Castle Waiting

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

Medley's story brings together characters from many classic tales, including the enigmatic Dr. Fell of the "I do not love thee, Dr. Fell" nursery rhyme, Simple Simon, a gold-egg laying hen (a reference to a hen from Jack and the Beanstalk ) and the Three Little Pigs. Medley's story focuses on the daily lives of fairytale characters, and, as she puts it, "What happened after 'Happily ever after...'"

The story begins with a stand-alone, prologue tale, Castle Waiting: The Curse of Brambly Hedge, which retells the story of Sleeping Beauty mostly from the perspective of those at the periphery of the action. The book then picks up many years later, after the castle, long abandonded by Sleeping Beauty, has become a home for another group of fairytale characters, many of whom have rather troubled pasts. The castle's daily workings are now overseen by Rackham, a stork-headed dandy, and the place has become somehwat run-down and is beset by mischievous but generally friendly sprites and poltergeists. This story originally focused on Lady Jain, a pregnant woman fleeing her abusive husband. Medley planned to tell the backstory for each of the castle's inhabitants, but she'd only gotten through the story of the bearded nun Sister Peace before the book's disappointing sales compelled Medley, then a struggling self-publisher, to put the book on indefinite hiatus in 2001. After a break that lasted several years, Medley resumed publishing in July 2006, this time for Fantagraphics.

Cover to Fantagraphics Book's 2006 hardcover collection of Castle Waiting by Linda Medley. On the cover pictured left to right are: Chess (A Horse/Knight); Peaceful w/ Piety (Nun with dragon-pet); Patience, Prudence, and Plenty (Castle handmaids); Dr. Fell (castle physician), and Henry (blacksmith); along with assorted sprites, demons, and goblins that infest Castle Waiting. Picture from Amazon.com

[edit] Publishing history

The first Castle Waiting publication was Castle Waiting: The Curse of Brambly Hedge which was self-published by Medley (under the publisher name of Olio Press) with a 1996 grant from the Xeric Foundation.

Medley self-published seven issues of an ongoing Castle Waiting series in 1997-98.

In 1999, Medley self-published a Castle Waiting hiatus issue.

Cartoon Books started publishing Castle Waiting (volume two; 4 issues) in 2000. These are number #1-4, but are considered #8-11 (following the 97-98 series).

In 2001, Medley went back to self-publishing and self-published five more issues of Castle Waiting (#12 aka vol. 2, #5; #13 aka vol. 2, #6; and #14-16).

In 2005, Fantagraphics Books announced that their 2006 plans included publishing a Castle Waiting hardcover collection and a relauch of the continuing series. The first Fantagraphics issue was published in July, 2006.