In this concluding fifth volume of Once & Future, it is up to Gran, Duncan and Rose to save everyone from the deadly Otherworld that has now infiltrated the entire U.K. It all started when British academic Duncan and his monster-hunting Gran, Bridgette, fought off an un-dead King Arthur that some Nationalists had reanimated to keep Britain pure. Due to some magical treachery, the Otherworld is now out in the open, and reality and fantasy have become co-mingled. Our three heroes try to save their friends and family while battling new creatures, but Duncan’s mother Mary and his half-brother always complicate matters.
As with all the volumes, King Arthur and Merlin play a big part in the narrative. But there are several versions of them that have appeared, all believing themselves to be the true King and wizard. There are many twists and turns, and Rose’s adoption plays a pivotal part towards the end. There are sacrifices made, but Gran and Mary always know what to do and how to manipulate the situation in their favor.
Author Kieron Gillen is obviously an expert in English stories, but the average reader is not, so there were times the warped mythology became too confusing. Throughout the entire series, he threw in so many different characters and plots from English folktales and legends that it was hard to keep straight who was who and how they all connected to one another. However, I learned from his previous series, The Wicked + The Divine, that you can’t get caught up in the small details, as you have to step back and look at the big picture.
I really enjoyed the art by Dan Mora and how he drew the characters plus all the fantasy elements. Fond of many panels per page, the action flowed in cinematic-like sequences. Mora created amazing monsters and landscapes, and the coloring by Tamra Bonvillain was perfect. The floating orbs that were previously a clue that magic was moving into the regular world and they should be wary of are now everywhere, so on the flip side, when the story ended, I was sad to see the orbs disappear.
The concluding page points to the possibility of further adventures, which Gillen confirms in his farewell statement. The mythology in this series was deliciously warped, so I look forward to future adventures with hunky Duncan and his ass-kicking Gran if this creative team decides to reanimate the story in the future!
Monsters have now infiltrated the entire U.K. and it is up to Gran, Duncan and Rose to save everyone from the deadly Otherworld!
This fourth volume brings in even more English folklore and legends, mixing and matching stories and eras so that readers won’t know what to expect next. In addition to a reanimated King Arthur and Merlin, we get Yvain and his lion, the giant from Jack and the Beanstack, a gorgon, evil fairies, Shakespeare’s writings and lastly another version of Arthur and Merlin.
Now that the Otherworld is out in the open, reality and fantasy have become co-mingled, with other neighboring countries none the wiser as to what is really happening in the U.K. Our three heroes try to save their friends and family while battling new creatures when Duncan’s mother Mary shows up. Her unresolved issues with Gran always complicate matters, and she teeters on the edge of good and evil. Both Gran and Mary manipulate people and situations that will help them win, but at this point, I want to know exactly what happened between this mother and daughter to cause their bitter fallout.
The art remains a strength with amazing monsters and fantasy landscapes. The lettering and location titles helped keep some details straight. The floating orbs that were previously a clue that magic was moving into the regular world and they should be wary of are now everywhere. My favorite ginger Duncan is now more battle-weary, and his new beard suits him.
While author Kieron Gillen is obviously an expert in English stories, I believe the average reader will become as muddled as I am. While this series is still very intriguing, the warped mythology is in danger of becoming too confusing. However, because the first three volumes were so excellent, I’m hoping future volumes will get back on track, plus I’m intrigued as to how the new character on the last page will tie into the narrative.
Read the rest of the series: Volumes One, Two & Three
This third volume of the Once & Future series is as strong as the first two, and I am loving these twisted King Arthur tales!
The story starts out innocently (I’m not fooled), as Gran relaxes with one of her many cigs out on the patio of her senior home, when six magpies fly to her. She recites two nursery rhymes that would correlate with the six birds and realizes they are a bad omen of what is to come. Of course the colored orbs surrounding them is always a clue that magic and mayhem are around the corner. She calls her hunky ginger grandson Duncan over to help and he brings along his love interest Rose along as she has some foretelling powers.
While the story continues with a dark King Arthur and Merlin, some other English tales and characters are incorporated- such as SirGawain and the Green Knight, Elaine of Astolat andElaine of Corbenic. All of these mentions made me have to look up Wikipedia entries on them all, as my knowledge of Arthurian tales is rather scant. The way that Gran, Duncan, Rose, and Duncan’s mother Mary twist all of these legends around to suit them can be a bit confusing, yet it works. Rose is incorporated more into this story, as she takes charge of a beheading and then later befriending a flying dragon.
The concluding pages seem to put Arthur and Merlin to rest, but of course there is a twist that brings them alive once more. And now because of someone’s stupidity, the dark magic is out in the world for everyone to see, not just monster hunters and sinister government agencies. The strange creatures on the last page are creepily awesome. I look forward to what author Kieron Gillen and artist Dan Mora have planned next for readers!
