Once & Future Deluxe Edition, Book 2

Once & Future (Collected Editions) #3-5

by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora (Illustrator)

The highly anticipated conclusion to the Eisner and Hugo Award-nominated epic fantasy series, collected in a deluxe hardcover!

In the fourth arc, MONARCHIES IN THE UK, Bridgette, Duncan, and Rose, – along with the entirety of Britain – are dragged into the Otherworld. It's a land of predatory monsters and things seem like they can't get any worse. But of course they can! A rival king rises to confront Arthur, plunging the land into civil war... and both pursue Bridgette, Duncan and Rose as they travel across the land, desperately trying to find a way to return Britain to its senses. And continuing in the fifth and final arc, THE WASTELAND, It’s the day before Christmas and the Kings all converge on Excalibur, each determined to be the true ruler. Chaos arises! What if no one has the strength to take the sword? Will there finally be peace after so much conflict, or will an unexpected figure claim the throne? Rituals, bombs, and battles ensue, while the final fate of Mary, Rose, Bridgette, Merlin, and the rest awaits! The incomparable Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine) and Dan Mora (Detective Comics) deliver the long-awaited conclusion to their Hugo Award-nominated mystical modern take on Arthurian legend! Collects Once & Future #19-30.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Supernatural, Mystery

336 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2024

About the author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this was definitely a step in from the last book, had a good time with this!

This half of the story starts with everyone in Britain knowing legends are real and being trapped in the otherworld, really cool concept again. And the way the story went was really good and liked how this ended. Just didn’t like it as much as I thought especially considering the theme but it was still a good story overall I had a good time reading.

[Matt Quann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series! It felt like Gillen letting loose with a number of Arthurian myths and, in this volume, turning to other famous stories. The art is dynamic and to me somewhat like Greg Capullo. Not to say that Dan Mora’s art is derivative, rather that Capullo is the closest comparator.

Bridgitte has got to be the best senior citizen in comics. Loved her and the rest of the cast and I was intrigued to see in the afterwords that Gillen doesn’t consider this a hard ending. More to come? I’m all in!

[Garrett M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. The back half of it ramps up the tragedy aspect while playing with an expanded roster of stories and how they can intersect with eachother. Gonna miss this book

[Highland G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its okay. They time jumped and basically went all in without much of an explanation or character development. After a while it just felt like insert macguffen here so Dan could show off his amazing art. But even then, the big art spreads fell flat a few times.
I feel like I need to read the whole thing through together to fully judge it but I am just not that invested.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 for the whole series

A bloody good time, emphasis on the bloody.

Once & Future feels like the comic book version of a popcorn B-movie, and I have no shame to admit I enjoyed it despite knowing it’s a bit ridiculous. The story throws Arthurian legend into modern Britain, and mayhem ensues. Guns, blood, guts, and enough mythological monsters to fill several museums. you name it. It rarely slows down and you barely catch your breath between sword fights, gunfire, and bursts of glowing green magic.

Gillen leans into pulpy fun but there's some emotional depth, too. I mean, there’s a surprisingly sharp streak of family drama running underneath all the chaos. Duncan, the hapless grandson turned reluctant hero, and his grandmother Bridgette make for a great duo. It's also clear Gillen was having fun twisting myths.

The real standout is Dan Mora’s art. It’s spectacular - clean, kinetic, and drenched in color. Tamra Bonvillain’s palette does half the storytelling. Eerie greens and burning reds make the pages practically hum.

In short, Once & Future is stylish, loud, and quick to read. It’s not deep, but it is fun, and very easy on the eyes.

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still having my problems with this story.

Obviously the artwork is cool and the story tries very hard to introduce throwaway characters, which do look awesome, but ultimately don't matter.

There's multiple Arthurs now and the concept of 'stories' is used as it is convenient, including time travel among other things. It feels like there's a lot of concepts thrown at the reader, but the whole mechanism (for a lack of a better word) doesn't really make sense. This does allow for some really cool action scenes, but they lack substance.

What bothers me the most is the character of Mary. She originated the whole story and I cannot wrap my head around it. I wish the book would have spent more time on her motivations, her past and especially her redemption.

There's a lot of things in this book, which I didn't touch upon, so it might be worth reading, but ultimately, I'm left disappointed and I don't consider these deluxe editions worth owning.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family drama and British Myths come together to deliver a heart-pounding story of love and loss.

Well the political leader of the UK has destroyed the country through sheer incompetence. But enough about Boris Johnson. The whole of the UK is now interacting with the characters of myth and legend, and they aren't friendly. Everything from giants to fairies to Robin Hood make an appearance, and they're all deadly.

