Castle Waiting [Hardcover]

Linda Medley (Author)

Book Description

The multiple Harvey and Eisner award-winning fantasy is now collected in one volume! A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil — but about being a hero in your own home.

The 456-page Castle Waiting graphic novel tells the story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life. A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil — but about being a hero in your own home. The opening story, "The Brambly Hedge," tells the origin of the castle itself, which is abandoned by its princess in a comic twist on "Sleeping Beauty" when she rides off into the sunset with her Prince Charming. The castle becomes a refuge for misfits, outcasts, and others seeking sanctuary, playing host to a lively and colorful cast of characters that inhabits the subsequent stories, including a talking anthropomorphic horse, a mysteriously pregnant Lady on the run, and a bearded nun.

For the first time, Fantagraphics' Castle Waiting collects the first volume of the Harvey and Eisner Award-winning* comic book series into one hearty hardcover. Linda Medley lavishly illustrates Castle Waiting in a classic visual style reminiscent of Arthur Rackham and William Heath Robinson. Blending elements from a variety of sources—fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes—Medley tells the story of the everyday lives of fantastic characters with humor, intelligence, and insight into human nature. Castle Waiting can be read on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

*Awards:

• 2007 Eisner Award nominee: Best Graphic Album — Reprint, Best Publication Design (Adam Grano)
• 2007 Harvey Award nominee: Best Graphic Album — Previously Published
• Official Selection, 2008 Festival International de la Bande Desinée de Angoulême (French edition)
• "20 Essential Albums for Summer 2008," l’Association des Critiques de Bandes Dessinées (French edition)
• Finalist, Prix de la Critique 2008, l’Association des Critiques de Bandes Dessinées (French edition)

Black-and-white comics throughout

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A set of linked nouveaux fairy tales, this graphic novel extends the story of Sleeping Beauty into a modern, feminist Chaucer for happy people. After Sleeping Beauty leaves with the prince, the three ladies in waiting, Patience, Prudence and Plenty, stay on in the castle, a hobgoblin-infested structure that becomes a refuge for those in need: a pregnant woman fleeing her abusive husband; Sir Destrier, a horse-headed knight who wants a place to rest between adventures; Beakie, a kindly bachelor merchant; and Sister Peace, a bearded nun. The ladies do things like dye their hair red with henna, but mostly they tell stories of their lives. The art is full of humor; we know each character as soon as we see them. The faces are particularly expressive. The stories of the bearded nuns go on a mite too long, but there's still plenty of humor in their invention of a whole order of nuns dedicated to showing up the idiocies of men. Medley's art is both exquisitely detailed and fantastically lighthearted. Though appropriate for all ages, this one-of-a-kind graphic novel is likely to appeal most to smart women in their 20s and older—much older—and to any man who believes in feminism and knows how to laugh. (May)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–With its quiet blend of fantasy, folktales, and character-driven storytelling, this charming collection brings the first 12 issues of an Eisner Award-winning comic-book series to a wider audience. It opens with The Brambly Hedge, which gives the origin of the castle itself. In a comic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, a medieval castle and its loving inhabitants are abandoned when the princess wakes up, finds her Prince Charming, and rides off into the sunset with him. The castle transforms into an outpost of sorts for the unusual, the unwanted, and those just needing a place to hide from the world. Talking chivalrous horses, pregnant mothers on the run, and nuns who were once bearded ladies in the circus are just a few of the colorful inhabitants whose stories fill the remainder of the volume. Medleys storytelling becomes more assured and complex as the series progresses, and she uses flashbacks and stories-within-stories in a manner that creates a rhythm that is both fun and gripping. Hard-edged lines with simple forms create black-and-white artwork that melds nicely with the fairy-tale feel of the stories. This volume is accessible for younger readers but filled with enough layers and depth to satisfy those looking for a bit more sophistication.–Matthew L. Moffett, Fords Theatre Society, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (May 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560977477
• ISBN-13: 978-1560977476
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Fantagraphics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant beginning., February 27, 2007

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Castle Waiting (Hardcover)

Linda Medley, Castle Waiting (Fantagraphics, 2006)

After I finished reading Castle Waiting, I went online and frantically looked for any evidence that there would eventually be a volume 2. If you take this as a stand-alone book, the ending is the very definition of "unsatisfactory"-- a vast number of questions are left unanswered, complex plots just beginning to tie themselves together, a host of characters whose richness and depth has yet to be explored. As the beginning of a sweeping epic, on the other hand, this is just the ticket, and Castle Waiting promises to be the graphic novel answer to the huge, literate fantasy series that have been taking readers by storm recently.

Castle Waiting is the tale of, not surprisingly, a castle, and the host of odd characters who inhabit it. I can't think of a way to even begin explaining the plot of this, as just about anything I could say would constitute some spoiler or another about one or more of the characters, and the characters are what drive this narrative. Perhaps it's more appropriate to say that, while there is a plot to this (in fact, a pretty good number of plots, subplots, etc.), all of them live in the service of letting us get to know Medley's unforgettable collection of characters. The first half of the book gives us an overview of the entire cast; the second focuses on the story of Sister Peace, one of the castle's inhabitants, and how she came to reside there. Medley's motley crew are the finest bunch of malcontents, mysteries, and muddlers I've come across since discovering the wonderful world of Bone, and now that I've read the first book, I'm champing at the bit for the rest of the tale. (The fact that it took medley ten years to draw this one has done nothing to curtail the current erosion of my tooth enamel.) A wonderful book that stands to be enjoyed both by existing fans of the graphic novel and fans of epic fantasy who've never picked up a comic book in their lives. Trust me-- you'll love this. **** ½

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About time! Well worth the wait!, February 26, 2006

By 

C. Aumiller "theatrefreak1985" (Ft. Wayne, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Castle Waiting (Hardcover)

Linda Medley's Castle Waiting series is one of the most best and underappreciated comic series of all time. This volume begins with the story called the Curse of Brambley Hedge, the prequel to the Castle Waiting Series, which puts a clever twist on the story of Sleeping Beauty and does a great job of setting up the main series. The first story arc concerns the flight of a young pregnant woman (Jain) from her abusive husband. She finds refuge in Castle Waiting, a magical castle inhabited by unique characters from various fairy tales. In this first story arc the gang has many zany adventures from escaping bandits on the road to a dangerous experiment with hair dye. The second story arc takes place in two different settings. While most of the gang is fixing the roof, Jain and Sister Peace are inside. Jain asks Sister Peace about her past and the telling of that tale makes up the majority of this arc. Castle Waiting is such a great series, and I'm so glad that Linda Medley has been picked up by a new company and is back at work on the series! Look for the arc three issues to start coming out soon!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some the best comics has to offer, November 30, 2006

By 

John Dominguez (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Castle Waiting (Hardcover)

Finally! Castle Waiting in a harcover trade format. I've followed this book in serial form for 10 years and it's a joy to have it collected in one thick volume. This was the first comic I gave my then 9 year old sister and got her hooked onto reading comics. She's now 19 and we still enjoy reading Castle Waiting together when possible. The story is not over though, Fantagraphics has put out 3 issues (at the time of this review) of Volume 2 about 100 pgs worth. I recommend you go out and pick them up. You do want to know who Pindar's father is right? (if you picked up the single issues you'd have a clue on one of the back covers--thanks Sis for pointing that out). Or how Iron Henry lost his heart? Or where Rackham came from?