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Once Upon A Time #3
Out of the Past
Return to the immersive world of ABC's hit television series ONCE UPON A TIME with an all-new sequel to the original graphic novel, ONCE UPON A TIME: The Shadow of the Queen. Welcome to the Enchanted Forest, where the characters from classic fairy tales have come to life and are locked in an epic struggle between good and evil! Plott ed by series writer and co-executi ve producer, Kalinda Vazquez, and co-written by returning author Corinna Bechko, the release will tie into official show continuity and dive in to four never-before-told stories of fan favorite characters!
112 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
June 13, 2015
I really enjoyed this, I thought it was nice having background stories for the characters. My least favorite one was the one about Regina, I really like her character but it just felt like it was thrown in there just so they could have another story and it was pretty short. My favorite would probably be Rumple and Belle's story, but I also really enjoyed Jefferson's and Killian's! All of the art was so pretty! There was also some concept art in the back which I thought was pretty cool. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who loves OUAT!
March 31, 2015
I'd been looking forward to this for ages, and in most respects, it doesn't disappoint. Split into four stories looking at different characters in the Once universe, each is drawn by a different artist, and these often make or break the stories.
We open with a story about Killian Jones pre-Captain Hook era, as he battles what seems to be Cthulhu. I'm going to pretend it's Cthulhu, because that makes things even better. The artwork in this story ranges from excellent to really undetailed, with characters turning into blobs of colour, and there's no rhyme or reason. It'd make sense if all the close up shots looked great and all the far away shots looked rubbish, but it's a mix of both, and Killian's scruff seems to change between panels. Not a great start, I'll admit.
The next story features Belle and Rumplestiltskin, which is much better. The art is here is much clearer and cleaner, with an almost watercolour effect, and the story once again focuses on the subtle changes that their relationship went through to lead them to where they are today. The fact that Belle continues to be loyal yet keeps getting betrayed shows a good parallel with the current storyline in Season 4 too.
Regina's story comes next, with some almost indecipherable artwork. This story also seems to be the shortest, and that's probably a good thing because it doesn't do anything for the character that hasn't been explored elsewhere and in better detail.
Finally, the best is saved for last as we get to see the backstory for Jefferson, the Mad Hatter. I expect this is because his return to the TV show is exceptionally unlikely now, so we're getting all the story stuff for him elsewhere. We learn about the tragedy that made him put away his hat, as well as meeting the March Hare, and the artwork here is bright and colourful, yet captures the macabre nature of the Hare with just as much ease.
It's a shame that the cover artist, Stacey Lee, doesn't drawn any of the internal stories, because her cover is beautiful, capturing the actor's likenesses moreso than any of the interior artists. Overall this is a mix of good and bad, both on the story and art front, but I expect OUAT fans will enjoy it just as much as I.
We open with a story about Killian Jones pre-Captain Hook era, as he battles what seems to be Cthulhu. I'm going to pretend it's Cthulhu, because that makes things even better. The artwork in this story ranges from excellent to really undetailed, with characters turning into blobs of colour, and there's no rhyme or reason. It'd make sense if all the close up shots looked great and all the far away shots looked rubbish, but it's a mix of both, and Killian's scruff seems to change between panels. Not a great start, I'll admit.
The next story features Belle and Rumplestiltskin, which is much better. The art is here is much clearer and cleaner, with an almost watercolour effect, and the story once again focuses on the subtle changes that their relationship went through to lead them to where they are today. The fact that Belle continues to be loyal yet keeps getting betrayed shows a good parallel with the current storyline in Season 4 too.
Regina's story comes next, with some almost indecipherable artwork. This story also seems to be the shortest, and that's probably a good thing because it doesn't do anything for the character that hasn't been explored elsewhere and in better detail.
Finally, the best is saved for last as we get to see the backstory for Jefferson, the Mad Hatter. I expect this is because his return to the TV show is exceptionally unlikely now, so we're getting all the story stuff for him elsewhere. We learn about the tragedy that made him put away his hat, as well as meeting the March Hare, and the artwork here is bright and colourful, yet captures the macabre nature of the Hare with just as much ease.
It's a shame that the cover artist, Stacey Lee, doesn't drawn any of the internal stories, because her cover is beautiful, capturing the actor's likenesses moreso than any of the interior artists. Overall this is a mix of good and bad, both on the story and art front, but I expect OUAT fans will enjoy it just as much as I.
January 28, 2015
I liked almost all of the stories. Regina's story bored me a bit, but I really liked the rest, even Rumbelle's. Killian and Jefferson's were my favorites, especially Jefferson's. Most of them were super sad, though. Like why dudes? Thanks for the tears lmao. But yes, I loved this so much. I love Once Upon A Time so much. I love Killian, Jefferson and Belle so much. Okay bye.
January 4, 2021
Finally read this! I really enjoyed how the stories weren't based off the show, it definitely added to the fun of the Graphic Novel. OUAT is my favourite show so I love being in this world.
April 4, 2015
OKAYOKAYOKAY OKAY
5/5
Reseña en español: http://www.thefifthbook.com/?p=113
So this graphic novel??? Comic??? has 4 chapters. The first chapter is Killian's story before he meets Milah and becomes captain Hook and I literally died bc he looks so much like colin and the story was so heartbreaking. All of the stories were heartbreaking.
