History ComicBook / CourtneyCrumrinAndTheNightThings

%%* CorruptHick: The Marshall.

** Both feature a female protagonist in a prejudicial, CloseKnitCommunity, and her older gentleman ReasonableAuthorityFigure, fighting to protect an innocent ScapeGoat, in a larger plot by an evil CorruptHick.

* {{Meganekko}}: Holly.

%%* BadassLongcoat: Aloysius.

%%* BazaarOfTheBizarre: Goblin Town.

%%* TheFairFolk: The Night Things.

%%* {{Fireballs}}: Courtney's main method of offense.%%Is?

%%* ImAHumanitarian: Butterworm, among others.
%%* InvoluntaryShapeshifter: The werewolves.

%%* JuniorHigh: Courtney attends one.

%%* KidsAreCruel

%%* LandOfFaerie: The Twilight Kingdom.

%%* LovecraftCountry: Hillsborough and the neighboring woods.

%%* TheMagocracy: The Coven of Mystics.

%%* {{Muggles}}: Courtney's parents, and most of Hillsborough inhabitants.
%%* MundaneSolution: Aloysius is a master of this.

%%* RetiredBadass: Tobermory and Aloysius Crumrin.

%%* SociallyAwkwardHero

%%* SwordCane: Aloysius has one.
%%* TalkingAnimal: Cats can speak. They just don't bother to.
%%* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight

%%* UpperClassTwit: Courtney's parents. Or at least this is what they aspire to be, which is probably even sadder.%%Explain.

* WitchSpecies: Defied. Holly assumes Courtney and Aloysius belong to one. Courtney explains that's wrong - anyone can learn witchcraft. Although, like playing an instrument, it's as much skill as it is hard work.

** The colour series introduces '''H'''olly '''H'''art, Courtney's new friend, to show how they're NotSoDifferent.

** Upon being devoured by Tommy Rawhead, the hobgoblin takes your sentient skull to his lair, where you are damned to live forever in his presence without solace. [[ArsonMurderandJaywalking (You are also subjected to his terrible jokes and bad poetry.)

After a bit of a hiatus, the series returned in 2021 under the name "The Crumrin Chronicles", this time focusing on Courtney [[spoiler: helping her newfound brother navigate the human and magical world.]]

* BadassLongcoat: Aloysius.

* BazaarOfTheBizarre: Goblin Town.

* CatsAreSnarkers: All of them.

* CoolCar: Miss Crisp owns one.
** FlyingCar
* CorruptHick: The Marshall.

* {{Deconstruction}}: At first, the PowerOfLove is pretty strongly deconstructed, showing idealism alone accomplishes nothing, and even fighting for what you love may often fail. Then the color series happened and ''every single decision Courtney and Aloysius made in the entire series, and magic culture in general'' is deconstructed to devastating effect.
** {{Reconstruction}} again when Courtney connects with the few friends she's made to help her through the climax, relying on Calpurnia's insistence that friends are important -- and when ThePowerOfFriendship [[spoiler: unlocks her SecretArt, and makes her more powerful than ever.]]

* TheFairFolk: The Night Things.

* {{Fireballs}}: Courtney's main method of offense.

* GentlemanWizard: Uncle Aloysius.

* HeartBrokenBadass: [[spoiler:Courtney, after Skarrow is killed.]]

* ImAHumanitarian: Butterworm, among others.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifter: The werewolves.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: Despite being a snarky loner, Courtney does occasionally wonder if something is wrong with her and not the world.

* JadeColoredGlasses: Aloysius, especially in light of hints that he was as idealistic as Courtney when younger.
* JuniorHigh: Courtney attends one.

* KidsAreCruel

* KungFuWizard: Turns out Aloysius is quite a skilled fighter on top of being a warlock.
* LandOfFaerie: The Twilight Kingdom.

** [[spoiler:In ''The Witch Next Door'', Holly learns the fate of every single person Courtney used magic in revenge against, and takes it upon herself to use the magic learnt from Courtney to stop her from hurting more people.]]
** [[spoiler:Soon thereafter, the Council of Mystics discovers on top of the curses, Courtney murdered Hector Hughes with Rawhead and Bloody Bones, and places a warrant for her arrest.]]
* LemonyNarrator: When Butterworm isn't narrating.
** Doubles as AndThatLittleGirlWasMe when the narrator is finally revealed. [[spoiler: It's the Dreadful Duchess's white cat - and Aloysius's long-lost brother - restored to human form and adopted into Courtney's family through some [[RealityWarper fairy magic]]. ]]
* LittleMissSnarker / TheSnarkKnight: Snark gets Courtney through life, sometimes more successfully than others. Part of being very young, though, means that she's secretly very idealistic and her snark results from very little being up to her standards.

