Another Castle: Grimoire

Another Castle #1-5

by Andrew Wheeler, Paulina Ganucheau (Illustrator), Jenny Vy Tran (Letterer)

We are thrilled to invite you on a journey of courage, friendship, and rebellion—Another Castle: Grimoire! This volume gathers all the issues from the hit comic book series centered on the adventures of Princess Misty of Beldora, whose courageous spirit leads to her capture, and ultimately, to a heroic adventure that spans two kingdoms.

Our tale begins when Princess Misty of Beldora, who longs for a more exciting life, gets more than she bargained for when she is captured by Lord Badlug, the ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Grimoire. He intends to marry her and conquer Beldora, leading the land into ruin and chaos. The people of Grimoire already suffer under his rule and desperately need a hero… luckily, Badlug has just kidnapped one! Together with the citizens of Grimoire and a certain bumbling prince, Misty must fight to protect her kingdom and free both realms from Badlug’s tyrannical rule. Misty is determined not to be another damsel in distress; and with her new friends to protect, she'll discover just what it takes to be the hero of the story.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Young Adult, Adventure, LGBT, Graphic Novels Comics

152 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Andrew Wheeler is a Shuster and Eisner-winning writer and editor. His credits include Another Castle at Oni Press, Love and War at Comixology, the Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurers Guides, and the Prism-nominated all ages LGBTQ anthology Shout Out.

Reviews

[Collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mergh... I'm on the fence. I like the idea. I like the art a LOT. But it's so... unsubtle. Like, at every turn you're getting the whole "MISTY isn't like OTHER USELESS PRINCESSES" vibe, the "MISTY is KICKBUTT and you should LOVE HER" vibe, even though there wasn't a whole lot to her. Idk, I just think she would have been as strong a character as, say, Gorga, if the writer hadn't been so obsessed with making her Cool And Feminist (which is different from being cool and feminist, it's all in the capitalization, you feel me). And then the whole bit with Robin was just a vague basic political/social tract and while it's not BAD politics/social tract stuff, it's politics/social tract stuff with very little else to go with Robin, who I really would have liked otherwise. How did he and Fogmoth meet, what does he actually do, where is the rest of his family? His whole character was wasted by having him just be the Jaded Political Messenger.

Tl;dr, if the book hadn't been walloping me in the face with the Point of it all, it would have been a lot more fun to read.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this was lovely but I'm glad it was only one volume...

[Anusha Narasimhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The princess saves herself in this one. Enough said! Except, not. The spectacular plot is conveyed in beautiful art and disses many stereotypes. There is the idea that monsters can be nice too. The dashing righteous heir to the throne is a Person of Color. I liked how a homosexual relationship was casually mentioned, without making a big deal about it. The lack of spotlight made it feel normal. And no, the kickass princess is not exactly a tomboy either. She likes her dresses and makeovers and wants to fight too. Yes, women like that do exist and I need more such books! Highly recommended!

Note: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way.

[Chantaal]

DNF @ page 58 (two issues). I can see the intent here and while I think it could be fun, it’s about as subtle as a brick to the face and thus not fun at all for me. The art and color work is absolutely vibrant and lovely, though.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neither a traditional damsel in distress story nor a nearly as traditional inversion. Artemisia, or Misty, is not content to wait in a tower to be rescued, nor does she run into the heat of battle, sword swinging. Instead, she largely works behind the scenes, though no less bravely than the prince who has set out to rescue her. And with a delightfully nontraditional happy ending, I'm pretty much entirely charmed by this book.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute graphic novel. The message was strong but the plot was so fast, it wasn’t as impactful. Didn’t get much time to spend with the characters so I didn’t care for them a bunch either. Could have been a lot better if it had a second volume to slow things down.

[Heaven Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! It was good, but something just didn't pull me in entirely. Very cute story though! And the art was lovely.

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected and delightful quick read.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction:

Now, even though I had read many graphic novels that featured a strong female protagonist, I had never read a graphic novel about a kick butt princess quite like this one! “Another Castle: Grimoire” is a cute and exciting graphic novel that is written by Andrew Wheeler along with artwork by Paulina Ganucheau that will certainly be a memorable and exciting read for many readers!

What is this story about?