Then we have a Rumbelle chapter which was nice because Belle is so intelligent!
Regina's chapter was kind of short and the drawings weren't as awesome as the rest
And finally Jefferson aka the Mad Hatter story which I think was the most painful. I just loved this because I am a huge fan of the show and this is my first official merchandise and I am crying
5/5
Reseña en español: http://www.thefifthbook.com/?p=113
So this graphic novel??? Comic??? has 4 chapters. The first chapter is Killian's story before he meets Milah and becomes captain Hook and I literally died bc he looks so much like colin and the story was so heartbreaking. All of the stories were heartbreaking.
Then we have a Rumbelle chapter which was nice because Belle is so intelligent!
Regina's chapter was kind of short and the drawings weren't as awesome as the rest
And finally Jefferson aka the Mad Hatter story which I think was the most painful. I just loved this because I am a huge fan of the show and this is my first official merchandise and I am crying
December 30, 2015
I really enjoyed reading prequel-like stories of some of my favorite characters in Once Upon a Time. Out of the Past has stories about Captain Hook (Killian), Belle and Rumpelstiltskin (Mr. Gold), The Evil Queen (Regina), and The Mad Hatter (Jefferson). The artwork captures most of the actors' likeness in all of the short stories. After reading the four "chapters" in the book, there is bonus material for readers to peruse through. I hope that Marvel and Once Upon a Time continue to work together because I would love to read more graphic novels of this nature.
May 2, 2015
Definitely much better than the previous one.
The changes in illustrators was more understandable in this volume as it is a collection of different stories, and each of them has its own artist, hence it's less confusing than the previous one where the story remained the same, but the artists changed and it was, above all, annoying.
I probably liked this better as it had more about characters I liked (Hook, Rumple and Hatter), but even the stories featuring Belle and Regina were good.
The changes in illustrators was more understandable in this volume as it is a collection of different stories, and each of them has its own artist, hence it's less confusing than the previous one where the story remained the same, but the artists changed and it was, above all, annoying.
I probably liked this better as it had more about characters I liked (Hook, Rumple and Hatter), but even the stories featuring Belle and Regina were good.
July 17, 2015
This was so terrible. The art (besides Belle's story; which was a great watercolour) looked like a child had done it. The stories had barely anything to do with the real plot lines of the show. The hatters story was the only one that highlighted a bit of the back story going on before what we learn of in the show. This was also more of mini comics than a graphic novel.
Read
October 17, 2015I just finished this quick read! While the drawings were nice, I wasn't a fan of some of the stories. They were a little boring, except for The Mad Hatter's story. He's my favorite character from the show and his book makes me love him even more.
November 23, 2015
This is the worst graphic novel. It looks like a 3 yr old drew it. I wouldn't pay a $1 for it. I could go on a series rant about how terrible it is and why it was even published. The publisher should personally apologize to anyone who tried to read it.
March 25, 2023
3/26/2023 :
I'll be honest, I got this mainly for Rumple because he's my favorite character from OUAT and I really wanted more insight into his past. It certainly didn't disappoint in that regard, although I wish his presence was more prominent in his chapter story.
The other stories were pretty good too. I really liked the art from Regina's story best, but I think her story was my least favorite. Mostly because it felt repetitive in a way? I can't really explain it hmm....
I liked the one with Jefferson because it provided a perspective of what his life was before it became just him and Grace.
I'll be honest, I got this mainly for Rumple because he's my favorite character from OUAT and I really wanted more insight into his past. It certainly didn't disappoint in that regard, although I wish his presence was more prominent in his chapter story.
The other stories were pretty good too. I really liked the art from Regina's story best, but I think her story was my least favorite. Mostly because it felt repetitive in a way? I can't really explain it hmm....
I liked the one with Jefferson because it provided a perspective of what his life was before it became just him and Grace.
March 12, 2018
Hardback, graphic novel format, four stories. The first is about Captain Hook. The second is about Belle and Rumpelstiltskin.The third is about the Evil Queen and the last story is about the Mad Hatter.There are also some bonus images.
All four stories are well done, moreso than in many other graphic novels I've read. They also fit well with the Once Upon a Time mythos.
All four stories are well done, moreso than in many other graphic novels I've read. They also fit well with the Once Upon a Time mythos.
September 20, 2022
This one was a bit better than the first one, but still not like super great. It was okay and entertaining for a bit. Wasn't a fan of the drawing styles though, only liked Belle's & Rumple's style I think. It felt just weird.
March 5, 2020
I wasn’t a big fan of the art style, but the stories were pretty good! I just wish they had been longer.
November 5, 2024
I need more OUAT!!
October 9, 2017
Not so good than first graphic novel. These stories were more like just little snippets in between and didn´t have a lot of new to their whole stories. But loved Jefferson´s story as it was significant one.
April 1, 2022
Out of the Past
This graphic novel is divided into 4 stories.
