REVIEW: Castle Waiting #3: YMMV
Jess Nevins
YMMV: Castle Waiting #3
By Linda Medley (writer & artist) and Todd Klein (letters)
I hate finding out about books like _Castle Waiting_ this long after
they've been coming out. Makes me feel like I'm discovering
something everyone else knew about already.
Oh, well. In case you don't know about this book, Dear Reader
(assuming there's anyone reading this; I sometimes wonder if a
reviewer whose name isn't Elayne, Randy or Donald has any
chance whatsoever on RAC.*), let me assure you that you should
be buying _Castle Waiting_.
It's a black-and-white independent (from Olio) set in a fantasy
landscape; it's about a pregnant woman who has become one of the
residents in a castle, and about her getting to know the castle's
residents. This might not sound all that exciting to you - but then,
summaries rarely do comics much justice. So ignore that summary
and let me list some reasons you should be buying _Castle
Waiting_:
1) It's good, solid storytelling. Medley has a very sure hand on
things like pace, characterization, story and dialogue - storytelling's
staples. I'm unaware of anything else she's written, book or
comic, but based on this series she's either a impressively skilled
newcomer or a very experienced pro who I've been remiss in not
noticing before this. She obviously knows where she wants her
story to go, and just how fast she wants her books to go in getting
there. There's nary an excessive or out-of-place panel or word-balloon;
*everything* contributes to the overall effect. There's
nothing flashy about it, and there aren't any gee-whiz moments -
but that's not the effect she's trying for, I think.
2) The art. At times it reminds me of traditional woodcuts, and at
times I see traces of Shawn Macmanus (especially the faces) and
Paul Smith. But the sum total and effect is greater than the
contributing elements. This is a black-and-white, independent,
non-superhero comic book; in Medley's hands, that means we get many
of the virtues that are all-too-often absent from The Big Two's
offerings:
- Medley has a firm grip on anatomy (human and
otherwise);
- her backgrounds are detailed and realistic;
- her style is realistic, and restrained, rather than
self-indulgent; like her dialogue, there are few (if any) lines
that are out of place and don't serve the book.
- the focus is not on action, but on the story;
- and, finally, her POVs and layouts, while traditional (in the
sense of the standard 6-8 panel structure, with no overlap and solid
borders), is also fitting for the sort of story she wants to tell - a
version of the traditional fairy tale. Impressionistic effects would
not work here - and Medley seems to know it.
3) The world of _Castle Waiting_. Modern fantasy tends much
more towards High Fantasy (that is, depicting events which
determine the destiny of a fantasy world or worlds) than this sort of
fantasy world. The closest analogy I can draw is to say that Medley
is doing with fantasy what Kurt Busiek (most prominently among
other creators) is doing with _Astro City_: concentrating on
ordinary events and people. Because of the exigencies of genre and
marketplace, Medley is more effective at this than Busiek is (which
I mean to be high praise). What we're getting is not the destiny of
kingdoms or worlds, but of one woman (and perhaps a castle and
its inhabitants along with it). For me, this is a refreshing change of
pace, both from most modern fantasy books and from most comic
books.
Moreover, Medley is writing a sort of fantasy not often seen
in comics - postmodern/revisionist. What I mean by the former is
simply that Medley is conscious of the genre's tropes, standards,
and cliches, and makes use of them consciously, and for specific
purposes; what I mean by the latter is that Medley literally revisits -
re-envisions - the traditional world of pre-Tolkien, Brothers Grimm
fantasy (trolls under bridges, evil witches, castles a-waiting), but
focusses on the day-to-day lives of ordinary people in such a place,
rather than heroes with glittering swords, etc. This is _The Princess
Bride_, but not as wilfully self-conscious.
Also in a postmodern vein, Medley sprinkles references to
other stories, and appearances by other characters, through the
book. Some of them I get, most I don't - but the fun is in
discovering them and figuring them out for yourself.
4) It's a nice book. It's made for adults, but it has a gentle feel and
sense of humor; there are going to be bad guys as well as good
guys, and fairy-tale-tense moments (as in issue #1, when Jain finds
out about the baby-selling Daciano) - but nothing gratuitously nasty
or unpleasant. It's quite possible to be adult in nature and still have
a G rating, and that's what Medley is doing here.
5) Medley's sense of humor. Comics generally have only a few
kinds of humor: obvious and ham-handed (too many to name -
usually superhero); sick (Garth Ennis' work); and/or black (Matt
Howarth's work). A very few have a gentle sense of humor; one is
Andi Watson's _Skeleton Key_ (another outstanding black-and-white
indie book you should be buying). _Castle Waiting_ is
another. The humor arises from situations, and from character's
silliness, but it's never vicious, or based on humiliation. Few
laugh-out-loud moments - but it will leave you with a quiet smile
on your face.
I could go on further, but I won't. It's good. Buy it.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
jess