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A review by mackle13
Courtney Crumrin Vol. 4, Volume 4: Monstrous Holiday by Ted Naifeh
4.0
3.5
I may have mentioned once or twice (or thrice) how much I love these new editions of the Crumrin books with color. The color really adds depth to Neifah's illustrations - even when the story itself is in the dark, so we're mostly dealing with various shades of greys and blues and purples.
Anyway -
This story was definitely on the sad side. It combines two short stories which are, as the title suggests, episodes which happen during the course of holidays that Courtney takes with Uncle A. But more than the specifics of the story, they really deal a lot with Courtney's loneliness and her relationship with Aloysius - the way these two strange individuals rub along together, sometimes together but often at odds.
Poor Courtney wants so much from Uncle A - a family and friend and mentor - and he, being so closed off for so long, just doesn't really know how to be what she needs.
My favorite part, by far, is when another character sort of takes A to task for expecting too much of Courtney. ^_^
***
My only real complaint with the stories is that the second seems rushed, especially the end. A lot seems to happen very quickly, and I think some of the emotional punch is lost in its brevity.
That said, it left me wanting more - and I'm happy to know that more's coming. For the longest time I thought this was mostly the end of the series, aside from some stand alones about A when he was younger, but there's another coming out in trade soon, and I'm very excited. :>
I may have mentioned once or twice (or thrice) how much I love these new editions of the Crumrin books with color. The color really adds depth to Neifah's illustrations - even when the story itself is in the dark, so we're mostly dealing with various shades of greys and blues and purples.
Anyway -
This story was definitely on the sad side. It combines two short stories which are, as the title suggests, episodes which happen during the course of holidays that Courtney takes with Uncle A. But more than the specifics of the story, they really deal a lot with Courtney's loneliness and her relationship with Aloysius - the way these two strange individuals rub along together, sometimes together but often at odds.
Poor Courtney wants so much from Uncle A - a family and friend and mentor - and he, being so closed off for so long, just doesn't really know how to be what she needs.
My favorite part, by far, is when another character sort of takes A to task for expecting too much of Courtney. ^_^
***
My only real complaint with the stories is that the second seems rushed, especially the end. A lot seems to happen very quickly, and I think some of the emotional punch is lost in its brevity.
That said, it left me wanting more - and I'm happy to know that more's coming. For the longest time I thought this was mostly the end of the series, aside from some stand alones about A when he was younger, but there's another coming out in trade soon, and I'm very excited. :>