Princess Misty of Beldora is not your average princess as she is able to defend herself easily with her trusty sword and refuses to bow down to the conformities of being a princess. One tragic day however, Princess Misty is kidnapped by Lord Badlug, the ruler of the kingdom Grimoire and Lord Badlug tries to force Misty to marry him or else he will destroy her kingdom and even the citizens of Grimoire to get the power he desires. As Misty remains in Grimoire, she ends up befriending Lord Badlug’s two servants Gorga, a beautiful female medusa monster and Fogmoth, a homosexual gargoyle and together, they try to take down Lord Badlug himself by trying to save the Prince who is not only coming to rescue Misty, but also possesses Misty’s precious sword, the one weapon that could destroy Lord Badlug!


What I loved about this story:

Andrew Wheeler’s writing: Wow! I was quite impressed with Andrew Wheeler’s writing of this story as it was truly unique and fresh for the audience! I loved the fact that Andrew Wheeler made Princess Misty into such a strong female protagonist as it was rare of me to read a princess story that dealt with the princess actually trying to defend her kingdom through wit and courage while swinging around a sword like it is nobody’s business! I also liked the fact that Andrew Wheeler was able to explore Misty’s insecurities about not being who she wants to be because since she is a princess, she is expected to do activities that princesses should do, which she does not agree with and I loved the fact that she rebelled against the stereotypical activities of a princess and be her own person. I really enjoyed the diversity among the characters as it brings a sense of creativity to the story as we see monsters and humans get into relationships with each other, which I thought was really cute and I enjoyed seeing the character interactions between all these characters as you can see that the main characters try to defy the rules they are forced into by their societies and they become closer to each other as a result!

Paulina Ganucheau’s artwork: Paulina Ganucheau’s artwork is extremely cute and gorgeous to look at as all the characters look similar to the characters from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I really loved the design of Gorga herself as she is a blue skinned cute monster woman who has a pair of adorable snakes that stand in as her hair, which makes her the cutest character in the entire story! I also enjoyed seeing the images of monsters and humans coexisting with each other as it creates an exciting fantasy world that I would love to live in!



What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like violence in a story, this graphic novel does have some violence that involves many characters getting beaten up and bruised by the antagonists and that might be a bit unsettling for some readers to handle; although the violence in this story is not as graphic as some of the more mature graphic novels like “Saga” and “American Vampire.”

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Another Castle: Grimoire” is a fantastic volume about the importance of standing up for what you believe in and a great story to read if you are looking for a strong female protagonist!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my favorite part of this was that the princess was both feminine AND kickass - she didn't have to reject her femininity in order to save the day, and wearing pink dresses didn't make her any less of a good fighter. We don't see that sort of acceptance often enough.

[Kat (kvcatnip) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my favorite graphic novel/comic series I've read in the last year. It stars a young adult princess, who's kingdom is at stake from an evil monster/king/warlord. Her father is pressing her to marry to strengthen the kingdom's alliances, but she cares more about saving the kingdom herself!

Lots of great characters, detail, and storytelling in only a few short issues. Plus, Paulina Ganucheau's art is what it always is: beautiful, gripping, captivating, and brings the story to life.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone.

[zoe ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally, you'll come across a sweet and short book that was nothing more than a good story. This was only kind of that book.

At first glance, Another Castle is one of those feel-good stories. It's loud and fun. The art is reminiscent of Princess Peach from the Mario franchise and the characters didn't have quite as much depth as one might have hoped. They had just enough for you to enjoy their presence, but not enough to form a complex character. Therefore, when there was a happy ending, it was satisfying but not truly meaningful. Yet there is still a moral to the story. It was just stated very plainly.

In that sense, it was quite like a children's book. The message is "gender stereotypes are bad". Wheeler demonstrates this by subverting the traditional roles of the heroic prince and damsel in distress princess. He also touches on racism by using the monsters as the outsiders or oppressed. None of this is done very subtly, but it is done well. It would be a good book for children (although it's a fun read for adults as well).

Read this if you like:
– princesses kicking ass and taking names
– princes who are a little useless, but sweet all the same
– monsters who might be terrifying on the outside, but are beautiful on the inside
– dragons and witches

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will always be a cheerleader for strong female MC’s who save themselves!! It’s the trope I long for and will always stand behind.