“Dead In The Water”
Killian and his crew come across a bad storm that knocks the cook overboard. Killian saves him just in time. He and his right-hand man Lewis discuss the shape of the Jolly Roger. Lewis doesn’t think the ship will make it. Killian wants to keep pressing on. Up ahead he sees a mist and calmer waters. But Lewis recognizes it as the Leviathan Shores (known to drive men to murder and hallucinations). Killian doesn’t seem concerned. As they reach the shore, another ship approaches. Killian is reunited with his brother Liam who he thought was lost to dream shade in Neverland. Over a meal, Liam tells him he doesn’t know what happened. He woke up on an island and shortly afterward a ship appeared. He thought he’d soon be headed back to Killian, but a storm approached that took all the crew’s lives. He was the only survivor. Lewis asks for a word with Killian and tells him that there’s no way that could be Liam. He saw his body disappear to the bottom of the ocean. What he thinks there seeing is a phantom. Killian wants to believe that after all, they’ve seen on their travels tho this could still by some miracle be his brother. Killian devises a plan to get off the island by distracting the Leviathan by using his and Liam’s ships. Both brothers say a sentimental goodbye. Both ships sail on the side of the monster. It goes for the Jolly Roger. Liam throws gunfire into it’s mouth and the monster goes down. But Liam’s ship catches fire. Killian yells for Liam to jump, but sails on without waiting for him (which seems out of character). We see Liam calling out to Killian not to leave him again. Lewis tries to comfort Killian that if it were his real brother he would have tried harder. Killian thinks maybe he’s right and looks to the stars as he lifts his bottle to say a prayer for Liam.
“Truth and Daggers”
Belle is about to step out to go to the market. Rumple doesn’t quite trust her, but she says she’s a woman of her word. Rumple says we’ll see. While there she sees an injured man that she knows Samuel. There aren’t any doctors available so Belle takes him back to the castle. Belle pleads with Rumple to heal him, but he says it’s nothing in it for him. However, he doesn’t turn him away and lets him stay at the castle. Belle goes through her books and says that needs to find out what the magical weapon was that injured him so she can heal him herself. He wakes up and recognizes Belle and asks where they are. She tells how she became the Dark One’s servant. He begs her to escape with him, but she says that Rumple promised not to hurt him. She asks him about how he escaped from the Ogre Wars, but he says he can’t remember. Nor how he injured his leg. Belle leaves to let him rest. Rumple calls her and tells her that he’s leaving to take care of some business. He’s disappointed that Samuel isn’t going to die, but compliments Belle for helping break Samuel’s fever. When Belle returns Samuel is still sleeping. She’s unaware that he’d been easy dropping all along. When Belle returns to Samuel’s room, he’s standing up on his leg. He confesses that it was her father’s plan to get into the castle and rescue her. He has Pandora’s Box and plans to trap Rumple so that his reign of terror will end. Belle says it would be wrong, but Samuel convinces her that by trapping Rumple she would be the hero. He asks Belle to show him the best place to ambush Rumple, but instead, she leads him to an exit outside the castle. Rumple appears behind Belle. He’s seen the last of what happened and takes Pandora’s Box from Samuel. He promises Belle (who looking worried) that he didn’t kill Samuel. He just sent him to someplace “less comfortable”. Rumple is touched by what Belle did, but she says she did it for the people of the Enchanted Forest. She discovered by going through his things that what he was really after was the Dark One’s dagger and with it he’d use it to control Rumple to help him plunder the Enchanted Forest. This disappoints Rumple. Belle asks before she leaves if now he trusts her, but then says she already knows the answer.
“Ghosts”
Regina finds something (unknown) in a drawer she thought was lost. Five hours earlier, she and her guards are in her carriage out looking for Snow White. The guards think they should turn around, but the Queen says to keep going or they’ll lose track of Snow White. Something freaks out the horses and Regina sees a cloaked figure in the road. The horses tip the carriage over and all the guards are killed. Regina gets a brief glance at the figure and thinks its Daniel. He runs off and she gives chase only to trip up and hurt herself. When she calls out to Daniel to help her out of the pit she’s fallen into, it’s revealed that it’s his brother William. William blames Regina for his brother's death and was the one that set up the trap. Regina tries desperately to convince William that it was Snow White’s fault. But William blames Regina for giving Daniel false hope. William wants Regina to stay in the pit forever to contemplate her sins. The pit has a powerful sand that neutralizes magic and he plans to cover Regina in it. Regina uses magic to rise out of the pit and now she’s face to face with William. She tries to compromise with him that they can work together to make Snow pay. William takes his sword and attempts to stab Regina but she uses magic to blast him back into a tree. The impact kills him instantly. She tries to use magic to save him but it’s too late. She apologizes to Daniel and says she hopes he understands. Then vows to make Snow pay for all the damage she’s caused.
