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Castle Waiting is the story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life. A fable for modern times, it 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 chapter 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. 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.… (more)
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This was a lovely book from start to finish. Linda Medley has a real gift for imbuing a story with warmth and life. Despite its fairy tale antecedents, this isn't a conventionally
There's also a real emphasis on strong women. Feminists who find traditional fairy tales too patriarchal will certainly appreciate what these characters are capable of.
The artwork, like the story, is beautifully done. Medley has a real feel for pacing; her paneling draws the story out perfectly, and helps create several truly humorous moments. The lines are clean and expressive, and there's a nice level of detail.
The book isn't quite perfect, though. Since it is the first volume in a larger work, (the second should be out in early 2008!), the overarching narrative doesn't come together as well as it could. It's more a collection of shorter tales about the inhabitants of the castle, with particular emphasis on Sister Peace. Hopefully future collections will answer some of the questions this volume raises about the rest of the characters.
Highly, highly recommended to graphic novel readers who like moving, personal stories.
After the retelling of Sleeping Beauty, the comic picks up many years later with Lady Jain. She is pregnant and traveling on her own, hoping to find and take refuge in the legendary Castle Waiting (which was castle Sleeping Beauty abandoned to live Happily Ever After with her prince). Once there she meets an eccentric and unique cast of characters who have their own stories to share. The book, and their stories, are lighthearted and absolutely delightful. (I dare you to read it without smiling.) A large part of the book is devoted to Sister Peace's background. I absolutely adored her, and while all of Castle Waiting's denizens are wonderful, she was my favorite.
The artwork is wonderful. Simple, yet detailed, black line drawings convey an incredible amount of emotion. Linda Medley is a master of her art--she knows when a subtle change is more effective than a more blatant one, and when dramatic action works better than something more quiet. Her pacing is perfect, and not a single panel is wasted. I was tremendously pleased and impressed to find that Medley's work is invariably consistent. The book itself is well put together--it is simply a really nice book physically in addition to the beautifully executed art.
Originally, Medley struggled to have her series published, eventually self-publishing the individual issues of the comic. Eventually, Fantagraphics picked it up and published a collection of the series so far. Medley continued working on the series and a second compilation will hopefully be printed. I would love to see where she takes things. At the end of the first volume there are plenty of threads left open that could be followed. Overall, Castle Waiting, with all its quirkiness, is a marvelous series that I can easily recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story. And I do hope it continues.
Experiments in Reading
This graphic novel would be an excellent tool to use when studying comparisons and contrasts. A teacher could allow students to use a Venn diagram to compare and contrasts the the themes in Castle Waiting and those in the original fairytales. Even though this book could work well in a classroom, I do have some concerns about it. Some parents may not think that the language in the book is appropriate for their children. Also, there are some obscure implications made that could be questionable to some. Having witches and demons as characters may also disturb some parents.
This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read, and it was much more enjoyable than I anticipated. Although I was not completely comfortable with all the themes or characters in the story, this book was a great play on the typical fairytale. I loved the illustrations and thought that they really carried the story. I did love the mixture of human characters and more whimsical characters such as a talking horse who is most definitely a ladies man and a stork that also happens to be the steward of a castle. The ironic and unique qualities of this book kept me laughing.
Enter Lady Jain, an expectant mother running away (from what, we don't exactly know). She finds Castle Waiting and is immediately embraced by all who live there.
Add in a long subplot about an abbey full of beaded ladies. It was a little strange, but the characters are so likeable that I was still engrossed. A lot of stuff is not explained (like just exactly who is Jain's husband and why is she running away and why is her son GREEN?), so I'm hoping for a sequel!
This is a compilation of comics that were published over the course of several years. As a result, the stories are tied together loosely and many questions are raised without being answered, which is frustrating at times. But a sequel is coming out in 2008, so hopefully we'll get to hear the rest of the story then!
