[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Dan Mora
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“Who will play a game?”- The Green Knight
Once & Future #16 -Surrounded by British government forces, Nimue calls for backup – but will Merlin and Galahad help stop the opposition… or expose Britain to the truth?
Meanwhile, Bridgette and Duncan are trapped in the Otherworld and blocking their exit is Arthur’s greatest knight: Lancelot.
Back Story
Let’s catch you up as a reader.
A group of Nationalists use an ancient artifact to bring a villain from Arthurian myth back from the dead to gain power. Ex-monster hunter Bridgette McGuire escapes her retirement home and pulls her unsuspecting grandson Duncan, a museum curator, into a world of magic and mysticism to defeat a legendary threat.
This series combines the mysteries of the past, the complicated truths of our history and the power of family to save the day – especially if that family has secret bunkers of ancient weapons and decades of experience hunting the greatest monsters in Britain ‘s history!
Positives
Two stories are colliding at this point in the series and writer Kieron Gillen is bringing the conflict to a crescendo. As a reader of Once & Future, you need to know your knights! This is a political thriller that threatens to shake Britain to its core as it appears that Granny Bridgette McGuire has been holding off these conflicts for several years.
Duncan is coming to terms in this issue that he is going to have to battle Gallahad and Lancelot. Modern day weapons aside, a meek and mild Duncan may not fare well in this battle.
Positives (continued)
Gillen inserts Gran as our reader’s guide as she is well versed in anything that deals with King Arthur. Her knowledge of history and lore is amazing, and her simplistic matter of fact in dealing with all of this violence is incredible.
Positives 2.0
This issue is a bit short on the script writing as Gran is my favorite character in this comic. The government force plays a bigger role and that bathtub scene is interesting. What Psycho did for showers, Once & Future does for a hot bath.
The art! Dan Mora is in the same vein as Todd McFarlane or Greg Capullo. The art is fantastic and Tamra Bonvillain is at the pinnacle of a color fest. I would love to simply see a museum filled with their combos. I wish they could get their hands on a dark Gotham City or a majestic Metropolis. What they could do together with those backdrops would be amazing!
Negatives
Once & Future #16 relies heavily on myths, legends, and poetry of old. That is not a negative at all, but it does prompt the reader to dig deeper into the comic past reading it. This is not “bubble gum for the brain”, therefore, it is some high brow reading that accompanies a bit of research on your part as the reader to appreciate it!
Verdict
Once & Future #16- This is going to be one epic battle. Three knights battling it out! Once & Future should be accompanied with an English Literature degree and cliff notes. It is a high brow comic that rewards the reader with precise pencils and vivid colors! You would do yourself a favor at starting with issue #1 and pull yourself up to King Arthur and his round table!