“Tea Party”
Jefferson creates a distraction at a party in a castle by spilling his drink on a woman. While the guards are occupied he locates the treasure room. A woman is already there that says her name is Priscilla the Brave. They both realize that they’re both thieves. They decide to take Priscilla’s exit rather than Jefferson’s portal (it only takes one). Time goes by they become partners, fall in love, get married, and have a daughter (Grace). Jefferson hangs up his hat (life of thievery). That is until he finds out taxes are due and the house needs repairs. A message arrives from an old acquaintance that there’s a rare clock in Wonderland that would bring in enough to take care of them for life, but Priscilla doesn’t want them falling back on their old ways. So Jefferson waits until she goes to sleep and portals to Wonderland. He comes across the Dodo who gives him directions to the March Hare’s mansion but warns him that the March Hare is a sadist that likes to make hats out of hare’s ears. He slips past the guards but is then knocked out. When he wakes up he’s tied to a chair and his hat is missing. The March Hare tells him it’s in a safe place. The March Hare says he’s just a lonely man looking for intelligent conversation, but Jefferson insists he has to get back to his family. This offends the Hare. Jefferson tries to get free but only manages to spill his tea on the Hare. After being re-tired the Hare soon gets bored and tells him that he’s going to use the clock to make it eternally tea time. He says he’s leaving but to think of some more topics for him to discuss. Jefferson again attempts to get free by using one of the cups but kicks it further away. Priscilla shows up with the help of the White Rabbit. She wants to leave Jefferson’s hat but Jefferson says that March Hare will just follow them. They find the hat and Jefferson apologizes. Priscilla says she should have just come along so they could get the clock together. By now the guards are on to them and have started shooting arrows. One of the arrows catches Priscilla in the chest. Jefferson urges her to use his hat to get back home and to a healer, but she says it’s too late. Jefferson says a final goodbye and kisses Priscilla and then portal jumps back. Years later he and Grace move to a smaller cabin. Grace says she misses her mom. Jefferson says he misses her too, but that he'll never leave her side again.
My Thoughts: The stories were a lot better than Shadow of the Queen. Reading these stories made me want to go back and watch Once Upon a Time. But the illustrations were still REALLY BAD! And I’m not sure why whoever thought up the ideas for these books failed to realize that these are GRAPHIC NOVELS and in GRAPHIC NOVELS people are looking for amazing illustrations before all else. That would have made the stories *pop* that much more! I think the only story’s illustration that I didn’t mind was “Truth and Daggers” because it was done in a soft, airy, pastel, watercolor, style.
Rating: 6 A C is still passing but the artwork could have been A LOT better. It just looked carelessly done. But just like in the last book, I liked the sketches at the end of Belle, Rumple, Jefferson’s, the Queen’s costumes.
This graphic novel is divided into 4 stories.
“Dead In The Water”
Killian and his crew come across a bad storm that knocks the cook overboard. Killian saves him just in time. He and his right-hand man Lewis discuss the shape of the Jolly Roger. Lewis doesn’t think the ship will make it. Killian wants to keep pressing on. Up ahead he sees a mist and calmer waters. But Lewis recognizes it as the Leviathan Shores (known to drive men to murder and hallucinations). Killian doesn’t seem concerned. As they reach the shore, another ship approaches. Killian is reunited with his brother Liam who he thought was lost to dream shade in Neverland. Over a meal, Liam tells him he doesn’t know what happened. He woke up on an island and shortly afterward a ship appeared. He thought he’d soon be headed back to Killian, but a storm approached that took all the crew’s lives. He was the only survivor. Lewis asks for a word with Killian and tells him that there’s no way that could be Liam. He saw his body disappear to the bottom of the ocean. What he thinks there seeing is a phantom. Killian wants to believe that after all, they’ve seen on their travels tho this could still by some miracle be his brother. Killian devises a plan to get off the island by distracting the Leviathan by using his and Liam’s ships. Both brothers say a sentimental goodbye. Both ships sail on the side of the monster. It goes for the Jolly Roger. Liam throws gunfire into it’s mouth and the monster goes down. But Liam’s ship catches fire. Killian yells for Liam to jump, but sails on without waiting for him (which seems out of character). We see Liam calling out to Killian not to leave him again. Lewis tries to comfort Killian that if it were his real brother he would have tried harder. Killian thinks maybe he’s right and looks to the stars as he lifts his bottle to say a prayer for Liam.
“Truth and Daggers”
Belle is about to step out to go to the market. Rumple doesn’t quite trust her, but she says she’s a woman of her word. Rumple says we’ll see. While there she sees an injured man that she knows Samuel. There aren’t any doctors available so Belle takes him back to the castle. Belle pleads with Rumple to heal him, but he says it’s nothing in it for him. However, he doesn’t turn him away and lets him stay at the castle. Belle goes through her books and says that needs to find out what the magical weapon was that injured him so she can heal him herself. He wakes up and recognizes Belle and asks where they are. She tells how she became the Dark One’s servant. He begs her to escape with him, but she says that Rumple promised not to hurt him. She asks him about how he escaped from the Ogre Wars, but he says he can’t remember. Nor how he injured his leg. Belle leaves to let him rest. Rumple calls her and tells her that he’s leaving to take care of some business. He’s disappointed that Samuel isn’t going to die, but compliments Belle for helping break Samuel’s fever. When Belle returns Samuel is still sleeping. She’s unaware that he’d been easy dropping all along. When Belle returns to Samuel’s room, he’s standing up on his leg. He confesses that it was her father’s plan to get into the castle and rescue her. He has Pandora’s Box and plans to trap Rumple so that his reign of terror will end. Belle says it would be wrong, but Samuel convinces her that by trapping Rumple she would be the hero. He asks Belle to show him the best place to ambush Rumple, but instead, she leads him to an exit outside the castle. Rumple appears behind Belle. He’s seen the last of what happened and takes Pandora’s Box from Samuel. He promises Belle (who looking worried) that he didn’t kill Samuel. He just sent him to someplace “less comfortable”. Rumple is touched by what Belle did, but she says she did it for the people of the Enchanted Forest. She discovered by going through his things that what he was really after was the Dark One’s dagger and with it he’d use it to control Rumple to help him plunder the Enchanted Forest. This disappoints Rumple. Belle asks before she leaves if now he trusts her, but then says she already knows the answer.
