Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things (June Read)

[Kelly]

Welcome to our June comic book read in She-Geeks! This month it's Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh. Feel free to jump in with the discussion!

Please note: if you are going to discuss any major plot points or spoilers, please put it behind spoiler tags! Please go here if you don't know how to use the tags.

[Meneniareads]

I'm on volume 3 now. I'm not entirely sure i like it yet, but It's so easy to read that I'm gonna continue reading.

[Jim]

This looks interesting! I just ordered it. I know some folks don't like Amazon, but you can find some used copies in decent shape for $4 ($.01 + $3.99 shipping).

[Sonnie]

Yay!!! I loved this series!

[Cyndi]

This volume was an interesting beginning. I already want to continue. Not sure about the characters, but I am definitely interested in what's to come. Happy reading.

[Laurel]

While I enjoyed the first volume, the second and third have longer length stories which I liked better.

I appreciate that Courtney isn't a simplistic character. She's a trickster, a violent force of nature with an indomitable inner strength, yet an innocent, a believer in justice, still a child in need of guidance. She's a soft heart in a grumpy exterior, willing to risk her life to save another person.

The beautiful line work accompanied by deep black inks in Ted Naifeh's art are really amazing. I'm reading the black and white versions but the art is so well made I feel as if I'm looking at a colored comic.

It did take a bit to get used to the no nose on Courtney (why was she drawn that way - anyone know?). Somehow she still works. The expressive eyes have a lot to do with how much I connect with her character.

Final thought - I like that I can read this creepy comic and be scared but not grossed out. It's good to have a book that makes me worry about what goes bump in the night but doesn't send me into a panic!

[Ivana]

I finally took off from the net strip and tomorrow will be jumping into reading

[L]

I love Ted Naifeh's art work enough that I have been collecting all of his works. I'm glad that you chose this book, as it gave me an excuse to get his Crumrin works out and read them again.

I'm amazed at the subtle things that I missed on the first few readings. I'm a fan of Uncle Aloysius, but then I was a Professor Snape fan too, so I guess that makes sense.

I never even noticed that Courtney had no nose before you guys commented on that fact. LOL

[Laurel]

L wrote: "I love Ted Naifeh's art work enough that I have been collecting all of his works. I'm glad that you chose this book, as it gave me an excuse to get his Crumrin works out and read them again.
..."

I've read the first Polly and the Pirates by Naifeh. Cute and Clever! Any others by him you recommend?

[L]

I just received the last book in "The Good Neighbor's" trilogy and enjoy the art but have not had time to really read it and the story is written by Holly Black. I loved "A Portrait of the Warlock as a young man" for both the art and the story.

[Laurel]

L wrote: "I just received the last book in "The Good Neighbor's" trilogy and enjoy the art but have not had time to really read it and the story is written by Holly Black. I loved "A Portrait of the Warloc..."

Thanks! I found The Good Neighbor series in the library and will check it out. Unfortunately, I didn't see the Portrait of a Warlock(that's a good title though!).

[Jim]

This is the kind of comic I want to read over again to pick up what I missed, to spend a little more time with the art on each panel. I really enjoyed it, and I'm going to have to check out the later volumes. I can't wait to share this with my (11-year-old) daughter, and hopefully build in her the same love of comics that I have. It's a little dark, but in a fun way. And I think it's perfect for the pre-teen age.

Laurel wrote: "While I enjoyed the first volume, the second and third have longer length stories which I liked better."

Thanks, Laurel! Now I'll really have to pick up the other volumes.

[Laurel]

Jim wrote: "I can't wait to share this with my (11-year-old) daughter, and hopefully build in her the same love of comics that I have. It's a little dark, but in a fun way. And I think it's perfect for the pre-teen age. "

Maybe you should consider starting a discussion thread about recommendations for your daughter's age group. There is such a variety of great work out there right now!

[Jim]

Laurel wrote: "Maybe you should consider starting a discussion thread about recommendations for your daughter's age group. There is such a variety of great work out there right now! "

That's a great idea. I know right now I don't have a good handle on what's out there in the comic realm. I've been into comics on and off, but to be honest, it's mostly been superhero comics. Thanks!