What do you think?
Rate this book
Ladycastle (Single Issues) #1
Ladycastle #1
When King Mancastle and his mighty vassals ride off on crusade, the women left behind are not at all put out—that's a lot less armor polishing for them to do. Of course, when the men get themselves eaten by a dragon and leave a curse that attracts monsters to the castle...well, the women take umbrage with that. Now the blacksmith’s wife Merinor is King, Princess Aeve is the Captain, and the only remaining (and least capable) knight Sir Riddick is tasked with teaching the ladies of the castle how to fight, defend, build, and do all manner of noisy things the men had been doing while the women assumed they were just drunk. Novelist Delilah S. Dawson (Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon, As Wicked as She Wants, Wake of Vultures) brings her first original series to comics, and is joined by breakthrough illustrator Ashley A. Woods (Niobe: She Is Life) for a rollicking fantasy adventure featuring women reclaiming their lives on their terms.
29 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2017
About the author
Delilah S. Dawson
154 books2,185 followersDelilah S. Dawson is the New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Black Spire: Galaxy's Edge, and The Perfect Weapon. With Kevin Hearne, she writes the Tales of Pell. As Lila Bowen, she writes the Shadow series, beginning with Wake of Vultures. Her other books include the Blud series, the Hit series, and Servants of the Storm.
She's written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore's Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk.
Find out more at www.whimsydark.com.
She's written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore's Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk.
Find out more at www.whimsydark.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
February 5, 2017
Lady Castle is, for me, the first must-read comic of 2017. I don't read a ton of comics, to be honest, and I'm pretty choosy about what I spend my time and money on, usually going for limited projects with women writers and artists and steering clear of superhero stuff. I've also, in recent years begun avoiding any of the trite '90s-esque girl power stuff being put out by a certain breed of right on self-identified feminist white dudes, which has sadly left me with a medieval fantasy adventure comic-shaped hole in my life. Long story short, Lady Castle is exactly the comic that I've been yearning for over the last several years. It's perfect and I love it and you should be reading it right now if you haven't already.
Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.
Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.
January 26, 2019
I love anything that touts feminism and Ladycastle does exactly that. When all the men in Mancastle are eaten by a dragon, save one, the women reform Ladycastle and band together to save the city from werewolves and harpies using their skills of negotiation and tea making. Despite all the sisterhood and friendship and badass ladies, I didn’t love this. It’s such a great concept, I didn’t want it to be a joke, and with the Fresh Prince and Fight Club references, it gets a little silly.
December 17, 2017
I’ve been hearing about LADYCASTLE for a while now so when I got the chance to nab a copy at BEA I took it. When I first started reading I was a little discombobulated with Aeve’s singing. Not too sure what was going on or what I was supposed to be reading. And then I got to the part where it’s basically making fun of Disney princesses and word comes back to the castle that all the dudes are dead and things finally settled in.
The art is cute without being cutesy and is an excellent compliment to the story itself. Both bring it all together to give you a little bit of snark, a little bit of humor, and a lot of BAMF women having to take care of themselves after their husbands got themselves killed. I look forward to reading more in the series and where Merinor takes her feisty band of badass broads next.
4
I received a copy of this comic from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The art is cute without being cutesy and is an excellent compliment to the story itself. Both bring it all together to give you a little bit of snark, a little bit of humor, and a lot of BAMF women having to take care of themselves after their husbands got themselves killed. I look forward to reading more in the series and where Merinor takes her feisty band of badass broads next.
4
I received a copy of this comic from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 24, 2019
All hail Lady Castle! The feminist comic we didn’t know we needed! There’s too much perfect happening here that I can’t.. I’m verkelempt. If you read the synopsis you get the idea. A village left with only the maidens to run it? They choose a king, that’s right, a lady king! Well done fair maidens. Keep kicking ass.
January 3, 2018
preachy, overwritten w/art that reminds me of Squirrel Girl, still worth a read. maybe a good book for those who think Holly Near, Dykes To Watch Out For and Ms. magazine are too conservative.