In the first volume of Once & Future, British academic Duncan and his monster hunting Gran, Bridgette, fought off an un-dead King Arthur that some Nationalists had reanimated to keep Britain pure. While they were successful in defeating him, the king is now down but not out with the Otherworld in disarray, leaving other legends and deadly creatures to emerge and fight for power.
The second volume begins with Duncan rightfully angry at his grandmother, who had kept secrets from him his whole life, and now he has to be on his guard for new dangers. His colleague Rose, who is also a love interest, uses some magic to determine where the next problems will pop up and he is exhausted keeping up with it all. But when Beowulf appears, King Arthur and an evil Merlin try to harness his strength to their advantage. And for those familiar with the Beowulf mythology, there are additional monsters such as Grendel and his mother, who show up at Bridgette’s assisted living home and cause havoc and destruction as Duncan races over to help.
The artwork continues to be amazing, although I did notice a change in making some facial reactions extreme and anime-like. I prefer a more realistic approach, as the monsters and mayhem were always detailed and naturalistic, and I don’t want the hunky Duncan to become a caricature. The Otherworld had vivid almost hallucinogenic colors, with the floating orbs a clue that magic was moving into the regular world and they should be wary.
I continued to enjoy this new series, and look forward to more warped British mythology. King Arthur remains a threat, and Duncan also has to contend with his family disfunction as his long-gone mother and half-brother are part of the Nationalist group that opened the portal into the dark world. That the volume ends with a real-world politician ready to make an unholy allegiance open the story to more exciting plots!
One of the few good parts of 2020: all the exemplary graphic novels we read! Once again, dear readers, we present the best graphic novels we have read this year, in no particular order.
Nancy: Pride of Baghdadwas an absolutely riveting graphic novel that took the real-life story of how a pride of lions escaped the Baghdad Zoo in April of 2003 during an American raid of Iraq when it was under Saddam Hussian’s rule. This anthropomorphic tale by Brian K. Vaughn and Niko Henrichon centers around four lions in the Baghdad Zoo- male leader Zill, older female Safa, younger Noor and her cub Ali. These four lions go on to characterize how different Iraqi citizens have coped with the cruel reign of Hussian, although truly the tale is universal in scope. The conclusion, while expected, will tear you to pieces. Its illuminating clarity will make you think for a long time about the perils of war.
Kathleen: I had to redo my list once I read The Dragon Prince (Vol. 1): Through the Moon. Set between the events of Season 3 and the upcoming Season 4 of the Netflix series, our main characters embark on a journey to the land of death both for closure and confirmation. The main draw of this graphic novel, and the series as a whole, is the charming and loving interactions between all the characters. What’s more, it’s incredibly diverse in cast. This graphic novel is easily a worthy addition to the universe, and one of the best adaptations of another IP I’ve seen. You will fall in love as I have done.
Nancy: I fell in love with ElfQuest when I was in high school and my boyfriend who was collecting them introduced me to the World of Two Moons. Sometimes our dates would consist of us sitting side by side reading for hours and debating the finer points of elf lore. That my high school boyfriend eventually became my husband makes this series dear to my heart. The series began in 1978 ( I began reading it in the 1990s) and ended exactly forty years later with a four-volume conclusion called The Final Quest. I had bought the books and read them as they came out, and although I obviously blog about graphic novels I read, I did not write up any reviews, as the stories meant so much to me and I felt it hard to do it justice. But re-reading them during this spring’s Covid quarantine was enjoyable. Authors Wendy and Richard Pini fold decades worth of storyline and family connections of the elf tribes into a mostly satisfying conclusion to this truly epic fantasy series.
Kathleen: Things aren’t always what they seem. For example, Estranged may look like a middle-grade graphic novel at first glance. This is a tale about a human and fae who were swapped at birth and forced to meet when a usurper tries to take the fae throne. They must work together to save what each of them holds dear. Author Ethan Aldridge takes a deep dive into issues such as identity, family, and finding where one belongs, written without compunction, yet in a way that his target audience will understand. The art was delightfully cluttered without feeling overwhelming. Trust me – you’ll be as surprised as I was.
Nancy: I was sold on In the Pines: Five Murder Ballads as soon as I read murder ballads in the title! I’ve long been a fan of narrative songs that tell a story, with Appalachian inspired murder ballads being particularly appealing to me. Author and illustrator Erik Kriek is actually Danish, but took an American type of ballad, and turned it into a new type of art. He didn’t just adapt the song straight into comic form, instead he interpreted the lyrics to tell a fresh story, sometimes to my liking and sometimes not. The art was in duotone, with a different color for each tale. Reminiscent of scratch art or wood reliefs, Kriek’s black inks were evocative of Appalachian landscapes and times gone by.