* LovecraftCountry: Hillsborough and the neighboring woods.

* TheMagocracy: The Coven of Mystics.
* MagicalLand: The Twilight Kingdom.

* MentorArchetype: Aloysius Crumrin, and later Ms. Calpurnia Crisp.

* {{Muggles}}: Courtney's parents, and most of Hillsborough inhabitants.
* MundaneSolution: Aloysius is a master of this.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Courtney herself is becoming one.
** Tommy Rawhide and Bloody Bones counts. Even if you don't know that it's basically [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Bones another name for the boogeyman]], the name alone should tip you off that he's not someone to meet in a dark room.

* NonHumanLoverReveal: Magda falls for a Gypsy... Who turns out to be a werewolf.

* ParentalNeglect: Courtney's parents don't do a very good job of taking care of her. Not out of spite they just aren't very good at giving her the emotional attention she needs.
** Issue #8 of the current comic series reveals that Courtney's mother actually ''wants'' to understand Courtney better but has a hard time doing so because they're so distant. She actually took Courtney's diary to try and get a better understanding of her daughter but admits she hated invading her privacy. She also states that she's glad Courtney has Aloysius because she relies on him so much.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Courtney temporarily shuns her uncle [[spoiler:after he doesn't save Skarrow.]]
** Again in ''Monster Holiday,'' after [[spoiler: he refuses to help out a group of werewolf Gypsies and a girl who loves one of them.]]

** EmbarrassingRescue: They don't all take having to be saved very well.
* RetiredBadass: Tobermory and Aloysius Crumrin.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The series is all over the scale - Courtney is cynical, lonely, and jaded with the world, and grows ever more so as she discovers just how treacherous witchcraft and the world is. But Aloysius strives to protect her, recognizing she's still got a life and future ahead of her (whereas he's wasted his own losing all he cares for).
** It ends on a bittersweet, but still upbeat note, with Courtney finally understanding how importing it is to have friends.
* SociallyAwkwardHero

* SwordCane: Aloysius has one.
* TalkingAnimal: Cats can speak. They just don't bother to.
* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight
* ThinkingUpPortals
* TheUnderworld: Specifically, Tommy Rawhead's lair.
* UpperClassTwit: Courtney's parents. Or at least this is what they aspire to be, which is probably even sadder.

** Holly Hart counts as one as well. She only [[spoiler: betrays Courtney]] when she discovers how she's punished the children around the town - which, though well-deserved and done when she was a lot more naive, are horrifying to witness.
* WhatTheHellHero: When Courtney and her uncle are on holiday in Europe, Courtney finds herself drawn to the company of a young vampire and starts to find the idea of dying with him to be appealing, since she's tired of everyone she knows dying or leaving her. When her uncle discovers that the vampire has been drinking her blood, he is confused as to how a vampire could get the better of his niece, who is plenty proficient in the use of magic. The owner of the hotel they are staying at promptly tells him off for failing to consider the fact that Courtney is a young girl who had to grow up fast and was thus vulnerable in ways that he was ignoring.

----

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:In ''The Witch Next Door'', Holly learns the fate of every single person Courtney used magic in revenge against, and takes it upon herself to use the magic learnt from Courtney to stop her from hurting more people.]]

* SurpassedTheTeacher: [[spoiler: Courtney, when reading her poetry, accesses power Aloysius couldn't dream of even in his prime.]]

** Reconstructed again when Courtney connects with the few friends she's made to help her through the climax, relying on Calpurnia's insistence that friends are important -- and when ThePowerOfFriendship [[spoiler: unlocks her SecretArt, and makes her more powerful than ever.]]

* AristocratsAreEvil: If not really evil, the Dreadful Dutchess is [[TheFairFolk completely alien]] to human morality.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Courtney is forced to destroy the entire magic community and leave her uncle forever when her parents move. But her uncle will live forever with the Dreadful Dutchess happily, Courtney still has her powerful magical abilities, and she has a new brother as a companion.]]

* CatsHaveNineLives

* ComingOfAgeStory

** Upon being devoured by Tommy Rawhead, the hobgoblin takes your sentient skull to his lair, where you are damned to live forever in his presence without solace.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Skarrow used to be a boy but was turned into a Night Thing by the Dreadful Dutchess. Later, we see that she made another one, probably the baby Courtney was previously babysitting.

** This is also part of [[spoiler: the Dreadful Dutchess's]] FreudianExcuse, and their shared loneliness is how Courtney gets to reason with her.