June 20, 2018
This was a solid graphic novel that has great "women" power in it. I enjoyed the almost all female characters and liked the medieval aspect of it.
January 12, 2019
This was a very cute, female empowering story. The art was very beautiful. I don't think I'll read the next one but I really enjoyed it.
February 5, 2017
A fun start to this mini-series that I hope turns into a regular series. There are subtle points of humor in the words/pictures that made me smile. I wasn't a huge fan of the song that Aeve sings at the beginning but there were some small tidbits of humor in it. Another woman-power comic from Boom! that might interest a lot of readers.
December 29, 2023
Will review each issue separately even though my version had all issues together.
I liked the setup in issue 1. Lots of throwbacks to womens roles in older fairytales with some twists. In this series, every single man of the castle dies after they embark on a quest with the king to find his daughter a suitor. It's a silly premise, but luckily, the story doesn't take itself too seriously.
The story starts off quite slow with the setup, but the end was a bit abrupt.
I liked the setup in issue 1. Lots of throwbacks to womens roles in older fairytales with some twists. In this series, every single man of the castle dies after they embark on a quest with the king to find his daughter a suitor. It's a silly premise, but luckily, the story doesn't take itself too seriously.
The story starts off quite slow with the setup, but the end was a bit abrupt.
February 7, 2017
This is cute... maybe 3.5? I mean, I love me a good feminist twist on princess stories (Dealing With Dragons being my ultimate), but it remains to be seen if this brings anything new to the table beyond what we've seen in Princeless or Princess Princess Ever After...
September 30, 2017
I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of the new comic Ladycastle by Delilah S. Dawson and Ashley A. Woods (Boom! Studios). I say lucky, and I do mean lucky, because this comic...
This comic. It's what we've been waiting for, you and I and everyone else wanting women to have a stronger voice in fantasy and comics. And it's more than just badass babe fighting. It's more than just a comic for girls. It's more than just "Whee, we princesses are free, let's go on an adventure!" This is something I have seen far too little of. A comic that takes women--people with actual roles in life who act like real women, not just guys with boobs--and explores what would happen if they had the power that men usually do in the story. There is a princess locked in a tower, who sings songs about what she sees down below (heavy wink-wink, Disney), imprisoned until she marries a worthy prince because her father saw her marriageability as her only gift. When all the men are killed by the curse, she is released...and her first action when she is freed is a moving one, one of my favorite frames in the whole comic. There is a blacksmith's wife--whose husband, along with all the other men, have gone with the King to find a worthy prince, and along the way fell victim to a curse--who is charged with taking up the mantle of King. There's a young princess who grew up believing she should have been a boy...that she should have been someone useful. Until her big sister tells her the truth: "You were supposed to be you." These women grab the strength that is inside them, that's always been inside them, and they rise up to take their new responsibilities as leaders, as people who now have the freedom to be useful rather than exist as tokens. Their first test is covered in this first issue, and it's solution is definitely an "Oh!" moment.
Ladycastle has action, emotion, princesses, knights, magic swords, magic, and more. It's something that can be enjoyed by men, women, and children. It has laughs but also made me teary at a couple spots. It may only be 22 pages long, but it packs a punch and leaves you ravenous for the next issue.
This comic. It's what we've been waiting for, you and I and everyone else wanting women to have a stronger voice in fantasy and comics. And it's more than just badass babe fighting. It's more than just a comic for girls. It's more than just "Whee, we princesses are free, let's go on an adventure!" This is something I have seen far too little of. A comic that takes women--people with actual roles in life who act like real women, not just guys with boobs--and explores what would happen if they had the power that men usually do in the story. There is a princess locked in a tower, who sings songs about what she sees down below (heavy wink-wink, Disney), imprisoned until she marries a worthy prince because her father saw her marriageability as her only gift. When all the men are killed by the curse, she is released...and her first action when she is freed is a moving one, one of my favorite frames in the whole comic. There is a blacksmith's wife--whose husband, along with all the other men, have gone with the King to find a worthy prince, and along the way fell victim to a curse--who is charged with taking up the mantle of King. There's a young princess who grew up believing she should have been a boy...that she should have been someone useful. Until her big sister tells her the truth: "You were supposed to be you." These women grab the strength that is inside them, that's always been inside them, and they rise up to take their new responsibilities as leaders, as people who now have the freedom to be useful rather than exist as tokens. Their first test is covered in this first issue, and it's solution is definitely an "Oh!" moment.
