I approached this book with trepidation. Well into a new millennium, do we really need yet another King Arthur take? Is there anything left to be explored?

Then I thought: this is Kieron-BLOODY-Gillen! He brought us Young Avengers, Phonogram, Journey Into Mystery, and of course The Wicked + The Divine. Plus Doctor Aphra and Uber. Maybe I should give him a chance to surprise me.

Grandma with a Big Gun

I am happy to report that this comic delivers. Now, I could deliver a blow-by-blow review, from the most awkward date ever through the nationalists trying to bring King Arthur back to life, but it’s really better experienced first hand.

And in short: it is a freaking good ride.

And this book is dark. Arthur is not the hero; he’s the villain – still the blood-soaked king keeping the Anglo-Saxons out of Britain. He wants his throne back and will kill anyone in his way… along with anyone who doesn’t fit into his narrow view of what Britain should be.

Enter Bridgette McGuire, granny with a machine gun and retired monster hunter. She spent her life fighting things that go bump in the night and trying to keep dangerous legends like Arthur from coming back. She failed, and now it’s her grandson Duncan’s job to stop them.

England’s Darkest Hour

The whole “Arthur will return in England’s darkest hour” thing takes a twisted turn in Once and Future when Arthur’s reappearance is itself that darkest hour, which is of course Gillen’s point.

The legends and tales we have romanticized are much darker and far more dangerous than we give them credit for. They are dangerous, and the unscrupulous can manipulate them. Perhaps, rather than worshiping them, we should hunt myths and legends down and extinguish them before they destroy us.

I don’t know about you, but I see far too many real-life parallels right now.

TL;DR Review

Once & Future by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora, and Tamara Bonvillain (Boom! Studios) is an amazing blend of story and art that fits perfectly with the widescreen action of the book, as well as with the quieter moments. Originally intended to be a limited series, it has been extended to a monthly and should absolutely be on your pull list. A trade collecting the first arc is available now.