Courtney Crumrin, Volume Six – The Final Spell

Of all the comic series that have surprised me the most when I got around to reading them, I would have to say that Courtney Crumrin tops the cake.  I purchased this series, honestly, because the hardcover collection of seven volumes was so nicely bound with Gothic-style covers, and, of course, it carried a female lead.  I wasn’t really sure about the art, though, as I had turned aside this series many times when I would see the individual issues in the stores based solely on the art.  Now, though, six volumes in, and I am thoroughly engrossed in Courtney’s story and hate to see it reach an end.

The Final Spell brings to culmination several stories that have been brewing in the background over the course of the series.  Uncle Aloysius’ failing health.  The coven’s ultimate self-serving goals. The real secret the Duchess is keeping in the Twilight Kingdom. And, perhaps most important of all – the true nature and strength of Courtney Crumrin’s powers as a witch.

Author and illustrator, Ted Naifeh, tells a fast-paced story, jam-packed with adventure and mystery and surprises. This volume picks up immediately after the ending of volume five, with Courtney and her teacher, Calpurnia, are on the run from the Coven, who desperately want to place Courtney on trial for all of the magical trouble she has been causing.  But not before we get a four page prologue – four pages of two little boys in the past – two little boys who sneak into the Twilight Kingdom and come face to face with the Duchess – face to face with an impossible decision that will separate them forever…but which decision will ultimately have a profound affect on Courtney’s life, changing it in the most unexpected way!

The battle is definitely fierce, spanning pretty much the entire volume, as Courtney and her teacher run from place to place, ending with Courtney on her own, hiding out in the Twilight Kingdom, where she must face her own uncle.  And readers get a small taste of what Courtney’s life would have been like had she never known any magic – had she lived the “normal” life of a “normal” child, being bullied, having no friends, and watching each day go by without any hope for a change.  But, as with her former reality, Uncle Aloysius opens the door once again, leading to a spectacular final battle with the coven of Hillsborough.

The art, which has grown on me more and more with each volume, maintains consistency, and the purple / blue / gray coloring keeps the moodiness of the series at the appropriate level.  The art is very cinematic in nature, and the panels flow so easily, one into the other, and the change of scenes work flawlessly to speed the story along.  Naifeth has definitely become one of my favorite artists these days.

This volume provides a nice, neatly tied-up ending to Courtney Crumrin’s story, which begs the question – what in the world does Volume Seven hold in store?

RATING:  10 hands of fire out of 10 for giving Courtney Crumrin and ending that she so rightly deserves!