The Waiting Place
Encyclopedia
The Waiting Place is a comic book
series created by Sean Kelley McKeever
in 1997. Recommended by the author for young adults aged 14+, the series is a teen drama which centres around the lives of a group of teenagers (and one twenty-something) living in the remote American town of Northern Plains. The theme of the series is that characters who live in such towns exist in a 'holding pattern', spending their time waiting for something to happen. McKeever has described the themes of some of his comics, including The Waiting Place, as being "Alienation; coming of age; a burning desire to get on with life." The Waiting Place established McKeever as a writer of high-school stories, and paved the way for his later work for Marvel Comics
on titles like Sentinel and Mary Jane.
Northern Plains, where The Waiting Place is set, is based on Eagle River, Wisconsin
, where Sean attended High School.
, who liked it and took it on, republishing those early issues themselves too.
Marvel editor, Tom Brevoort, was a fan of The Waiting Place and gave McKeever his first Marvel assignments on the strength of it.
In 2005, Venture Management optioned The Waiting Place, believing it to have the potential to become a TV series.
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Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series created by Sean Kelley McKeever
Sean McKeever
Sean Kelley McKeever is an American comic book writer.-Career:Since the end of his creator-owned teen drama series The Waiting Place, which was published from 1997 to 2002, McKeever has written several series for Marvel Comics, including The Incredible Hulk, Sentinel, Mary Jane, Inhumans and...
in 1997. Recommended by the author for young adults aged 14+, the series is a teen drama which centres around the lives of a group of teenagers (and one twenty-something) living in the remote American town of Northern Plains. The theme of the series is that characters who live in such towns exist in a 'holding pattern', spending their time waiting for something to happen. McKeever has described the themes of some of his comics, including The Waiting Place, as being "Alienation; coming of age; a burning desire to get on with life." The Waiting Place established McKeever as a writer of high-school stories, and paved the way for his later work for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
on titles like Sentinel and Mary Jane.
Northern Plains, where The Waiting Place is set, is based on Eagle River, Wisconsin
Eagle River, Wisconsin
Eagle River is a city in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,443 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Vilas County. The city is known for being a popular "Northwoods" vacation town...
, where Sean attended High School.
Publication history
The Waiting Place started life as a self-published comic. McKeever realised that his best chance of breaking into the comics industry was to have a complete comic to show publishers, rather than his writing on its own. He found Brendon and Brian Fraim, and together they produced three issues of The Waiting Place. At a convention they submitted a copy of the self-published comic to Slave Labor GraphicsSlave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...
, who liked it and took it on, republishing those early issues themselves too.
Marvel editor, Tom Brevoort, was a fan of The Waiting Place and gave McKeever his first Marvel assignments on the strength of it.
In 2005, Venture Management optioned The Waiting Place, believing it to have the potential to become a TV series.
Characters
- Jeffry Dietz - the main character, who moves with his parents from the suburbs, leaving behind his girlfriend Michelle.
- Lora Halstead - a brunette senior, she believes in free love and heavy drinking.
- Jill Patterson - a blonde, beautiful freshman, who feels the need to dress in a sexy, feminine style in order to belong.
- Kyle Donovan - a long-haired juvenile delinquent who uses drugs.
- Scott Forbes - a 24-year-old who works in his father's video store and still carries a torch for his high school girlfriend, Ami.
- Ami Briggs - Scott's ex-girlfriend, who has since married a policeman and had a child.
- Cullen Cole - the son of the town's only black family, he faces a lot of hostility.
- Matt "the Anarchist" - an orphan, he is physically imposing, but uses the Internet and other surveillance methods to control others and make money.
- Steven Randall - class president, very popular; secretly gay.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
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| Title | Material collected | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| The Waiting Place Book One | The Waiting Place vol. 1 #1–6 | ISBN 0943151368 |
| The Waiting Place Book Two | The Waiting Place vol. 2 #1-6 | ISBN 0943151538 |
| The Waiting Place Book Three | The Waiting Place vol. 2 #7-12 | ISBN 0943151767 |
| The Waiting Place: The Definitive Edition | The Waiting Place Vol. 1 #1-6 The Waiting Place Vol. 2 #1-12 |
ISBN 978-1600105265 |