“Ghosts”
Regina finds something (unknown) in a drawer she thought was lost. Five hours earlier, she and her guards are in her carriage out looking for Snow White. The guards think they should turn around, but the Queen says to keep going or they’ll lose track of Snow White. Something freaks out the horses and Regina sees a cloaked figure in the road. The horses tip the carriage over and all the guards are killed. Regina gets a brief glance at the figure and thinks its Daniel. He runs off and she gives chase only to trip up and hurt herself. When she calls out to Daniel to help her out of the pit she’s fallen into, it’s revealed that it’s his brother William. William blames Regina for his brother's death and was the one that set up the trap. Regina tries desperately to convince William that it was Snow White’s fault. But William blames Regina for giving Daniel false hope. William wants Regina to stay in the pit forever to contemplate her sins. The pit has a powerful sand that neutralizes magic and he plans to cover Regina in it. Regina uses magic to rise out of the pit and now she’s face to face with William. She tries to compromise with him that they can work together to make Snow pay. William takes his sword and attempts to stab Regina but she uses magic to blast him back into a tree. The impact kills him instantly. She tries to use magic to save him but it’s too late. She apologizes to Daniel and says she hopes he understands. Then vows to make Snow pay for all the damage she’s caused.
“Tea Party”
Jefferson creates a distraction at a party in a castle by spilling his drink on a woman. While the guards are occupied he locates the treasure room. A woman is already there that says her name is Priscilla the Brave. They both realize that they’re both thieves. They decide to take Priscilla’s exit rather than Jefferson’s portal (it only takes one). Time goes by they become partners, fall in love, get married, and have a daughter (Grace). Jefferson hangs up his hat (life of thievery). That is until he finds out taxes are due and the house needs repairs. A message arrives from an old acquaintance that there’s a rare clock in Wonderland that would bring in enough to take care of them for life, but Priscilla doesn’t want them falling back on their old ways. So Jefferson waits until she goes to sleep and portals to Wonderland. He comes across the Dodo who gives him directions to the March Hare’s mansion but warns him that the March Hare is a sadist that likes to make hats out of hare’s ears. He slips past the guards but is then knocked out. When he wakes up he’s tied to a chair and his hat is missing. The March Hare tells him it’s in a safe place. The March Hare says he’s just a lonely man looking for intelligent conversation, but Jefferson insists he has to get back to his family. This offends the Hare. Jefferson tries to get free but only manages to spill his tea on the Hare. After being re-tired the Hare soon gets bored and tells him that he’s going to use the clock to make it eternally tea time. He says he’s leaving but to think of some more topics for him to discuss. Jefferson again attempts to get free by using one of the cups but kicks it further away. Priscilla shows up with the help of the White Rabbit. She wants to leave Jefferson’s hat but Jefferson says that March Hare will just follow them. They find the hat and Jefferson apologizes. Priscilla says she should have just come along so they could get the clock together. By now the guards are on to them and have started shooting arrows. One of the arrows catches Priscilla in the chest. Jefferson urges her to use his hat to get back home and to a healer, but she says it’s too late. Jefferson says a final goodbye and kisses Priscilla and then portal jumps back. Years later he and Grace move to a smaller cabin. Grace says she misses her mom. Jefferson says he misses her too, but that he'll never leave her side again.
My Thoughts: The stories were a lot better than Shadow of the Queen. Reading these stories made me want to go back and watch Once Upon a Time. But the illustrations were still REALLY BAD! And I’m not sure why whoever thought up the ideas for these books failed to realize that these are GRAPHIC NOVELS and in GRAPHIC NOVELS people are looking for amazing illustrations before all else. That would have made the stories *pop* that much more! I think the only story’s illustration that I didn’t mind was “Truth and Daggers” because it was done in a soft, airy, pastel, watercolor, style.
Rating: 6 A C is still passing but the artwork could have been A LOT better. It just looked carelessly done. But just like in the last book, I liked the sketches at the end of Belle, Rumple, Jefferson’s, the Queen’s costumes.
April 17, 2015
I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://www.youtube.com/magicofbooks
"Once Upon a Time: Out of the Past" is the second graphic novel adaptation based off of the hit ABC television series, "Once Upon a Time." In this installment join Killian Jones on an adventure through the Leviathan Shoals; watch Belle continue to be a servant of the Dark One, but helps to protect him from someone from her past; join the Evil Queen as someone from her past seeks to destroy her; and witness the origin story of Jefferson, the Mad Hatter.
