Castle Waiting / Linda Medley / Fantagraphics Books / 2006
This is a good one if you like graphic novels. I love them, and I enjoyed this thoroughly.

At first, it seems as if it is just a re-working of old fairy tales. But then it gets really creative.

I loved the characters in Castle Waiting. Medley does a great job of making them... well, realistic, despite the obvious fairy tale setup. I also think the art is a plus. Some graphic novels have art so bad you'd think I drew them... in the womb.

If you knew me, you'd know that I'm almost never satisfied with the ending of books (this happens with movies, too.) This one bugs a bit because some of the places it leads you are never resolved. What happened to the princess? Whose green child is this, anyway? Etc. Unresolved issues are common in a lot in graphic novels, though, and I can only hope there is more to come that will resolve it. Perhaps the author already has, since this appears to be a compilation of work already done. Here's what the official website has to say about it:

"This long-awaited hardcover edition collects the beginning chapters of Linda Medley's original graphic novel series, including all the stories from THE CURSE OF BRAMBLY HEDGE through SOLICITINE. The series garnered considerable critical acclaim, a number of industry awards, and inclusion in the YALSA Recommended Reading List.

CASTLE WAITING 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--it's about being a hero in your own home."

So that doesn't tell poor ignorant me where she the series was previously published to garner the awards, nor where the series ended up after this. I'm pretty sure we can expect a Castle Waiting 2 compilation, though, so I'll just wait for it :)

-issa.

Labels: review

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