Ladycastle has action, emotion, princesses, knights, magic swords, magic, and more. It's something that can be enjoyed by men, women, and children. It has laughs but also made me teary at a couple spots. It may only be 22 pages long, but it packs a punch and leaves you ravenous for the next issue.
January 15, 2019
Imagine trudging mike after mile in the worlds hottest, dryest desert. Your hands are caked with dust, your mouth is crackled and peeling, your brain is on fire. You have forgotten the taste of water yet imagine it is the sweetest of juices, pure necter crisp on the tongue, shocking yet instantly satisfying.You are desperate, parched beyond belief. And then, you come upon a stream. In the middle of this desert, it flows with rushing, gurgling joy cutting straight across the bitter waste of sand all around you. Finally, finally, you drink and are quenched.
This is what reading Lady Castle felt like. Finally, finally, my thirst for a DIVERSE ASS, WELL WRITTEN, FEMME AF, MELINATED AF, QUEER AF graphic novel has been QUENCHED. Considering the LITERAL DESERT that is American media when it comes to serving up unique storylines and diverse narratives ...I feel like I finally found water. As I await next book in series, I’m excited where this river will take me.
In this book, ya got:
- womyn using their BRAINS and BRAWN to ward off scary monsters
- A black women as KING of this castledom, HELLO.
- A castle dome filled with BADASS MULTITALENTED women who use their many skills and work together to ward off enemies STRATEGICALLY vs. AGRESSIVELY (cough, cough, men)
- Representation of all different skin shades, body types, ability status, gender, and more. Like, Halle-fucking-lujah.
- Constant snark and sarcastic comparisons to the men who previously ruled in typical, oppressive patriarchal fashion. Now these ladies got it wayyyyy more under control.
I’m ready for another round of this - are you?
This is what reading Lady Castle felt like. Finally, finally, my thirst for a DIVERSE ASS, WELL WRITTEN, FEMME AF, MELINATED AF, QUEER AF graphic novel has been QUENCHED. Considering the LITERAL DESERT that is American media when it comes to serving up unique storylines and diverse narratives ...I feel like I finally found water. As I await next book in series, I’m excited where this river will take me.
In this book, ya got:
- womyn using their BRAINS and BRAWN to ward off scary monsters
- A black women as KING of this castledom, HELLO.
- A castle dome filled with BADASS MULTITALENTED women who use their many skills and work together to ward off enemies STRATEGICALLY vs. AGRESSIVELY (cough, cough, men)
- Representation of all different skin shades, body types, ability status, gender, and more. Like, Halle-fucking-lujah.
- Constant snark and sarcastic comparisons to the men who previously ruled in typical, oppressive patriarchal fashion. Now these ladies got it wayyyyy more under control.
I’m ready for another round of this - are you?
March 30, 2019
I got a bit of slow start this year but started I have. My first completed read of the year was something of an aberration for me - a graphic novel. Now, I will be honest. I’m not a big fan of graphic novels. I have issues reading the text in the correct order, and I often find myself distracted by the illustrations. But I wanted to stretch myself this year, as well as stretch the possibilities for the tween/teen book club. My first attempt at this was Ladycastle by Delilah S Dawson et al.
The men of Mancastle have all gone with their king in search of treasure and a groom that his eldest daughter (whom his majesty keeps locked in a tower to keep her ‘pure’) will accept.
During this quest the king and all the men, save one, are killed by a dragon. This leaves the women of Mancastle to now learn to make do without their menfolk. With the blacksmith named the new king, and the princess freed from her tower to become the head knight, the ladies rename their home Ladycastle and set about to live their lives.
But the castle has been cursed by a wizard and the ladies find themselves having to defend their home, while finding new and innovative ways to settle the problems.
