The Waiting Place
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''The Waiting Place'' is a
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
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 on 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 is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
on titles like ''
Sentinel Sentinel may refer to: Places Mountains * Mount Sentinel, a mountain next to the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana * Sentinel Buttress, a volcanic crag on James Ross Island, Antarctica * Sentinel Dome, a naturally occurring grani ...
'' and '' Mary Jane''. Northern Plains, where ''The Waiting Place'' is set, is based on
Eagle River, Wisconsin Eagle River is a city in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Vilas County. Because of the many lakes in the area, the city is a popular vacation and retirement destinat ...
, 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 Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, Jh ...
, 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.Variety.com news article, 7 March, 2005
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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 paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
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References


External links


The official website for The Waiting Place
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waiting Place 1997 comics debuts