This graphic novel, as well as the other one, "Shadow of the Queen," are definitely made for die-hard fans. And if you can't tell from the cover and the synopsis, this graphic novel tells additional stories from some of the show's post popular characters. Just like with "Shadow of the Queen," I immensely enjoyed this and it was just fun to see new stories for these characters. It helps that one of the writers of this graphic novel, Kalinda Vazquez, is also a co-executive producer for the TV series, so basically all of these stories are things that could have been in the show, but were cut for whatever reason (either due to lack of time and lack of placement within the current stories, or just because certain actors couldn't come back, like Sebastian Stan who played Jefferson), so you can look at these stories as unseen canon.
To talk about the layout of the graphic novel in general: the writing was fine. I mean, there's only so much that can be placed on any given page, so for the most part, much of it is a tad bit rushed, whereas on the TV series, things would have been developed gradually and not so quickly. But alas, that is the nature of graphic novels. You get thrown right into things, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For the most part, the writing felt very much like what you'd hear on the show. As for artwork, I had some similar issues like I did with "Shadow of the Queen." There's clearly four different artists in this book, and the artwork is quite different from story to story, which to me personally is a bit distracting. I would have preferred just one artist for the whole book. But in general, the artwork is fine, the characters look like the characters which is important.
If I had to list my favorite stories in this book, they'd go as follows:
1. Jefferson: by far the best thing about this book, and it's left for last. We finally get the origin story of Jefferson, and find out who the mother of Grace is.
2. Killian Jones a.k.a. Captain Hook: this was a good one. Had quite a sad ending. Leaves you wondering what was real and what wasn't. We all love Hook, so more Hook is always great.
3. Rumple/Belle: an interesting story, one that simply enhances the further development of these two. Nice to see someone from Belle's past have an impact, plus a familiar magical item makes an appearance.
4. Regina: as much as I love Regina, I found her story a bit boring, plus it was the shortest out of the four. Just more of Regina determined to find Snow White and someone who knew Daniel is chasing after her to avenge Daniel.
Overall, loved this graphic novel, so fun, and Jefferson's story is definitely worth the price alone. If you are a fan of the show, this book is a must.
"Once Upon a Time: Out of the Past" is the second graphic novel adaptation based off of the hit ABC television series, "Once Upon a Time." In this installment join Killian Jones on an adventure through the Leviathan Shoals; watch Belle continue to be a servant of the Dark One, but helps to protect him from someone from her past; join the Evil Queen as someone from her past seeks to destroy her; and witness the origin story of Jefferson, the Mad Hatter.
This graphic novel, as well as the other one, "Shadow of the Queen," are definitely made for die-hard fans. And if you can't tell from the cover and the synopsis, this graphic novel tells additional stories from some of the show's post popular characters. Just like with "Shadow of the Queen," I immensely enjoyed this and it was just fun to see new stories for these characters. It helps that one of the writers of this graphic novel, Kalinda Vazquez, is also a co-executive producer for the TV series, so basically all of these stories are things that could have been in the show, but were cut for whatever reason (either due to lack of time and lack of placement within the current stories, or just because certain actors couldn't come back, like Sebastian Stan who played Jefferson), so you can look at these stories as unseen canon.
To talk about the layout of the graphic novel in general: the writing was fine. I mean, there's only so much that can be placed on any given page, so for the most part, much of it is a tad bit rushed, whereas on the TV series, things would have been developed gradually and not so quickly. But alas, that is the nature of graphic novels. You get thrown right into things, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For the most part, the writing felt very much like what you'd hear on the show. As for artwork, I had some similar issues like I did with "Shadow of the Queen." There's clearly four different artists in this book, and the artwork is quite different from story to story, which to me personally is a bit distracting. I would have preferred just one artist for the whole book. But in general, the artwork is fine, the characters look like the characters which is important.
If I had to list my favorite stories in this book, they'd go as follows:
1. Jefferson: by far the best thing about this book, and it's left for last. We finally get the origin story of Jefferson, and find out who the mother of Grace is.
2. Killian Jones a.k.a. Captain Hook: this was a good one. Had quite a sad ending. Leaves you wondering what was real and what wasn't. We all love Hook, so more Hook is always great.
3. Rumple/Belle: an interesting story, one that simply enhances the further development of these two. Nice to see someone from Belle's past have an impact, plus a familiar magical item makes an appearance.
4. Regina: as much as I love Regina, I found her story a bit boring, plus it was the shortest out of the four. Just more of Regina determined to find Snow White and someone who knew Daniel is chasing after her to avenge Daniel.
Overall, loved this graphic novel, so fun, and Jefferson's story is definitely worth the price alone. If you are a fan of the show, this book is a must.
January 23, 2015
As a fan of Once Upon A Time though I do need to watch season four, I was excited when I heard they were making another graphic novel. I loved the first graphic novel.
While I didn't like the different art styles,(which eventually grew on me)I have to admit I loved the stories.
In the first one we see Killian before he became Hook, on the Jolly Rogers in a bad storm. He goes to another world, which is said to have made people go crazy. After getting there, he sees his brother, while his crew feels its just an illusion of the island (or better yet the creature that lives there) to keep them there, Killian is happy to see his brother and alive again. Overwhelmed that his brother is not gone after all. While trying to escape, Liam (Killian's brother) gets trapped by the monster and begs Killian to come back for him. Because it is there only opportunity, Killian escapes and leaves to wonder if that was really his brother or not. Which I felt quite sad about. Cause it is possible that his brother hadn't died, and he had just lost him again.