Misty is the Princess of Beldora and has been trained in sword fighting so that if anyone tries to hurt or kidnap her, she can defend herself. It also made her much more aware of the world around her, including the evil king Badlug of Grimoire, the neighboring kingdom, who 10 years ago kidnapped and killed her mother.

Soon, she’ll be married off to Pete, a Prince who is pretty and… well he tries, but he’s just not the person she is. He will become the new king of Beldora and she’ll be his arm candy. But when a villain comes to kidnap her, she gives herself up willingly to save Pete’s life.

While she’s chained up in Badlug’s castle, Misty makes unlikely friendships and a plan to escape and save her people… and herself.

Originally a 5-book comic series, Another Castle was epic and quick-paced. I love Gorga and Fogmoth a lot! This had queer rep, which I will always be happy to see, especially when 10 years ago, a book like this would not have cared enough.

If you love castles, royalty, villains, heroes, monsters, and magic, this is definitely the graphic novel for you!

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Castle: Grimoire is a delightful all-ages comic about a princess trying to figure out what the right thing to do is in a nation ruled by a tyrant. Give in to marrying him after he kidnaps her just means that his evil will continue, but the last princess who refused him was killed along with all the kingdom residents. What's an angry princess to do? To make matters worse, she needs a special sword to defeat the evil king, but her betrothed has it and he's just... not so great with swords.

The book has many feminist themes, queer characters, and lots of interesting concepts to chat about with the kiddies. The story is strong, with lots of diverse, interesting characters, and vibrant art. There's a good dose of humour, though serious moments too. It's nothing particularly novel, but a strong, fun comic for an age group that needs more interesting stuff!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hearkening back to the strong, skilled, and resourceful female fantasy characters of my childhood (She-Ra and Amethyst coming to mind), Princess Misty is not a passive character waiting to be rescued -- she fights her own battles and sees her capture as an opportunity to undermine the reign of her captor from within. Lots of interesting world-building, complex characters, and welcome diversity make this a unique and entertaining story with a satisfyingly complete arc in one volume.

[Read via the Comixology Unlimited service rather than print]

[Salamah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and fun to look at. The storyline was nothing new to me but it was a cute story about a princess trying to change the world with her friends. The characters are diverse and likeable. The ending was nice as it circled back to the title. Fast read. This is a great book for older elementary students and middle school.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 EDIT:

Reread: What a fun, colourful, warmhearted, clever, thrilling, and sometimes surprisingly dark fantasy adventure comic. It's not perfect - the ending is a little rushed, the main villain is weak and one-dimensional, and a couple of plot points are quick and muddled and confusing. But whatever, it's great. It is a fantasy world, containing real world political subtext. Its messages about rebellion, freedom, equality, togetherness, and forming democracies are blatant, and important.

'Another Castle' may be better than I remember the first time reading it. In many ways it is my kind of graphic novel. A wonderful, hope-filled standalone.

Final Score: 4/5





Original Review:



'Another Castle: Grimoire' is a fun fantasy graphic novel that is, appropriately enough, like a classic video game presented in another art form. It's a simple story with themes of rebellion and empowerment in all sorts of ways - nothing special, but enjoyable. The art is by the same person who worked on 'Zodiac Starforce', Paulina Ganucheau, and that ranks the book high in my, ahem, book. It is passionate, and adorable.

Artemisia, or Misty, is a princess who wants to kill an evil king, Badlug, using the only sword that can do the task. But her selfless, noble heart gets her locked up in his castle and forced to be his bride so he can rule over her kingdom of Beldora. It is Misty the story focuses on while, in the background, her "prince" comes to try to rescue her. She doesn't wait around for a mini-second, and by her own efforts, she uncovers the horrific truth behind Grimoire, the kingdom of monsters. With the help of Badlug's equally-trapped servants, the princess vows to set Grimoire free from tyranny, and kill her captor once and for all.

We've seen the rebellious princess trope so many times now that we've become as sick of it as we had the passive fairy tale princess trope that's existed since storytelling began. But at least Princess Misty, who excels with a sword and is as assertive and smart as they come, also likes dresses and jewellery, plus pink. There is more to her than any boxed gender stereotypes.

