Comments on: *Castle Waiting — Best of 2006

By: Good Comics Out January 2 » Comics Worth Reading

Good Comics Out January 2 » Comics Worth Reading — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:25:14 +0000

[...] from the hardcover except for Jane Yolen’s introduction (and the ribbon book marker). The original hardcover was one of my best of 2006; it’s a gorgeous twist on fairy tales, concentrating on daily life [...]

By: Comics I Read Recently: X-Factor 237, Bad Medicine 1-2, Castle Waiting 16, Back Issue 57 » Comics Worth Reading

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:52:48 +0000

[...] noble Jain and her baby’s move into new quarters. It’s also a callback to the original Castle Waiting story, The Curse of Brambly Hedge, as the original ladies-in-waiting to Sleeping Beauty go overboard with [...]

By: *Castle Waiting Volume 2 — Best of 2010 » Comics Worth Reading

*Castle Waiting Volume 2 — Best of 2010 » Comics Worth Reading — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:11:15 +0000

[...] had high expectations for Castle Waiting, given that the first volume was outstanding, and I wasn’t disappointed. I found Volume 2 so strong, in fact, that it was [...]

By: Slush Pile: Unemployed Man, Shadrach Stone, Forget Sorrow, Athena Voltaire, Screamland, Return of the Dapper Men, Sixsmiths, Francis Sharp, I See the Promised Land » Comics Worth Reading

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:39:10 +0000

[...] story follows a classic plot, the art is outstanding, well-cartooned and dynamic. I was reminded of Castle Waiting, although Sabo’s style is more like Craig Thompson’s. There’s an online preview [...]

By: Good Comics Out November 17 » Comics Worth Reading

Good Comics Out November 17 » Comics Worth Reading — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:34:17 +0000

[...] as my book of this week, Castle Waiting Volume 2 (Fantagraphics, $30). The first Castle Waiting book was one of my Best of 2006, and I anticipate similarly great things from the followup. Linda Medley [...]

By: Coming Up: Graphic Novels Due November 2010 (or Later) » Comics Worth Reading

Coming Up: Graphic Novels Due November 2010 (or Later) » Comics Worth Reading — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:37:32 +0000

[...] about time! I adore Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting, and after four years, I’m especially eager to read Volume 2 (Fantagraphics, SEP10 1022, [...]

By: Vid

Vid — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:22:51 +0000

I was surprised my local library had the hardcover version of Castle Waiting. I like fantasy and was looking forward to reading stories of the peripheral characters of some of the more popular fairy tales.

It certainly started out that way. I appreciated the clean, well defined art, style and interesting cast of characters. It kind of reminded me a bit of Bone another fantasy book I liked but not cartoony and more mature.

However, I thought there were way too many pages that were focused on tales of the bearded women flashbacks. I think this takes up at least the last 1/3 of the hardcover. The first few stories were fine but then it dragged on and on at the expense of the present-day characters. It felt more like a Castle Waiting spinoff.

I would still recommend at least the first half of the hardcover as well worth reading. I hope to see the continued publication of the comics.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:30:53 +0000

Bummer… but I’m sure it will be worth the wait! Maybe I will track down some of those issues in the meantime. Such good stuff! And thanks for the update.

By: Eric Reynolds

Eric Reynolds — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:12:36 +0000

No new collection this year, Johanna — Linda still has a few issues to go to finish up this storyline. Probably late-2009….

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:02:43 +0000

True, true. I’m hoping that a new collection will be out later this year, too, since that’s my favorite way to read it.

By: John

John — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:59:42 +0000

Hello Johanna,

I thought it worth pointing out that Castle Waiting is still being published as a comicbook series, by Fantagraphics. This series is up to issue number 11 now. Back copies can bought through the Fantagraphics website.

By: Paul Worthington

Paul Worthington — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:19:54 +0000

I have all the original issues — and I love the hardback volume. While another artist’s work might suffer due to the slightly smaller size, Medley’s clear linework looks wonderful.
This book is an excellent value, and a great read.

By: JennyN

JennyN — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:53:57 +0000

I second Joanna’s comment about the difficulty of tracking down the original issues (none of which came from a large publisher). It so happens that I do have them, and love the beautiful covers – those for the first seven are particularly subtle – and the interesting and thoughtful letters pages. BUT sourcing them required crafty tracking on eBay plus the willingness to spend a fair amount on the comics themselves, postage etc. I really don’t feel that the collected volume is problematic in any way – and you can order colour plates from Ms Medley’s website to tip in on the blank pages! IMO, it’s an elegant solution to the problem of having all-issues-but-one and other collecting heartaches

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:21:03 +0000

I think you’re greatly overstating the case. The smaller size is much more comfortable to hold and read, since it’s an almost 500-page book, and I found absolutely no problems with the art. It didn’t seem squashed at all, and it wasn’t harder to read.

Recommending readers try to track down 14 issues and a special from two different publishers (plus, don’t forget the two short stories from other sources) instead of this one attractive book is ludicrous, I think. Although then you would see the short stories in color. I guess that might be a concern for some.

By: Michael Rawdon

Michael Rawdon — Mon, 26 May 2008 04:36:58 +0000

This was the book which taught me to read carefully when a hardcover volume was solicited in previews, as the dimensions of this book are considerably smaller than normal comic book size, which makes the book harder to read, and squashes the artwork so it’s a lot harder to appreciate. I’m going to sell my copy of this volume and instead hold on to the full-size trade paperback of the earlier issues, and the individual comic book issues of the rest.

I agree this is terrific material, but I’d recommend to potential readers that they skip the undersized hardcover volume and instead seek out the individual issues, which I think offers a better reading experience overall.

(If the collection is ever reissued full-size, I’d happily snap up a copy, though.)

By: Happy Holidays! Best of 2006 » Comics Worth Reading

Happy Holidays! Best of 2006 » Comics Worth Reading — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:33:11 +0000

[...] Castle Waiting Linda Medley’s fairy tales are gorgeous and funny, populated with characters you want to visit a tavern with. [...]