl, deals with this potential source of power and knowledge. Based on my reaction to books like Gloomcookie or Little Gloomy, I was afraid that Courtney Crumrin might not be my cup of tea, but my imagination is captured and my curiosity piqued. There's a certain pattern to follow in these stories, the ones where the people from the outside world move into a spooky mansion with ties to another world. It's been seen in everything from Frankenstein to Beetlejuice, and it's a formula that works well. Courtney is instantly introduced as unusual, someone who will fit in well with unusual circumstances, while the world around her is presented as too mundane, or too cruel, imperfect and certainly no less dangerous than goblins and haunted mansions. Though the first appearance of one of the night things is certainly spooky, it's easy to buy into them as tools for the protagonist in the story, rather than further antagonists. In my youth, I moved to new towns more than once, and I experienced my fair share of bullies. What most impresses me about Naifeh's work here is that he so perfectly captures the feeling of being in a new school, that sense that everyone is against you, and how bad bullies can be. With only a few pages, we get a strong sense of the unpleasant new environment Courtney has found herself in, and seeing that her parents are too wrapped up in the good elements of their relocation isolates her even further. I can relate to that feeling of isolation in a new place, as I'd imagine many can. Courtney Crumrin & the Night Things appears on the surface to be a somewhat light and charming tale of a girl adapting to her new home, her new town and a closer relationship with her uncle. However, beneath that surfaces there lurks a darkness both from the darker parts of reality and in Courtney's willingness to use the night things against her antagonists. There's also a sort of fairy-tale approach in the way that Courtney captures the goblin and gets it to do her bidding. Naifeh nicely balances the requirements of the unreal world and the real world to create a blend that feels believable in both respects. Naifeh's artwork is suitably spooky and strange for the story, as well. One gets a sense of size and labyrinthine layout from Aloysius's mansion, and the way that the night things are generally in the shadows, appearing to be composed of the shadow material themselves, gives them a creepy and otherworldly appearance. There's also a nice touch of the gothic in the architecture of the town, which helps considerably in setting the mood. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.