This story has a slight feminist edge while still including many positive male characters, and it may appeal to boys as well as girls. The story-within-a-story-within-a-story format may be harder for younger readers to follow, but the content is appropriate for junior high and up.
The current residents of Castle Waiting are just that; they are waiting. Waiting for a new king to take residence in the castle after the last king was killed while trying to protect his daughter from a fate curiously similar to that of Sleeping Beauty. In the meantime, while they are waiting, they take in any stranger who is seeking refuge there, where we meet Lady Jain, who has a secret all her own about her unborn child. (The story leaves several mysteries unsolved, that I hope will be revealed in later editions.) We also meet Prudence, Patience and Plenty, the last remaining original inhabitants of the castle, the metalsmith Iron Henry, castle steward Rackham Adjutant, castle cook Dinah Lucina and her son Simon, Dr. Fell, Sister Peace of the Solicitines and Chess, the castle knight. Together they create a hodgepodge of a family that comes together and takes care of their own. It's a great story of diversity and how that diversity can bring people together under then most mundane or special ways.
Linda Medley's story left me laughing in several places, and her art is fresh and unencumbered. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel!
On the lookout for other suggestions in graphic novels
I hadn't heard of this series before and got my hands on the gorgeous, hardbound collection. You really do feel like you're picking up an old book of fairy tales. While I liked the entire cast of characters, I loved Sister Peace and the Solicitine nuns. An order of kick-ass bearded nuns may just be the best thing I've ever heard of. The artwork is well done and can look fairly simple while actually being very detailed.
I didn't realize that this was a continuing story (or at least, it was recontinued recently) until I finished and realized I'd only heard Sister Peace's story. I can't wait to read more. If you want to read something like The Canterbury Tales, but with magic and a little less bawdiness (no one has a hot poker shoved where the sun don't shine). I can't recommend this enough!
The story mostly follows pregnant Lady Jain Solander. She left her husband after the father of her child (not her husband in case you were wondering) dies. She is quickly accepted by most of the castles inhabitants (Rackham a bird man, Iron Henry a handy man, Simon and his mother, Dr Fell and Sister Peace of the Order Solicitine to name a few). Through her we learn the stories of the castles inhabitants as she gets to know them and they are loosly based on many different fairy tales and myths.
This was a lovely collection and a must for all fairy tale lovers. It had simple yet lovely artwork and is a real labour of love. My favourite story was that of Sister Peace who is from an Order of Bearded Nuns. She spent some time in a circus where she tended bar before finding her calling which is helping others. Volume two is due for release I believe and I am very much looking forward to catching up with my favourite characters and hopefully meeting some new ones.
I found the stereotypes unsettling. The horse-stealing, baby-trading gypsies provoked my first 'ick' moment, followed by the autocratic, cruel Muslim father who has a touch of the "evil vizier" look (Q: Wasn't Wilgeforis' father supposed to be the king of Portugal? Was Portugal Muslim at this point? A: It depends on when it's set). I understand that this is an older book, but my modern eyes were uncomfortable.
However, Medley gets at least one star for the inclusion of the nuns of St. Wilgeforte, a saint who has a wonderful story and is one of my favourites. That's the kind of religious order I could get behind.
I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. I loved the classic format of the book, very elegant and fancy-old. The characters were amazing, so unique and fun and just hilarious. The story was wonderfully magical and fantastical and strange. There are so many rich eccentric characters and you just want to know everything there is to them. The story definitely leaves you wanting more and thank goodness there is a second volume, because I can’t wait to read it.
From a storytelling standpoint, the nuns' story goes on for far too long, dragging by about the mid-point. (If a character in your back-story flashback stops to give you a back-story flashback, then you may need to rethink the work's
The second issue is the stereotyping. The horse-thieving, child-kidnapping gypsies are the most egregious and offensive example, though the section set in the Middle East, with a cruel sultan and noble Christian martyr, also deserves mention.
There's certainly potential for a great work here, but I don't think it quite reaches it. That said, I will still check out the second volume to see if the author has managed to improve on these issues.