Night Things & Monster Compendiums

"Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things", independent comic series, written and illustrated by Ted Naifeh

Dark, Gothic Fantasy set in the 21st century.

Edward Gorey

Basic plot: Young girl with an unstable support system and parents too dead set on adapting themselves to their new classist suburban surroundings to function as emotionally mature or avalible caregivers. Moves in with her reclusive, esoteric great uncle only to discover he and the house are entangled with the world of the Night Things, malicious creatures, goblin, and fae from traditional european folklore.

Also see, short poem, "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti

Folklore and fairy tales have been used as consequential warnings and to teach moral lessons about the real world. [Modern narrative game choices often serve this same purpose.] Courtney Crumrin retains the original heart and soul of this inspired medium by following these rules.

Each chapter follows a relatively simple format, starting with Courtney's encounter with the Night Things. The encounter usually functions as a direct interruption or obstacle to Courtney's attempts at normalcy (IE the kid from your babysitting gig getting stolen and replaced by changelings), and is often paired with an illusion of choice. (Moral Responsibility vs. Ignorance and Self-Preservation). A combination of wit and her knowledge of the night things, usually stemming from her grandfather's unpermitted research, resolves the interruption, and she is pulled back into normalcy. Each loop drives her further into the world of the night things before her Great Uncle can temporarily unsnarl her from the night world.

This narrative trope, using the 'monster compendium', can also be seen within "Gravity Falls", "Fablehaven", and "How to Train Your Dragon", where the protagonist has a physical log about a creature and world they use as a guiding tool against encounters. These encounters additionally serve to approve or disprove the original log, usually both relying on the information and the reader's ability to interpret, adapt, or fill in the blanks. This is similar to characters using logs to learn and encounter a magic system in any classic fantasy trope (think of literally any Witches, Wizards, and spellbook-centered media off the top of your head).