First, a bit of backstory for those unfamiliar with Courtney Crumrin. Courtney is a young witch-in-training that lives with her Uncle Aloysius, who himself is a very powerful warlock. They live in a small remote town rife with magical creatures known as Night Things. Prior to this ongoing, Oni Press released four volumes of Courtney Crumin and two stories that featured her Uncle Aloysius as a young man.

Rather than treading old ground or relying on exposition to bring new readers into the fold, writer/artist Ted Naifeh wisely introduces a new character, so that through her eyes we are reacquainted with the setting and characters in a way that is completely organic to the story.

And it is the relationship between this new character, Holly, and Courtney that becomes the crux of the story. On her first day at school, Holly finds herself ostracized from her peers. She is immediately attracted to the one other kid that looks as shunned as her, Courtney. Courtney finds herself in the unusual position of having someone her age to socialize with and care about. Inevitably, Holly is drawn into Courtney’s world. But can Holly handle the supernatural as well as Courtney does?

Unlike in most stories of this type, Courtney doesn’t enter into this friendship naively. She knows full well that Holly could turn on her at any time. She’s forced to decide between keeping this new girl at arm’s length or to share her greatest secrets with someone that could end up betraying her.

Ted Naifeh makes writing all-ages comics look effortless. His stories never include sex or excessive violence, but include such a degree of nuance that they make comics that depend on such things look juvenile and amateurish in comparison. Courtney Crumrin has always been one of my favorite comic series, so I was quite excited to hear about this new ongoing. I’m pleased to see that Ted Naifeh is still in fighting form and I greatly look forward to more adventures in Courtney’s world.