Overall it actually wasn’t too bad. I found myself laughing out loud at some points. I liked the basic idea. I even enjoyed it enough that I may consider reading parts 2, 3 & 4 in the future. I can’t say it was my favourite read, but as an intro to graphic novels it was pretty good. The artwork is very lovely.
The men of Mancastle have all gone with their king in search of treasure and a groom that his eldest daughter (whom his majesty keeps locked in a tower to keep her ‘pure’) will accept.
During this quest the king and all the men, save one, are killed by a dragon. This leaves the women of Mancastle to now learn to make do without their menfolk. With the blacksmith named the new king, and the princess freed from her tower to become the head knight, the ladies rename their home Ladycastle and set about to live their lives.
But the castle has been cursed by a wizard and the ladies find themselves having to defend their home, while finding new and innovative ways to settle the problems.
Overall it actually wasn’t too bad. I found myself laughing out loud at some points. I liked the basic idea. I even enjoyed it enough that I may consider reading parts 2, 3 & 4 in the future. I can’t say it was my favourite read, but as an intro to graphic novels it was pretty good. The artwork is very lovely.
June 17, 2019
A really fun, light-hearted read about women taking over a castle and redefining their lives and their society after all the men are killed by a wizard. I really enjoyed the song parodies (The Ten Joust Pronouncements!! <3), the delightful and diverse characters, and the aspirational message. The writer and artists clearly know their intended audience and give us the women-led magical fantasy romp we all crave!
My only critique would be that sometimes the scene pacing felt rushed or clunky. I think the story might benefit if the artists experimented more with page and panel composition, in order to give action sequences greater impact and allow slower, more thoughtful scenes to breathe.
My only critique would be that sometimes the scene pacing felt rushed or clunky. I think the story might benefit if the artists experimented more with page and panel composition, in order to give action sequences greater impact and allow slower, more thoughtful scenes to breathe.
October 11, 2018
Originally, I thought this was gonna be a medieval knock-off of Steven Universe, but it thankfully wasn't. It's an engaging little story that has a diverse cast of characters who added their own touches to the story. The art is super cute! There's little designs in the characters that you don't often see, which was kind of refreshing to see in a comic book. I really enjoyed the small nods to Monty Python and the Holy Grail
It would be a 5 star rating if the way they introduced new characters wasn't the same every chapter. "Who are you?...You're free now...You can come out if you want. Or not. It's up to you."
It would be a 5 star rating if the way they introduced new characters wasn't the same every chapter. "Who are you?...You're free now...You can come out if you want. Or not. It's up to you."
December 25, 2018
Likes: good representation, feminist themes, pop culture references, and that every chapter has a "musical number" in it.
Dislikes: pacing feels too frantic, plot points shoved one behind the other at the cost of character exploration / development, representation felt like the authors were crossing items off of a list.
Generally very competent art and writing, though nothing that particularly stands out. More unique in terms of representation / feminism - I think they've hit every thing on the minority group bingo except queer and mental illness (and even those two you can make a case for).
Dislikes: pacing feels too frantic, plot points shoved one behind the other at the cost of character exploration / development, representation felt like the authors were crossing items off of a list.
Generally very competent art and writing, though nothing that particularly stands out. More unique in terms of representation / feminism - I think they've hit every thing on the minority group bingo except queer and mental illness (and even those two you can make a case for).
June 4, 2017
Read #1-4 and it was pretty fun, though felt somewhat constructed around bringing in diversity and different issues and the like - that's good in itself, it just wasn't the best craftsmanship... maybe. I'm not really sure, somehow I didn't get that involved with the characters (except for Aeva), but it was a fun read and a nice thing to see so many courageous ladies. Reminded me a bit of Rat Queens but obviously meant for younger readers or a different demographic and thus a lot milder. The art was occasionally a bit too simplistic for my tastes but not bad.
August 22, 2017
So I know this is only 28 pages and I'm unsure whether to count it as a book but holy cow its 28 pages of wonderfulness!!
