Once And Future #3 // Review
Duncan and Gran find a new ally in Once And Future #3, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. Unfortunately for them, the forces of darkness are also on the move. Can they stop Arthur before he gets the Grail?
Duncan and Gran attack Arthur and his knights in Otherworld, getting the knights to chase them away. Gran lays an explosive trap for them, and the two of them escape. Arthur and company depart Otherworld looking for a sword worthy of a king. Gran tells Duncan their next step is to find a Doctor of History from Bristol University… and it just so happens that Duncan’s date from the first issue, Rose, is one. They go get her, and they make their way to the University archives, where Gran instructs Rose on how to open a box from the last Doctor of History at the school. The message in the box tells her to trust whatever Gran says and to help her. The three of them make their way to the town of Bath, to the abbey where the first king of united England was crowned. They’re able to use it as a gateway to where Arthur and his knights are. Elaine has brought her son, Galahad, there to be knighted so he can find the Grail for Arthur. Gran has a rather pragmatic plan for stopping the whole enterprise, though.
Kieron Gillen brings up a fascinating thing several times in this book, and it’s the concept that the characters are part of a story. Gran first brings up when Duncan reveals his date is a Doctor of History at Bristol- a fact that is a little too convenient. She brings it up again when Rose asks her what the danger will be at the abbey in Bath. This seemingly small thing ties into the last issue of Gillen’s last work, The Wicked + The Divine, in which the main character tells readers that stories don’t control their lives. Gran knows how the story of Arthur ends- he becomes king and gets the Grail. She also knows how the story she’s in works, which is why she finds it convenient that Duncan knows a person who she’ll need to keep her end going. It’s almost meta, and it’s a great little addition to the book.
The stride of this issue is tremendous. The narrative keeps moving from place to place, and it works very well. Gillen knows how to make this flow work while also giving readers the exposition they need to understand what’s going on. Nothing seems rushed or like it just sprung up out of nowhere. The issue hits all the correct beats satisfyingly, pulling readers along in its wake.
Dan Mora’s art is terrific. One of the best pages in the book is the reveal of Elaine’s son Galahad, clad in plate armor, his expression and face mirroring that of his mother next to him. Tamra Bonvillain’s colors are this book’s secret weapon, though. She’s a master of lighting scenes using colors like blue for when Gran and Duncan are outside after escaping Otherworld or eldritch greens to represent the magic of Arthur. Throughout the book, her colors make everything pop, setting the mood for the scenes wonderfully.
Once And Future #3 injects a little bit of meta-commentary on the nature of stories into the mix, and it makes the book all the stronger. Beyond, Gillen sets a breakneck pace for the whole thing without sacrificing any of the needed exposition to make the scenes work. Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain’s art draws it all together, giving the book the visuals it needs to make it all work. This comic is just marvelous and does what every good comic should- add new things to its story without bogging it down and provide an entertaining narrative. Once And Future #3 is a triumph of storytelling.
