Taming the night things: At Newsarama, one of my favorite creators, Ted Naifeh, talks about the upcoming Death Junior tie-in, his somewhat unexpected Emma Frost short for X-Men Unlimited, the success of Courtney Crumrin, and the future of How Loathsome:

"As a comic, Courtney has only a limited appeal, because it isn’t really aimed at the mainstream audience. I’m not going to go into the whole nonsense about comics needing superheroes to be successful, but your typical successful comic is colorful, high-energy, and sexy. Courtney is none of these things (although I think Uncle Aloysius is pretty hot for an old guy). But outside the comics world, the book’s appeal skyrockets. Most of my fan letters are from kids who picked it up in Borders while looking through the manga. And most of them are women. From the beginning of my career, I wanted to reach a multi-gendered audience out beyond the confines of the comics shop. But I certainly didn’t think I’d do so well with my very first written effort.

"Now, Oni is talking about expanding the merchandise. Plushies have been discussed. I dream of a scowling little Courtney wobble-head. It’s all been very exciting, and it’s only the beginning."