Basically the title says it all - it's set in a magical medieval setting where Ladies rule, there is more to it but I don't want to spoil it. I wish I had the rest of the books, this comic is just really funny and interesting and also kinda kick-ass.
FYI: I got this book through Lootcrate, they apparently now give a free e-comic book with each crate.
Basically the title says it all - it's set in a magical medieval setting where Ladies rule, there is more to it but I don't want to spoil it. I wish I had the rest of the books, this comic is just really funny and interesting and also kinda kick-ass.
FYI: I got this book through Lootcrate, they apparently now give a free e-comic book with each crate.
September 7, 2017
This story was a cute spin on stereotypical princess cliches. It pokes fun at the idea until it flips that idea on its heads and breaks every rule of what it means to be a "fairy tale Princess" and her kingdome. This is great for both younger and older comic readers. Its very heavy handed on woman power and feminism which is a great influence for little girls who love playing princess. They can see that princesses dont always have to be a damsel in distress. Overall, I'd recommend.
December 31, 2017
It was okay. I wanted to like it more but I just didn’t. I found it sad that there didn’t seem to be a single decent man in an entire town. Perhaps I was reading it too seriously but it just felt like the women in the story kept making that point over and over so it stayed pretty firmly in the forefront of my mind the whole time.
Merinor is my favorite and she pretty much carried the book for me.
Merinor is my favorite and she pretty much carried the book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2017
The men of Mancastle go off and get themselves eaten by a dragon and the women of now-Ladycastle aren't all that broken up about it. (The men were a bunch of good-for-nothing assholes) But they did leave the women living under a curse that attracts monsters to their castle. (Again: assholes) So the women do what needs to be done. Of course.
Fun mini-series, hope it turns into a longer one.
Fun mini-series, hope it turns into a longer one.
July 8, 2018
It's an interesting set of stories in a kingdom where almost all the men have been slain by a dragon. Ladycastle has a wonderfully diverse cast of female characters but the hamfistedness of some of the feminism detracts from the story. The 'musical interludes' draw from popular culture and I found them enjoyable.
July 11, 2018
Fast paced writing and action. King Mancastle is killed along with all the men because of his chauvinistic tendencies and now the ladies are in charge. The women come together and find non violent solutions to their problems. Very well done telling of feminists that are not against masculinity but for helping themselves and their community.
January 7, 2019
Absolutely love it, especially how the women of Ladycastle work to combat every threat through understanding and diplomacy, rather than immediately resorting to violence. Also love the modern nods, like the Ten Duel Commandments or "Bonjour!" from Beauty and the Beast. Looking forward to seeing this one develop.
September 4, 2021
Rating: 3.5 stars
Fun, subversive, and gender-flipped retelling of the men-defending-kingdom-and-saving-women stories. In this volume, women cast off the shackles men put on them, dress as they like, become brave knights and a king, and fight to protect the castle using intelligence and resourcefulness instead of violence.
Fun, subversive, and gender-flipped retelling of the men-defending-kingdom-and-saving-women stories. In this volume, women cast off the shackles men put on them, dress as they like, become brave knights and a king, and fight to protect the castle using intelligence and resourcefulness instead of violence.
January 21, 2018
Read this as part of the Book Riot Read Harder challenge. I’m not normally a comic reader, but I enjoyed this tale of women coming into their own strengths.
Especially fun since I’d just come from the Women’s March.
Especially fun since I’d just come from the Women’s March.
April 5, 2018
Love the premise and characters, but there’s too much emphasis on the ‘the patriarchy is terrible’ theme. It just keeps getting repeated with virtually no variation to the point where I stopped caring which I suspect was not the idea.
May 14, 2018
Entertaining, if not terribly subtle, graphic novel about a group of women in a fantastical medival setting who have to learn to fend off monsters and negotiate other perils when all the castle's men are killed by a dragon. I like the characters and look forward to volume 2!
November 17, 2018
Good set up, it introduces the world nicely, and fills the world with life through conversations or the Dear Princess letters. A nice touch making light of the Disney princesses with parodies of their songs or little parallels. And the end sets up the conflict very well
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews