This wonderfully designed and produced comic is unfortunate in that it comes with the single worst introduction that I have ever read for any book or comic. My strong advice is to skip it and to head straight into the joys of the comic itself. Linda Medley, who writes and draws this comic and has worked as a colourist has produced a wonderful work in black and white.
It is worth saying a few words about the physical book itself as Fantagraphics Books have created a very nice object in its own right. The book resembles an old fashioned hardback and this serves the story and style of the comic very well. It is also a hefty item and the extra effort in the binding is much appreciated.
The setting for the story is the castle where Sleeping Beauty fell asleep and then left with Prince Charming after she awoke leaving the castle retainers at a loss. Eventually the castle becomes Castle Waiting, a place of refuge for those with nowhere else to go.
While there is a sort of central narrative within the comic, a pregnant woman seeking refuge at the castle, Linda Medley takes the scenic route and follows a host of characters as they cross each other’s paths and reveal their lives prior to arriving at the castle. It is a thoroughly unhurried book, it is not in the least unfocussed or uncontrolled, and each digression earns it part in the story.
The art is a delight, the environment is a medieval style that so many fantasy stories inhabit and the details that Linda Medley gives to the clothing and the buildings make it tangible. The huge cast are all clearly individuals, instead of types and they all have a pulse. This goes for the walk on parts as much as the major players. The anthropomorphic characters as much as the human are true to themselves: they are animal with a human expressiveness that means they blend seamlessly into the cast and story rather than distracting from it.
The book is a very religious and specifically Christian book, but, this should not put off anyone. The book proves that it is possible to be overtly religious, funny, entertaining and thought provoking without preachiness. The book is about refuge, finding a place where your past actions stay with you but do not dominate you and you have a chance to think about future choices.
Linda Medley is a witty and accomplished writer, the ebb and flow of the story and the characters themselves come to life and draw you into their lives and concerns gently and gracefully. One of the major strengths of the book is that Linda Medley clearly likes all the characters. There is a strong and hard won optimism permeating the book that is unusual in a comic and enjoyable to encounter.
This is a book with a very strong feminine sensibility at work in it, not because the cast is largely female, but in the perspective of the book, the details it picks up, the light it casts on relationships are distinctive.