** Doubles as AndThatLittleGirlWasMe when the narrator is finally revealed. [[spoiler: It's the Dreadful Dutchess's white cat - and Aloysius's long-lost brother - restored to human form and adopted into Courtney's family through some [[RealityWarper fairy magic]]. ]]

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Aloysius is revealed to have failed one as a youth. [[spoiler: The Dreadful Dutchess had imprisoned him as a child when his brother Wilberforce offered to [[TakeMeInstead take his place]]... Aloysius lets him, and Wilberforce is turned into one of her pets. The Dutchess later revealed she would have let them both go had Aloysius refused to go through with the plan.]]

* StealthBasedMission: When trying to rescue her classmates from the Dreadful Dutchess, Courtney offers to distract the Dutchess while her classmates sneak out of her house. [[spoiler: It fails miserably.]]
** Aloysisus manages to do bypass the Dutchess's houses' defenses by doing the exact opposite. Apparently the best way to handle the Dutchess is by mind-controlling a significant amount of the Night Things, and [[ZergRush using them to en masse swarm her house.]]

* AlliterativeName: '''C'''ourtney '''C'''rumrin, '''C'''alpurnia '''C'''risp, '''H'''ector '''H'''ughes, and the '''D'''readful '''D'''utchess.

* AlphaBitch: A girl in Courtney's new school who wears OjouRinglets and starts out the year by extorting Courtney's allowance money from her.

* FateWorseThanDeath: What did the Twilight King do to the man that killed his daughter? [[spoiler:Make him fall in love with her, so he must live with the grief forever.]]

''Courtney Crumrin'' is an independent comic book series written and illustrated by [[http://tednaifeh.com Ted Naifeh.]]

* HalfHumanHybrid: Skarrow used to be a boy but was turned into a Night Thing by the Dreadful Dutchess. later, we see that she made another one, probably the baby Courtney was previously baby-sitting.

** This is also part of [[spoiler: the Dreadful Dutchess']] FreudianExcuse, and their shared loneliness is how Courtney gets to reason with her.

** Doubles as AndThatLittleGirlWasMe when the narrator is finally revealed. [[spoiler: It's the Dreadful Dutchess' white cat - and Aloysius's long-lost brother - restored to human form and adopted into Courtney's family through some [[RealityWarper fairy magic]]. ]]

** Aloysisus manages to do bypass the Dutchess' houses' defenses by doing the exact opposite. Apparently the best way to handle the Dutchess is by mind-controlling a significant amount of the Night Things, and [[ZergRush using them to en masse swarm her house.]]

* KangarooCourt: [[spoiler:Upon sending Aloysius to capture the wanted Courtney, the Council of Mystics promises both he and his niece a fair trial. The actual proceeding is anything but.]]

** [[spoiler: He fails.]]

* [[spoiler: BittersweetEnding: Courtney is forced to destroy the entire magic community and leave her uncle forever when her parents move. But her uncle will live forever with the Dreadful Dutchess happily, Courtney still has her powerful magical abilities, and she has a new brother as a companion.]]

'''''Courtney Crumrin''''' is an independent comic book series written and illustrated by [[http://tednaifeh.com Ted Naifeh.]]

'''''Courtney Crumrin''''' is an independent comic book series written and illustrated by [[http://tednaifeh.com TedNaifeh.]]

Courtney Crumrin is an odd middle-school girl who struggles to connect with much of anyone—including her vapid, self-absorbed parents. When her family finds themselves up to their neck in debt, they move in with her [[TheHermit reclusive Uncle Aloysius]], at his request, in the ominously unsuspecting upper-class town of Hillsborough. Courtney immediately hates the new locale, including the insipid people who inhabit it... Until she finds out that there's more to her "Uncle A" than at first meets the eye. It turns out Aloysius is a powerful warlock, and upon discovering her own potential for wizardry, Courtney begins simultaneously learning about the [[MagicLand mystical]] [[TheUnderworld Underworld]] [[FantasticNatureReserve of magi]], and the [[ComingOfAgeStory tribulations of growing up.]]

* Chapter 00 Prologue (Featured in Oni Press Color Special 2002, collected in the Volume 6 trade.)

** ''Courtney Crumrin & the Prince of Nowhere'')

'''''Courtney Crumrin''''' is an independent comic book series written and illustrated by [[http://tednaifeh.com TedNaifeh]].

Courtney Crumrin is an odd middle-school girl who struggles to connect with much of anyone—including her vapid, self-absorbed parents. When her family finds themselves up to their neck in debt, they move in with her [[TheHermit reclusive Uncle Aloysius]], at his request, in the ominously unsuspecting upper-class town of Hillsborough. Courtney immediately hates the new locale, including the insipid people who inhabit it... Until she finds out that there's more to her "Uncle A" than at first meets the eye. It turns out Aloysius is a powerful warlock, and upon discovering her own potential for wizardry, Courtney begins simultaneously learning about the [[MagicLand mystical]] [[TheUnderworld Underworld]] [[FantasticNatureReserve of magi]], and the [[ComingOfAgeStory tribulations of growing up]].

