I have a Comic 4 U!

Courtney Crumrin is a comic that explores the dark side of childhood

For those who prefer something with a little more of an edge than a lighthearted story when venturing into a new genre or media, a good starting comic might be Ted Neifeh’s series Courtney Crumrin.

On March 30, 2020, UTD resumed classes after an extended spring break – and everything about being a college student instantly changed. From attending class to engaging with faculty and friends or even taking exams, college life was suddenly unfamiliar for both students and faculty.

What students did not know, however, was that the University survived and thrived during the pandemic because of the sacrifices made by an endless number of hidden heroes who worked all hours of the day, night and weekend to make sure that students and faculty had what they needed.

Running a university is like managing the supply chain of a major corporation. When the pandemic hit, every aspect of our operations had to be reinvented and communicated to students, faculty, university leaders and even our community stakeholders.

UTD Registrar Jennifer McDowell and her team reconfigured everything from course modalities, class schedules and registration processes to class sizes and physical spaces. They also implemented the constantly changing academic policies around grading, enrollment and probation — just to name a few. The Office of Financial Aid dispersed huge amounts of federal COVID-19 aid to help students with bills, tuition and expected financial hardships. The Bursar Office worked with students to help manage tuition payments, loans and financial delays. The Comet Cupboard –led by staff in the Office of Undergraduate Education – worked throughout the pandemic to distribute donated food to thousands of students, while unheralded staff members volunteered their time to hand out food from a parking garage stall. The Office of Information Technology

Academic advisors were on the front line tending to students who were more comfortable with face-to-face service, while staff in the International Students and Scholars Office, led by Josephine Vitta, made sure that the pipeline of future international students received their I-20s and got their CPT and OPT paperwork approved. Enrollment management staff in central administration and colleagues inside each school made every effort to not let the pandemic derail the recruitment of new students for upcoming semesters. This took extraordinary effort without a single face-to-face event or in-person recruiting experience. Departmental staff were constantly crafting marketing messages and helping deliver endless webinars to prospective and current students. Others managed the daily needs of students in their designated degree programs. The Student Health Center and the OEMCP constantly monitored COVID testing, contact tracing and social distancing for every person on campus.

Critical staff came to the rescue of hundreds of students on campus who experienced the harshest winter storms in the history of North Texas during the pandemic. Our facilities and maintenance teams kept our buildings clean to ensure a safe learning environment. Even the University grounds maintenance crews were beautifying the campus with newly landscaped areas and entrance signage so we would have a lovely place to return to. And finally, we cannot forget our UTD Police force that worked 24/7 and was relentless in its effort to protect the campus community. These are only some of the hidden heroes among us. There are dozens more whose sacrifices helped our university survive a pandemic and who continue

SEE HEROES, PAGE 8

In short, Courtney Crumrin is about a child moving to a new town and into the house of a relative, where she experiences general childhood experiences. But instead of experiencing lighthearted things like playing outside with friends, going to school, and getting in wholesome trouble, it focuses on the darker side of childhood: experiences such as being ostracized, emotionally neglected, experiencing loneliness and feeling powerless. These themes are explored through its complex narrative that takes place in a dark fantasy world parallel to ours, but filled with witches, warlocks, night markets and magical creatures.

While other comic book series have a large main cast filled with many side characters, Courtney Crumrin has a much smaller main cast that consists of only Courtney, the main character, and her uncle Aloysius. At first their dynamic is cold and distant, but as the story progresses it morphs into a mentor-apprentice relationship and finally into a familial bond. Having such a small main cast works for this series because Courtney and Aloysius constantly act as each other's foils, so through their dynamic the author is able to explore what loneliness does to somebody but also how kinship can save a person.

As for the few side characters that we see our main cast interact with, they don’t stick around much. They are predominantly there to further the main plot's narrative, themes of loneliness, and need for kinship. Yet, that doesn’t take away the added complexity and world building that these side characters bring with them. And at points, the setting of the magical world within our “normal” one can feel like a character of its own; as the narrative progresses, becomes more complex, and starts to wrap up, so does this magical world. For example, at the beginning of the series this other world is only mentioned, but as the story progresses we see it slowly become revealed, at first with hazy depictions of gothic architecture and then eventually with fantastical forests and landscapes.

Now, having a series of a darker and fantastical nature requires an artistic style that’s fitting. Neifeh does this by illustrating the series with a striking gothic style that is detailed, sharp, and expressive. At times it can be unsettling and at others it can be incredibly soft,

SEE COURTNEY, PAGE 8