Our heroes have to contend with not just one, but three different Arthurs, each claiming to be the true King of England. Each version represents a different era of the Legend, and the culture that spawned it, which I thought was really interesting.

I have to hand it to Gillen, everything that was set up in the first half of the story paid off in the back-end. A really satisfying conclusion, even if it could also be quite tragic.

[Emilio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent conclusion to a fun read. The artwork is majestic all throughout. There is a lot to like in this deep dive reinventing traditional Arthurian folklore. The modern day take on fantasy troops made me like this more than Die. The plot at times suffers from what I call the Gillen-syndrome (everything becomes so utterly complex and intertwined that it’s nearly impossible to follow all that’s going on, Die is an example), but things come together nearly at the end.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really had no complaints about Book 1, but the second half of this series was very much For Me in a way that the first wasn't. This was the fairy tales and Shakespeare portion of the story, so I was eating it up with a spoon. The additional characters were wonderful and grounded the events of the story a bit more, which gave tangible stakes to the spectacular showdowns at the end. I loved this. Cried so much (to the surprise of no one, I'm sure).

[Gilbert Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kieron Gillen’s stories are always loaded with big ideas and this is deceptively one of his biggest. The concept of stories being living breathing organisms that grow change and even multiply isn’t exactly new, but given the recent history of the UK, the increasingly xenophobic villain reflects how silly xenophobia actually is, and also how much the British isles have changed since the time of Arthur and his round table.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conclusion herein.

Smart use of Arthur myth in its multitudinous form, but the pace continues to hamper life. The exposition required to keep up their pace is a thorough drubbing.

It has many good pieces and is an enjoyable fair, but I can’t help but think there was something even greater here that got short changed.

[Grace]

Volume 3- 4 stars
Volume 4- 2 stars (Original Review- Really don’t know what it is about Gillen’s later books in his series, but they just tend to really not be a hit with me. I mean I really really liked the previous 3 books and now all of a sudden there’s 2 books left and I don’t like it, ugh.)
Volume 5- DNF

[Sleepy Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

August Reads 2025(16 out of 34): The once and future king story always grabbed my attention. So when the author ok’d a comic adaptation I had to grab it and read this monstrosity. This was an again a fun story with EXCELLENT ART by mostly Dan Mora! A solid read and a great pick up for any comic book fan! #Once&future #Reading #read #booktok #comics #graphicnovel

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous part two. I hope it isn't really over. I'd love to see the story continued somewhere down the road. Everything I said about the first book I can say about the second. I did like the continued story arcs and LOVED what happened with Rose. And while I was sad it was over, I thought Gillen did a wonderful job with the ending.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. As with the first volume this is an action packed, horror filled and inventive series with a touch of humour. This second volume had a energetic pace that just kept me reading. I loved it.

This series is ripe for a film or television adaptation, though it would be incredibly gory.

[Zachary Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic second half to this series. Once and future is one of my favorite reads of 2024 and ranks in the top tier of series by Kieron Gillen. The art my Dan Mora fits this series so well and is also top tier.

[Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first half, since the clumsy time skip felt like they were rushing towards an ending. The Arthur(s) also felt like they were shoved to the side and a lot of various threats (e.g., the gorgon) were resolved too quickly. Still great fun, though.

[Aura Nizharu · Rating 3 out of 5]

- 2 star because though vol 4 was amazing, the entirety of vol 5 fell very flat and the ending is a bit of a mess, I understand the symbolism but the ending is pretty unsatisfying, you don't make something cyclic and then.... well, I'm not gonna spoil but is not he way to end it.

[Ben Muralles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second verse, pretty similar to the first. The story beats pay off in the second half. Robin Hood looks awesome. So it gets a bit better in this volume.

This is a solid, though unspectacular story that is well suited to it's excellent art.

[Aildiin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original and entertaining.

[Ricardo Noronha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending of a fantastic retelling of the Arthurian legends, with beautiful artwork.

Straight to my "favourites" shelf!

[Chris Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good end to the story. I think I liked the second book more than the first. Would 100% recommend. The physical print quality of both the deluxe editions is also extremely high.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

74%
Modern / Arthurian / Fantasy / Fast-paced / Action / Direct / Vivid

[Tamara Morrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
If you like Die or other works by Kieron Gillen you will like this series.

[Trevor ComicFan · Rating 5 out of 5]

95

The art in this book is amazing. I felt a little lost with all the references to various iterations of Arthurian legends, but I sure enjoyed the ride. Bridgette is the best!

[Will Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this stuck the landing. Everything paid off, plans galore, and incredible battle scenes and continuation of the stories.

[Xavier Remacle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endings are hard