!!This comic provides examples of the following tropes:

* AdultsAreUseless: played straight with Courtney's parents, averted with Uncle Aloysius and Calpurnia Crisp.

* AlliterativeName: '''C'''ourtney '''C'''rumrin, '''C'''alpurnia '''C'''risp, '''H'''ector '''H'''ughes, and the '''D'''readful '''D'''utchess
** The colour series introduces '''H'''olly '''H'''art, Courtney's new friend, to show how they're NotSoDifferent

* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: [[spoiler:Hermia]] is under a curse until she marries someone she has absolutely no interest in.

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Aloysius is ordered by the Coven of Mystics to capture the wanted Courtney Crumrin. He complies, appearing to be completely in line with their reasoning and oblivious to their planned betrayal of them both -- but in actuality he brings Courtney to court only to reveal that he was actually passing judgment on ''them'', and plans to kill the council after they confirm his suspicions of corruption]].
** [[spoiler:He fails.]]

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When Courtney tries to become popular in her school by using a Charm spell. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] and [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by Courtney herself.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The Twilight King is, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality differences in morality issues aside]], one of the nicest of the Night Things. But do not kill one of his subjects [[spoiler:or daughters]].

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: Courtney is forced to destroy the entire magic community and leave her uncle forever when her parents move. But her uncle will live forever with the Dreadful Dutchess happily, Courtney still has her powerful magical abilities, and she has a new brother as a companion]].
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:When Petru attempts to kill Magda, Alexi blows his brains out.]]

** A doppelgänger of unknown origin tries to take over Courtney's life and erase her from existence.

** The end of ''Courtney Crumrin and the Twilight Kingdom'' suggests that [[spoiler:Connie runs away to the Twilight Kingdom. This is later confirmed in the ''The Witch Next Door'']].

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Malcolm's sick mother is revealed to have actually already died, and her ghost lingers about her home out of fear that Malcolm will be lonely without her there. However, her unnatural presence actually repels him.]]

** Reconstructed again when Courtney connects with the few friends she's made to help her through the climax, relying on Calpurnia's insistence that friends are important - and when ThePowerOfFriendship [[spoiler: unlocks her SecretArt, and makes her more powerful then ever.]]

** Issue 8 of the current comic series reveals that Courtney's mother actually ''wants'' to understand Courtney better but has a hard time doing so because they're so distant. She actually took Courtney's diary to try and get a better understanding of her daughter but admits she hated invading her privacy. She also states that she's glad Courtney has Aloysius because she relies on him so much.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Courtney temporarily shuns her uncle [[spoiler:after he doesn't save Skarrow]].
** Again in ''Monster Holiday'', after [[spoiler:he refuses to help out a group of werewolf Gypsies and a girl who loves one of them]].

* RetiredBadass: Tobermory, and Aloysius Crumrin.

* StealthBasedMission: When trying to rescue her classmates from the Dreadful Dutchess, Courtney offers to distract the Dutchess while her classmates sneak out of her house. [[spoiler: It fails miserably]].
** Aloysisus manages to do bypass the Dutchess' houses' defenses by doing the exact opposite. Apparently the best way to handle the Dutchess is by mind-controlling a signifiant amount of the Night Things, and [[ZergRush using them to en masse swarm her house]].
* SurpassedTheTeacher: [[spoiler:Courtney, when reading her poetry, accesses power Aloysius couldn't dream of even in his prime.]]
** [[spoiler:Aloysius asks Calpurnia before their duel if the "student has become the master." She seems to believe so. She's wrong.]]

* VitriolicBestBuds: Courtney and Malcolm's relationship feels like this. [[spoiler:But in the end the vitriolic won out and they stopped being friends]].

** Courtney sicc'ed Tommy Rawhide on [[spoiler: Hector]], murdering him, but ending his rise to power as CorruptPolitician.

** Courtney gets this herself a couple of times, related to her possibly excessive revenge against [[spoiler:Hector]]. She even wonders herself if it was really justified or if she had less extreme options.

* WolfMan: One hunts down Holly and Courtney in ''The Witch Next Door''.

* {{Homage}}/ShoutOut : The entire plot of 'Coven Of Mystics' works as one to ToKillAMockingbird, which works to tell Courtney's coming-of-age story.

* ''Courtney Crumrin'' ten-issue color series.
* ''Courtney Crumrin Tales: A Portrait of the Warlock as a Young Man''
* ''Courtney Crumrin Tales Volume 2: The League of Ordinary Gentlemen''