In the next story, we see Belle and Rumble, where Rumple is still a servant to the Dark One but you can of course see tender moments between them however small. While going to town one day, Belle sees someone she knows who is hurt and runs back to the castle to convince the Dark One to help. While he doesn't help, he does allow the man to stay to see if he will heal. Belle asks him questions which he can't seem to remember. Is this a joyous reunion among friends or does Belle and Rumple have something to fear with this newcomer.
The third story features the Evil Queen is hot pursuit of Snow White when she sees a mysterious stranger hidden in a cloak. From what she can see, the person looks like her beloved Daniel who is actually his brother, looking to avenge his brother. Although she tries to tell her it was Snow White, (though it was really her mother. Come on. Snow White didn't tear out his heart.)
The last story was just as heart clenching as the first story. In this we meet the Mad Hatter. A thief looking for a rare watch. He goes in search of it, only to find a woman has beaten him to the spot where its suppose to flee. The two run from the guards and eventually fall in love and start a family. Hatter puts away his world jumping hat. But years later, the family is out of money and Hatter gets a letter from a friend telling that the watch is in Wonderland. Against his wife's wishes, he goes. What was suppose to a simple and easy mission, causes the Hatter to lose much more than he was ever ready to lose.
I really hope that we get another graphic novel, cause I really love them.
While I didn't like the different art styles,(which eventually grew on me)I have to admit I loved the stories.
In the first one we see Killian before he became Hook, on the Jolly Rogers in a bad storm. He goes to another world, which is said to have made people go crazy. After getting there, he sees his brother, while his crew feels its just an illusion of the island (or better yet the creature that lives there) to keep them there, Killian is happy to see his brother and alive again. Overwhelmed that his brother is not gone after all. While trying to escape, Liam (Killian's brother) gets trapped by the monster and begs Killian to come back for him. Because it is there only opportunity, Killian escapes and leaves to wonder if that was really his brother or not. Which I felt quite sad about. Cause it is possible that his brother hadn't died, and he had just lost him again.
In the next story, we see Belle and Rumble, where Rumple is still a servant to the Dark One but you can of course see tender moments between them however small. While going to town one day, Belle sees someone she knows who is hurt and runs back to the castle to convince the Dark One to help. While he doesn't help, he does allow the man to stay to see if he will heal. Belle asks him questions which he can't seem to remember. Is this a joyous reunion among friends or does Belle and Rumple have something to fear with this newcomer.
The third story features the Evil Queen is hot pursuit of Snow White when she sees a mysterious stranger hidden in a cloak. From what she can see, the person looks like her beloved Daniel who is actually his brother, looking to avenge his brother. Although she tries to tell her it was Snow White, (though it was really her mother. Come on. Snow White didn't tear out his heart.)
The last story was just as heart clenching as the first story. In this we meet the Mad Hatter. A thief looking for a rare watch. He goes in search of it, only to find a woman has beaten him to the spot where its suppose to flee. The two run from the guards and eventually fall in love and start a family. Hatter puts away his world jumping hat. But years later, the family is out of money and Hatter gets a letter from a friend telling that the watch is in Wonderland. Against his wife's wishes, he goes. What was suppose to a simple and easy mission, causes the Hatter to lose much more than he was ever ready to lose.
I really hope that we get another graphic novel, cause I really love them.
December 5, 2020
A collection of four comics containing back stories from Once Upon a Time. They're likable enough, if rather slight - the comic about Regina and the comic about Jefferson are the best of the bunch. I find the one about Belle and Rumple slightly irritating, to be honest, but for the same reason as I found them irritating in the show: her constant need to defend him and paper over how awful he is makes me think she's either got Stockholm Syndrome or is just secretly awful herself. Unfortunately, however, as with the last graphic treatment of this series I read, Shadow of the Queen, the artwork really is iffy. It barely resembles the characters at all - although the cover, it must be said, is much better than the internal artwork in this regard.
October 7, 2015
A nice, quick with that provided some cool background on some of the best characters. Also, the illustrations were beautiful!
Look, I know the guy who plays the Mad Hatter is onto bigger and better things- I'd leave the small screen if I could be Bucky Barnes in Captain America too! But I want him back on the show!
Look, I know the guy who plays the Mad Hatter is onto bigger and better things- I'd leave the small screen if I could be Bucky Barnes in Captain America too! But I want him back on the show!
April 4, 2015
Loved Jefferson's back story along with Captain hook back story. Rumple and Belle's was okay although not for the faint of heart and the Back story of Regina was not as compelling as advertised.
Read
May 21, 2016RUMBELLE RUMBELLE RUMBELLE.
January 2, 2015
The Rumple and Belle story was the best!!
September 14, 2020
I really do love this show but this particular graphic novel wasn't the best the only story that was worth reading was the Jefferson one, other than that this volume was kind of a let down after the last one and I say this as a Hook fan ( Hook is my favorite male character on the show). So without further ado lets talk about each section from the worst to the best...
