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Castle Waiting: Volume 1

Castle Waiting is an adorable, feminist comic that is currently collected in two volumes. I read about this comic book series in The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholson and sure enough, it’s entrancing.

Castle Waiting is the story of what happens in Sleeping Beauty’s castle after the princess awakens and leaves the castle. The castle becomes a safe haven for many – including a pregnant woman named Lady Jain who is fleeing from an abusive husband.

The edition I read was the 2002 Volume One edition, which has black and white art. Volume One is very short on plot. Lady Jain does some travelling and gets to the Castle and everyone hangs out. The exciting component of the book is the choice of characters. Few stories are told in which pregnant women are the heroines. The other inhabitants of the castle include the fairies that protected Sleeping Beauty, Simple Simon, and Doctor Fell, the plague doctor.

I wanted more plot, but I enjoyed reading about the daily activities of the Castle’s inhabitants. I especially loved how they accept one another. For instance, while everyone accepts Simon’s limitations, they never patronize him. Doctor Fell’s obsession with the plague is a trait that everyone is used to. Castle Waiting truly seems like a refuge for anyone who needs one, including characters that are often left out of the limelight.

– Carrie S

Castle Waiting is the story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life. A fable for modern times, it is a fairy tale that’s not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil — but about being a hero in your own home. The opening chapter tells the origin of the castle itself, which is abandoned by its princess in a comic twist on “Sleeping Beauty” when she rides off into the sunset with her Prince Charming. The castle becomes a refuge for misfits, outcasts, and others seeking sanctuary, playing host to a lively and colorful cast of characters that inhabits the subsequent stories, including a talking anthropomorphic horse, a mysteriously pregnant Lady on the run, and a bearded nun. Linda Medley lavishly illustrates Castle Waiting in a classic visual style reminiscent of Arthur Rackham and William Heath Robinson. Blending elements from a variety of sources — fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes — Medley tells the story of the everyday lives of fantastic characters with humor, intelligence, and insight into human nature. Castle Waiting can be read on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, especially young girls.