Revised Edition of Castle Waiting Volume 2 Termed “Definitive”

Castle Waiting Volume 2: The Definitive Edition

I enjoy Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting, a modern take on a fairy tale world, a lot. In fact, the first edition of this second collection was my best graphic novel of 2010, when it was released.

However, there were unanswered questions about that release, since it didn’t really have an ending and the author’s name wasn’t anywhere on the cover. Now that that book is out of print, Fantagraphics and Medley have released an updated “definitive edition” that’s gone from 375 pages to 464 to finish off the story. It includes Castle Waiting #16-18, and a few of the chapters have been broken up with new dividing points.

Castle Waiting Volume 2: The Definitive Edition

Jain is moving into a new room, with space for her baby, while two Dwarves (although they prefer Hammerlings) come to visit and help with renovations. Although the story is simple, covering how life continues for the inhabitants of the castle, it’s engrossing and beautifully drawn. I was surprised, reading the whole thing at once, how much of what figures in the final chapters was mentioned very early on. It gave me new appreciation for Medley’s long-term storytelling.

Because they’re so cute, I adored the house sprites, a motley collection of beings with their own pigin language. Medley also has a deft hand portraying creative, unusual ways of thinking. Every character has something to recommend him or her, and we learn a lot more about many of the cast’s histories here.

I wonder about the future of the series. Those new issues came out last year, with the last in November. Since then, there haven’t been any additional issues released or solicited. I like the series a lot, so I hope there’s still more to come. (The publisher provided a review copy.)



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