'Another Castle' is about Misty wanting freedom - from her external prison and to be whoever she wants, never ruling anywhere; alone or alongside anyone else. There's a revenge motif to her character; part of her motivation for going against Badlug is a vendetta for her mother's death years beforehand. She is hard yet kind, and cries in practically every chapter. That just makes her more brave and worth rooting for.

There is also a homosexual couple going through an on-and-off-again breakup that's a small detail to the story and not made a big deal of at all. Female friendships and sisterhood are put to the forefront. Fantastical racism with goblins and monsters - overcoming racism and loving and helping each other despite our differences really is a theme that is everywhere nowadays, and in fact was always around and we didn't care to see it until we realized how important it truly is to see in fiction right now. To that I say, "Good, keep it up, everyone always needs to be reminded about equality."

Overall 'Another Castle: Grimoire' isn't particularly groundbreaking. The villain Badlug is one-dimensional (he is just like Skeletor from 'He-Man', only not nearly as entertaining or memorable), and Princess Misty, however good she is, doesn't stand out much in comparison to the other colourful and charming characters (the monsters, including Gorga the half-gorgon, are funny and great to know over the course of the story). But as a comic for all ages, it is an exciting adventure. Energetic and not too violent, it is a fun-packed homage to eighties' Saturday morning cartoons and arcade games, notably Nintendo's 'Super Mario' and 'The Legend of Zelda'.

For a progressive, feminist dragon quest about hope, go read 'Another Castle'. The princess is in another castle, because she escaped and is on the move towards justice.

Final Score: 3.5/5

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 3 out of 5]

04 January, 2017

01.01.2017
I just got this on Netgalley and am pretty hyped about it. I love Ganucheau's artwork so I can't wait to get to this.

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A story with brilliant art and a kickass heroine, what more could you ask for?

Things to look out for:

- The artwork
- The writing
- The kickass Heroine
- Race and sexuality not being used as a plot point

I assumed that I would enjoy this because I've heard great things about Ganucheau's previous works but this comic really went beyond my expectations.



Paulina Ganucheau's artwork is adorable and bright. All of the characters look amazing and none of them look the same, they all have their own unique qualities and shapes. Throughout the comic we meet a whole world of different monsters and by the end of the story they end up coexisting with each other. The monster all look astounding, they are all different and they're not too scary either!



I also loved the writing, there is no stilted conversation and all of the dialogue sounded natural and like stuff a normal teenager would say. Andrew Wheeler created an impressive, beautiful and strong-willed princess. Misty, the main character of this comic is a princess who is actually trying to defend her kingdom instead of just hanging about and providing support when required.

Something I really loved about this comic and one of Paulina Ganucheau’s other works is the diversity, somics are really stepping up! Not only do we not have an all white, all straight cast but we have humans and monsters in healthy relationships with each other. The characters really make this comic!

Release Date ~ February 28th 2017

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

the art, the message, the plot, everything!! this comic is amazing. I was so pleasantly surprised by it, it was like a breeze of fresh air. bring me more please!

full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/1...

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too direct with its messages of a Strong Female Protagonist, but a nice cast of supporting characters. I’d have actually found this a more intriguing book had it been from Gorgon’s point of view, or, for that matter, any of the side characters...just for a change of pacing. The story itself felt quite generic, as by now, there are plenty of graphic novels that turn fantasy tropes on their heads. This volume didn’t do enough to make it stand out. The artwork was beautiful though, if a tad too brightly colored for my taste.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with other reviewers that the main character’s Action Girl personality felt forced and made to show how Tuff(tm) she is even while being a princess. I enjoyed the art and the side characters and wished for more only for them to have more chances to shine.

The pacing was a bit rushed, but I can appreciate wanting to keep a story contained and not drug out over various side plots (no matter how much I’d have loved them!)

Overall, not bad, but not something I’d reread or would top a recommended list from me.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! Picked this up because of the gorgon character, wonderful plot with all of the lady power! Paulina Ganucheau's art is simply stunning, if you haven't picked up Zodiac Starforce yet (why haven't you?) definitely recommend all of Paulina's work.

