New Book: Castle Waiting Vol. 2 by Linda Medley

I mentioned Castle Waiting (Vol. 2) (Castle Waiting (Fantagraphic Books)) by Linda Medley last May, several months before its December release, but forgot to highlight it upon its release date. Castle Waiting has a small cult following. Medley's name has been removed from the published book with no comment from either author or publisher but the work is hers all the same. I won't venture any futher into those waters, but you can read a review and some other thoughts on it at She Has No Head! – Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting Volume II by Kelly Thompson.

And, yes, this does use fairy tales. From Wikipedia:

Castle Waiting is a comic book series created by Linda Medley. It is in a world of fairy tales and mythology featuring a mix of old-fashioned storytelling and more ironic, modern touches.

Castle Waiting was first conceived in 1984, when I was studying folklore and children's book illustration in college. I had filled a sketchbook with character designs, intending to do my own 'take' on some of the classic Grimm's fairy tales. What really fascinated me were the background characters — their unexplained pasts, and their often unresolved fates.

— Linda Medley, afterword to Castle Waiting: The Curse of Brambly Hedge (1996).

I haven't read it yet, but the reviews have been positive--enthusiastically positive--and there is hope that the series, while completed rather abruptly, will eventually continue.

Here's the description from the publisher:

The long-awaited return to Castle Waiting! With its long-awaited second volume, Linda Medley’s witty and sublimely drawn fantasy eases into a relaxed comedy of manners as Lady Jain settles into her new life in Castle Waiting.

Unexpected visitors result in the discovery and exploration of a secret passageway, not to mention an epic bowling tournament. A quest for ladies’ underpants, the identity of Pindar’s father, the education of Simon, Rackham and Chess arguing about the “manly arts,” and an escape-prone goat are just a few of the elements in this delightful new volume.

The book also includes many flashbacks that deepen the stories behind the characters, including Jain’s earliest romantic entanglements and conflicts with her bratty older sisters, the horrific past of the enigmatic Dr. Fell, and more. 384 pages of black-and-white comics

Here's also a video preview of the book to give you an idea of the interior. This is not your typical book, graphic or otherwise.



And here's the first volume:

Castle Waiting Vol. 1