History ComicBook / CastleWaiting

** Rackham's name is a shout-out to the English artist Arthur Rackham, who illustrated numerous fairy tales and children's books, including a number with PettingZooPeople.

** Rackham's name is a shout-out to the English artist Arthur Rackham.

** Rackham is presumably a reference to artist Arthur Rackham. He certainly [http://www.artnet.com/artists/arthur-rackham/earl-mars-daughter-yOYS62AGmSc5S-KvqSmMmQ2 drew storks and illustrated fairy tales.]

* OverlyLongName: Skeeter's real name is Solicitous Kummernis Eutropia Dignifortis Uncumber Hulfe Reginfledes Liberata.

* AnachronismStew: Aside from the characters' modern mannerisms and dialogue, the library has an [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz]] book and at one point the characters make an [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]] reference.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Averted with the Hammerlings. Yes, they're miners and metal workers with big beards and few women, & are called dwarves (though one character in the story thinks the term is degrading), but without the Scottish accents, heavy drinking, and bad tempers. They also love ninepins and have a reputation as spies and manipulators: they're arms dealers who are sometimes suspected of promoting wars for profit. This is because ''Castle Waiting'' takes its precedents mostly from fairy tales rather than Norse mythology via Tolkien.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Averted with the Hammerlings. Yes, they're miners and metal workers with big beards and few women, & are called dwarves (though one character in the story thinks the term is degrading), but without the Scottish accents, heavy drinking, and bad tempers. They also love ninepins and have a reputation as spies and manipulators: they're arms dealers who are sometimes suspected of promoting wars for profit. This is because ''Castle Waiting'' takes its precedents mostly from fairy tales rather than Norse mythology via Tolkein.

* SimpleMindedWisdom: Simon.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: The Celestines have been criticised by some readers as imposing modern feminist ideals on Middle Ages female monasticism. However, they are very similar to the real [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beguines_and_Beghards beguine movement]] in Middle Ages Northern Europe, which similarly involved women living together as a religious order with significantly laxer conditions than full nuns - notably, and as depicted in the comic, they were allowed to own property and run businesses, and to leave the community without question if they decided that they wanted to marry a man.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: The Celestines have been criticised by some readers as imposing modern feminist ideals on Middle Ages female monasticism. However, they are very similar to the real "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beguines_and_Beghards beguine movement]] in Middle Ages Northern Europe, which similarly involved women living together as a religious order with significantly laxer conditions than full nuns - notably, and as depicted in the comic, they were allowed to own property and run businesses, and to leave the community without question if they decided that they wanted to marry a man.

* LoopholeAbuse: The devil is directly stated to ''hate'' this trope by Leeds, and it's one of many reasons the evil witch from their version of ''SleepingBeauty'' ends up on the wrong side of EvenEvilHasStandards.

''Castle Waiting'' is a comic book series created, written and illustrated by Linda Medley and published by Fantagraphics. Originally self-published by its creator the comic was picked up by the publisher after making its own success. The first volume was published in serialised form in 1996-2001, and the second volume by Fantagraphics in 2006-12.

The story follows the combination of many FairyTales and fairy tale tropes together to form a cohesive world. Including such characters as the enigmatic plague doctor Dr. Fell of the ''I do not love thee, Dr. Fell'' epigram, Simple Simon, and a gold-egg laying hen (a reference to "Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk"). The eponymous Castle Waiting is the castle of "Literature/SleepingBeauty" fame. Many years have passed since the dim-witted princess left the castle with her prince without a second thought. Only the wall of thorns and three handmaidens remain. Since then, the castle has become a refuge. The main story begins with Lady Jain, a pregnant woman seeking sanctuary at Castle Waiting to escape her [[DomesticAbuse horrible husband]].

The comic was also ranked as one of the best comic books of 2006 in a critics' poll in December, 2006, by Publishers Weekly.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: The Solicitine storyline has Peace and Nessie. Reggie and Alphonse show signs of it two.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: In the retelling of "Literature/SleepingBeauty", Leeds is disgusted with Mald cursing a baby and implies that even {{Satan}} would disapprove. In the second volume, we find that Leeds has a serious discomfort with "the sick stuff" that comes with torturing sinners.

* LoopholeAbuse: The devil is directly stated to ''hate'' this trope, and it's one of many reasons the evil witch from their version of ''SleepingBeauty'' ends up on the wrong side of EvenEvilHasStandards.

* OrphanedPucnhline: At some point, Chess is shown to be telling Pindar jokes, but we only get to read the ending of one and the beginning of the next.

* WrongGuyFirst: Nessie.

''Castle Waiting'' is a comic book series created, written and illustrated by Linda Medley and published by Fantagraphics. Originally self-published by its creator the comic was picked up by the publisher after making its own success.