About the Author

Ted Naifeh first appeared in the independent comics scene in 1999 as the artist for Gloomcookie, the goth romance comic he co-created with Serena Valentino for SLG Publishing. After a successful run, Ted decided to strike out on his own, writing and drawing Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things, a spooky children's fantasy series about a grumpy little girl and her adventures with her Warlock uncle. Nominated for an Eisner Award for best limited series, Courtney Crumrin's success paved the way for Polly and the Pirates, another children's book, this time about a prim and proper girl kidnapped by pirates convinced she was the daughter of their long-lost queen. Over the next few years, Ted wrote four volumes of Courtney Crumrin, plus a spin off book about her uncle. He also co-created How Loathsome with Tristan Crane, and illustrated two volumes of the videogame tie-in comic Death Junior with screenwriter Gary Whitta. More recently, he illustrated The Good Neighbors, a three volume graphic novel series written by New York Times best-selling author Holly Black, published by Scholastic. In 2011, Ted wrote the sequel to Polly and the Pirates, and illustrated several Batman short stories for DC Comics. In 2012, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Courtney Crumrin, he wrote and illustrated the final two volumes of the series. Currently, you can find Ted everywhere: from the pages of Batman '66 to his newest original series for adults, Night's Dominion. Ted lives in San Francisco, because he likes dreary weather.

Reviews

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY -- Those mostly familiar with Naifeh's work on Holly Black's Good Neighbors trilogy will find Courtney Crumrin's first adventures revelatory of what he's capable of on his own. In this opening story, middle-schooler Courtney moves into the house of her creepy great-uncle Aloysius and finds more to occupy her time than constant disdain for her upwardly mobile and downwardly aware parents. Her new life includes the monsters--real monsters--that lurk in the woods, as well as another kind in her new school: a gang of elitist bullies who have no idea of the supernatural underbelly that surrounds them. Courtney soon discovers that the worlds of monsters and humans interact more than anyone imagines, and both interest and duty demand that she dabble with her uncle's dark arts to combat the evils. It's a chance for the mismatched relatives to bond and provides the sweet center of Naifeh's dark comedy. In the end, Courtney's a highly relatable heroine for younger readers. Ages 12-up.