Polly and the Pirates, Volume 1 - Softcover

Broken Frontier:

"Ted Naifeh, best known for his series Courtney Crumrin, has crafted a fun and entertaining tale that probably appeals to the young at heart more than it does to the young, but that's a strength rather than a weakness. It's truly an all-ages comic..."

All Ages Reads:

"Polly is a good read, and a lot of fun."

Comic Pants:

"Beneath its vibrantly colored cover, is a story that can easily succeed in finding the kid in all of us."

"It isn't very often that a book this entertaining happens along, one that is so across the board approachable to young kids and adults alike."

"Ted Naifeh is a master craftsmen and is armed with a sharp wit and a keen ability to write."

"When a writer allows a reader into every nook and cranny of a character, even such as the way he or she talks, it aids to the full immersion of a story, which is exactly what happened to me when I read this. I felt as if I was truly out on the high seas, treasure in my veins and a blade at my side, ready for action and able to tackle any feat."

"Polly and the Pirates was more fun that I had expected."

Prospero's Manga:

"This one jumps high on my list of books I would hand to any kid, any where, any time, and tell them to read."

"[Polly has] just the right mix of cleverness and honor and humor for all-ages readers."

Yet Another Comics Blog:

"[Ted] Naifeh really makes the story come alive with wit and adventure and interesting characters."

"[Polly's] transformation from wallflower to mover-and-shaker plays out across the entire book, and comes across as perfectly logical and understandable."

"It's in many ways a more fantastical version of San Francisco, one that still has larger-than-life figures like the self-proclaimed Emperor Norton, but has gone a step further."

"So many things in Polly and the Pirates are shown rather than stated, and the end result is a book that treats its readers as intelligent people and doesn't waste time assuming otherwise. It's a refreshing change from so many books that seem to think "all-ages" means "too dimwitted to understand."

"Fans of Courtney Crumrin shouldn't be disappointed that Naifeh took a detour into Polly and the Pirates; rather, they should be excited that now they have a second Naifeh-created series to fall in love with."

Ted Naifeh first appeared in the independent comics scene in 1999 as the artist for Gloomcookie, the goth romance comic he co-created with Serena Valentino for SLG Publishing. After a successful run, Ted decided to strike out on his own, writing and drawing Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things, a spooky children’s fantasy series about a grumpy little girl and her adventures with her Warlock uncle. Nominated for an Eisner Award for best limited series, Courtney Crumrin’s success paved the way for Polly and the Pirates, another children’s book, this time about a prim and proper girl kidnapped by pirates convinced she was the daughter of their long-lost queen. Over the next few years, Ted wrote four volumes of Courtney Crumrin, plus a spin off book about her uncle. He also co-created How Loathsome with Tristan Crane, and illustrated two volumes of the videogame tie-in comic Death Junior with screenwriter Gary Whitta. More recently, he illustrated The Good Neighbors, a three volume graphic novel series written by New York Times best-selling author Holly Black, published by Scholastic. In 2011, Ted wrote the sequel to Polly and the Pirates, and illustrated several Batman short stories for DC Comics. In 2012, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Courtney Crumrin, he wrote and illustrated the final two volumes of the series. Currently, you can find Ted everywhere: from the pages of Batman ‘66 to his newest original series for adults, Night’s Dominion. Ted lives in San Francisco, because he likes dreary weather.