Kathleen: Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom, adopted by Swedish parents at birth, shares her quest for finding the identity of her Korean birth parents in Palimpsest. This read was extraordinarily hard, but it’s well worth it. Though strong emotions come up throughout, there is never a point where it feels melodramatic. The information that Lisa and her husband Richey find is laid out, matter-of-factly, and in a sense the overall book is presented that way, too. Warm sepia tones, evoking rice paper and old documents, make up the whole color scheme. The presentation of this deeply personal, yet eye-opening, account shot it to this year’s best reads list immediately upon closing.
Nancy: What can I add to the dialogue about the excellent nine-volume series Saga? An epic sci-fi adventure with liberal doses of violence and sex, this series is a favorite of many but also criticized for the illustrated depictions of said violence and sex. Author Brian K. Vaughan jokingly described the series as “Star Wars for perverts.” Fiona Staples’s art is perfect for the story. She immediately establishes the looks of a large cast of unique characters and creates believable alien worlds, with some awesome two-page spreads. Vaughan and Staple have indicated that the story is only half over, but their 2018 hiatus continues, with fans dying to know what will happen next to the little space-faring family of Alana, Marko and Hazel.
Kathleen: Akiko Higashimura starts the story of how she became a manga artist in Blank Canvas (Vol. 1): My So-Called Artist’s Journey. As a high school student, she thinks she can get by on pure talent, until she starts taking classes with Hidaka Kenzou. He is a gifted artist but a demanding teacher. Though it is a manga, the art is more realistic and has less “manga-style” tropes than I think is usual. The physical and mental demands of an artist are portrayed accurately. What intrigued me most was Akiko and Hidaka’s relationship: though it’s clear how unalike they are, Akiko clearly remembers him fondly. This is one character study I am looking forward to more of.
Nancy: Do you think you know King Arthur’s story? Think again! In this alternative fantasy world by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora set in Britain, Duncan McGuire is a handsome but bumbling academic out on a disastrous date when he gets a call that his grandma is missing from her assisted living home. But his doobie smoking gran Bridgette turns out to be a monster hunter who has been keeping a lot of secrets from Duncan whom she raised. Soon he is in the middle of a crusade to block a woman Elaine from reanimating King Arthur who is not the kindly king of lore. In a Brexit-inspired plot, a group of Nationalists wishes for him to keep Britain pure so they bring his remains back to life. Then it a race to prevent a dark prophecy from taking hold, with several twists and turns and improbable family connections. The first volume of Once & Future sucked me in, and I already have volume two at home for a January review.
Kathleen: Last, but not least, for me, is the middle-grade DC hero debut of Primer. Ashley Rayburn’s new foster home is with scientist Yuka and artist Kitch Nolan. Though she likes them, she knows her penchant for getting into trouble won’t let her stay last long. After doing just that by discovering a suitcase full of paints that give her special powers, she must make a choice: save herself, or save her newfound family. The draw is in the art here: cartoony, loud, bombastic, and bursting with color. Each character is diverse and bends a traditional gender role, which only adds to the quirky sitcom tone – in a tasteful way. Readers of all ages will love this.
Friends, while 2020 was not what any of us expected, we were still fortunate enough to read these stand-out graphic novels, and more. It’s our hope that 2021 is a better one. Thank you all for another year of blogging, good reads, and solidarity. Wishing you a warm, safe, and happy holiday season,
Do you think you know King Arthur’s story? Think again!
In this alternative fantasy world set in Britain, Duncan McGuire is a handsome but bumbling academic out on a disastrous date when he gets a call that his grandma is missing from her assisted living home. But his doobie smoking gran Bridgette turns out to be a monster hunter who has been keeping a lot of secrets from Duncan whom she raised. Soon he is in the middle of a crusade to block a woman Elaine from reanimating King Arthur who is not the kindly king of lore. In a Brexit-inspired plot, a group of Nationalists wish for him to keep Britain pure so they bring his remains back to life. Then it a race to prevent a dark prophecy from taking hold, with several twists and turns and improbable family connections.
Reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code plus The Mummy and National Treasure movies, the action is fast and furious and plays loose with history. In a familiar trope, an unsuspecting character is thrown into the thick of things and can shoot, fight with a sword and run like an Olympic sprinter as needed. (As an aside, I recently went to an axe-throwing business with my husband and friends and was disappointed that I wasn’t better. I had the strength but little finesse. What good will I be if a zombie horde or an evil reanimated king attacks my family? Unfortunately, I didn’t magically have the best skills like characters do in books and movies)
I really enjoyed the art by Dan Mora and how he drew the characters plus all the fantasy elements. Fond of many panels per page, the action flowed in cinematic-like sequences. The only criticism I had was a certain female character was drawn too young- she was a mother to two adult sons and looked to be their sister. In comparison, her mother was drawn too old, so they should have aged the one a bit more and de-aged the other to be more believable. The colors by Tamra Bonvillian were superb, with rich colors and a psychedelic swirl of colors and floating orbs in the fantasy realm.
This was a very appealing first volume of a series I plan to follow. The mythology was deliciously warped and I look forward to future adventures with Duncan and his ass-kicking Gran.
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