Courtney Crumrin 5: The Witch Next Door

The fifth volume of the award-winning graphic novel series from New York Times best-selling creator Ted Naifeh, collected in full-color softcover editions for the first time

Courtney Crumrin doesn''t have many friends, and she prefers to keep it that way. But new girl Holly Hart is on her way to discovering the magical side of Hillsborough almost exactly like Courtney did--face-first and woefully unprepared. So Courtney takes the opportunity to show Holly the ropes--just like Uncle Aloysius did for her. But it turns out Holly doesn''t want her help, because she knows the real Courtney Crumrin. The one the Night Things whisper about. The one the other kids are afraid of. Will Courtney be able to convince her that she''s not the vengeful witch she appears to be? Or will Holly take matters--and magic--into her own hands?

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.

Warren Wucinich is an illustrator, colorist, and part-time carny currently living in Dallas, TX. When not making comics he can usually be found watching old Twilight Zone episodes and eating large amounts of pie.