[Annye Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Castle: Grimoire does not have a good beginning. At first, the story feels way too cheesy and saccharine - a stereotypical “princess rebels” story. I thought about putting the book down after the first issue, but I was committed to using it for my /r/fantasy graphic novel bingo card (bingo is the best motivation!).



…And I am so glad I stuck with it. The more characters that entered the narrative the more I liked this comic. The supporting cast is spectacular, but even the background characters are interesting and diverse, and have their own unique lives and stories.

I also love that Another Castle: Grimoire an entire self-contained story that feels neither rushed nor over-explained through text. The world is built naturally through the story, and that story reaches a wonderful and complete conclusion.

I am tempted to criticize that neat, perfectly packaged ending…but I don’t want to. It’s refreshing to read a book where all loose ends are tied, every narrative thread is addressed, and everyone lives happily ever after. Another Castle: Grimoire is a simple story executed in a wonderful way.

[Rebekah Gyger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. The art style is not what I typically enjoy, but I saw it and thought it looked like something a few of my goodreads friends would have chosen and thought I would give it a chance. And though I'm still not a fan of all the bright pinks and purples, I know I can't judge a comic based strictly on its use of them.

As to the story, it is a little heavy handed when it comes to pushing the feminist message, especially since Misty wasn't really an interesting character. For that reason, had I read this on the original separate issues, I wouldn't have continued past issue #1 because it was pretty much just about her.

But once I continued, I found a lot of humor in the story telling. I mean, having a contractor submit a proposal for the type of monsters the hero would face? As someone who does contract work, that had me laughing for a few minutes. But there was also discussion of what happens after the hero wins and how the people cope with losing the lives they had built once their tyrant ruler is overthrown. Also, the Gorga stepped in as an interesting female heroine who actually does save the day despite how she is kind of overlooked in the story. For those reasons, I do recommend this as a collection.

[aikaterine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic artwork and greatly important messages, all in just a few pages!

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Another Castle: Grimoire is a stand-alone graphic novel about a princess who isn't a damsel in distress, she's someone willing to fight and make all the hard choices for her people.

In reality, this is an anti-fairytale, with a fierce heroine, a ridiculous prince charming/dashing/stunning and the value of making our own choices.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another of the youth-oriented trope-undermining female-centric princess titles, a genre that I'm actually glad is large enough to be able to be considered a genre. This is also a pretty strong addition to the group. Misty is a princess that is to be married off to cement an alliance in order to defend against an undying king that threatens their lands. But when she tries to take things into her own hands, she ends up accelerating plans and causing much chaos. But while a prince is on his way to rescue her, she's doing much more behind the scenes to protect him, undermine the villain, and come to terms with her place in the world.
I really appreciated that this isn't just a female Hero's Journey; Misty is forced to come to terms with what her individual actions mean for an entire kingdom, and the book indicts monarchies in general, pushing the power of the people in a way that really feels true to the world of the book. There's a fair bit of humor and plenty of action, and Misty's entourage is eclectic and delightful. The art works well in telling the story, and the resolution feels well-earned. I'm very glad I read it and although its target audience is probably teen-aged (and some of its conceits feel a bit naive), it still sparked a lot of thought on a number of topics. Recommended.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's maybe rounding up a little, but I'mma go ahead and give this five stars because it's so adorable and clever and funny. I especially like Gorga and Fogmoth, Pete learning about "monster culture," and Robin pointing out that you can't just kill an evil tyrant and expect the kingdom to sort itself out. Smart, cute book. (Plus, I love those punchy, poppy colors!)

[Shay Vande · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic adventure! This comic had lots of great, diverse characters, from LGBT to POC to feminist princesses to kind and fun monsters. The dialogue easily passed both the gender and the racial versions of the Bechdel Test.

The art was beautiful and the story and characters were an absolute delight.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an alright graphic novel. I mean the art style is great and plot sounded like a great graphic novel, but the story did not mesh well with me. It felt like it was all over the place and it started all of a sudden like there was more to the story before the beginning. I liked the characters, but they sometimes got very annoying.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And it turns out that monsters are just... folks you haven't learned about yet."

A million out of ten.

Feminist, revolutionist/anarchist, and queer. Is there anything else you really need? Also, bonus points for the double entendre of the title. Love a good pun and videogame reference.