Castle Waiting, Vol. II
Linda Medley, Fantagraphics, $30 (375p) ISBN 978-1-60699-405-4
The second volume of Linda Medley's quirky Eisner-winning modern classic has finally arrived. Castle Waiting, Sleeping Beauty's former home, now hosts a motley collection of characters in need of a second chance. This volume begins with the arrival of Tolly and Dayne, two dwarfs visiting their friend Henry, the castle's smith. The clever and kindhearted Tolly quickly befriends the castle's younger inhabitants, leading simple Simon and young mother Jain on adventures through lost rooms and secret passages. His equally likable uncle Dayne is a more ambiguous figure, caring toward his friends and family but full of amoral ambition and hinted agendas. At well over 300 pages, the book still feels about an issue too short. What will happen if Dayne's suspicions about Jain's green and furry infant are correct? Castle Waiting is a warm yet bittersweet ramble through the margins of the fairy tale world. Dayne's human foster daughter is implied to be Snow White, while tragic Henry, his broken heart held together by bands of iron, is a minor character from "The Frog Prince" destined to one day again be whole. Medley's distinctive black and white art is full of life, while her writing is as engaging if leisurely as ever. (Dec.)

Picture This
Lynda Barry, Drawn and Quarterly, $29.95 (226p) ISBN 978-1-897299-64-7
Barry's follow-up to her critically and popularly acclaimed What It Is focuses on the practice and purpose of drawing. As before, this oversized, full-color book collages comics, drawings, and found images to blend memoir, fiction, and philosophy with workbook-style instruction. Picture This proceeds from the same ideas in Barry's earlier work--which regard creative activity as a necessary extension of childhood play--but may be neater in its marriage of theory and practice. By focusing on drawing as directly as the first book did on writing, this ornately visual book shows the fruits of Barry's practice on every page even as it makes her methods overtly accessible. The book is interspersed with comics narratives including moving autobiographical shorts and sequences featuring her beloved characters Marlys, Maybonne, and Arna, as well as full-page images of her new character: a self-satisfied avatar called "The Nearsighted Monkey," who represents, perhaps, a well-fed creative impulse. A pedagogical sketchbook by a wise and eccentric kindergarten teacher for adults--who is also a fully mature artist--Picture This teaches, nurtures, and encourages without sacrificing the edge that makes art a thrilling journey into the unknown. (Nov.)

Superman vs. Muhammad Ali
Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, DC Comics, $19.99 (96p) ISBN 978-1-4012-2841-5
Afraid that the violence-prone Earthlings pose a danger to the galaxy, the alien Scrubb (more intimidating than their name suggests) have blockaded Earth. They have agreed to leave if Earth's champion defeats theirs in single combat. But who should defend the planet in this ultimate prizefight: superhuman alien Superman, or world-champion boxer Muhammad Ali? The answer lies in this reissue of the original 1978 teamup. Authorized by Ali at the height of his fame, DC handed the reins to the creative team that rejuvenated Green Lantern/Green Arrow with gritty social relevance.. Writer O'Neill handles the challenge of an absurd premise expertly, engineering a plot that allows Superman and Ali to work together, while still giving fans several scenes of the two going at it in the ring. His characterization is sharp, particularly catching Ali's unique combination of swagger and social conscience. Adams's pencils (finished by the late Dick Giordano and then rookie Terry Austin) are simply gorgeous. He handles street scenes and spaceship battles with equal aplomb. And the centerpiece prizefight is expertly staged and rendered with the dynamism that made Adams a superstar artist. Adams handles quieter moments equally well, conveying subtle emotions in just a few pencil lines. Long unseen due to licensing issues, this holds up as a solid story despite the hokey premise. (Nov.)

Kill Shakespeare, Vol. 1: A Sea of Troubles
Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col, and Andy Belanger, IDW (Diamond, dist.), $19.99 trade paper (148p) ISBN 978-1-60010-781-8
Presented as the first half of a longer story, this volume features an intriguing concept: what if Shakespeare's major characters coexisted in a magical land, so that easily misled young Hamlet was duped by clever tyrants Richard III and Lady Macbeth until Falstaff enlightened him and they joined a band of rebels led by Juliet? And what if Shakespeare was considered a wizard, lurking behind the scenes, with ultimate magical power residing in his quill pen? A fantastic world containing this swarm of vivid individuals should be a wonderful basis for a story. Unfortunately, so far, the comic has been a fairly routine sword and sorcery adventure. McCreery and Del Col's script doesn't make the characters, with the exception of the irrepressible Falstaff, especially distinctive; their dialogue is standard heroic comics talk, sprinkled with a few "thee"s and "thou"s. Likewise, Belanger's art is adequate--clean and easy to follow--but nothing special. (Nov.)