Now I'm sorry but Regina's story in this was just boring and repetitive, I have seen her go through this on the show in several episodes and have to read about it was just annoying. If they wanted to do another Regina story they should have done something outside of the box and make it unique and original. Also I would have preferred a story from a character that doesn't have so many episodes and a graphic novel pus a novel about her backstory. They could have done Peter Pan, The Blue Fairy, Tinkerbell, Maleficent, or many more... Also the artwork was horrible in this part.
Now the next on I have to put low because it's about Rumbelle and while there was some lovely artwork done in this story. I just can't deal with the horrible relationship that is being depicted. Rumple is an abuser, he is in complete control of the relationship and this is at a time before they supposedly love each other. And I hate how they make everyone in Belle's life either turn on her or use her in some way, that is what happens in this story her friends tries to trick and use her into getting the dark one dagger. But of course she figures it and stops him. But it's almost like these writer just wanted Belle to exist only for Rumple and that is bothersome. At least Snow has friends like the dwarves and Ruby and her two children Emma and Neal. Emma has Henry, her friends Elsa, August, and yes Regina (don't get me started). But who does Belle have other than Rumple. This story really highlights this problem and that is something that should have been changed throughout the show and it's books.
Okay the third is the Hook story who is my boy. What I love about this story is you get to see Hook before he becomes Hook when he was just the pirate known as Killian Jones. That is something that we haven't seen before on the show and it was nice to see it here in a graphic novel. Another thing was getting to see just how much Liam's death affected Killian and shaped who he became, this story does a good job with the brother dynamic and relationship. And you feel sad when Killian has to say goodbye to Liam again but at least this time they can say goodbye and Liam doesn't have to die in Killian's arms. I have only one complaint and that is the magical element of the story, they fight the Leviathan, I believe and I would have loved more about the sea creature and to see more from that world. Maybe even have Killian deal with some of the things that he has done up until that point in the story through fighting the Leviathan. I think it would have been very cool. The artwork in this section also could have been better.
And finally the best story in the bunch is Jefferson's backstory aka the Mad Hatter, that alone makes this graphic novel worth buying. Jefferson was an amazing character who was underutilized on the show and I wish they could have done more but the actor went off to be in the Marvel films instead and they couldn't work around his schedule anymore plus he was dating Jennifer Morrison and they had broken up so maybe that would have made things awkward on set for everyone. This story however is amazing and really explains what it was that Jefferson did and how he meet his wife. You also find out why he stopped doing what he did . Unfortunately a job end in tragedy for Jefferson and he loses his wife and that is why he hangs up his traveling hat for good until Regina that is. It really makes one understand why loses Grace drove him to be insane in many ways during his time in Wonderland and when everyone was cursed because he made a promise that he would never leave her to his wife and he broke that promise. Also the villain that they face, the March Hare was so creepy and very disturbing. I wish they could do more with his character in novels like what has he been doing in Storybrooke and what else he did for Rumple plus how did he get that hat. I would also love for a story between him and Alice from the spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland that would be amazing and more stories of his time in Wonderland would be awesome too.
Now I'm sorry but Regina's story in this was just boring and repetitive, I have seen her go through this on the show in several episodes and have to read about it was just annoying. If they wanted to do another Regina story they should have done something outside of the box and make it unique and original. Also I would have preferred a story from a character that doesn't have so many episodes and a graphic novel pus a novel about her backstory. They could have done Peter Pan, The Blue Fairy, Tinkerbell, Maleficent, or many more... Also the artwork was horrible in this part.
Now the next on I have to put low because it's about Rumbelle and while there was some lovely artwork done in this story. I just can't deal with the horrible relationship that is being depicted. Rumple is an abuser, he is in complete control of the relationship and this is at a time before they supposedly love each other. And I hate how they make everyone in Belle's life either turn on her or use her in some way, that is what happens in this story her friends tries to trick and use her into getting the dark one dagger. But of course she figures it and stops him. But it's almost like these writer just wanted Belle to exist only for Rumple and that is bothersome. At least Snow has friends like the dwarves and Ruby and her two children Emma and Neal. Emma has Henry, her friends Elsa, August, and yes Regina (don't get me started). But who does Belle have other than Rumple. This story really highlights this problem and that is something that should have been changed throughout the show and it's books.
Okay the third is the Hook story who is my boy. What I love about this story is you get to see Hook before he becomes Hook when he was just the pirate known as Killian Jones. That is something that we haven't seen before on the show and it was nice to see it here in a graphic novel. Another thing was getting to see just how much Liam's death affected Killian and shaped who he became, this story does a good job with the brother dynamic and relationship. And you feel sad when Killian has to say goodbye to Liam again but at least this time they can say goodbye and Liam doesn't have to die in Killian's arms. I have only one complaint and that is the magical element of the story, they fight the Leviathan, I believe and I would have loved more about the sea creature and to see more from that world. Maybe even have Killian deal with some of the things that he has done up until that point in the story through fighting the Leviathan. I think it would have been very cool. The artwork in this section also could have been better.
And finally the best story in the bunch is Jefferson's backstory aka the Mad Hatter, that alone makes this graphic novel worth buying. Jefferson was an amazing character who was underutilized on the show and I wish they could have done more but the actor went off to be in the Marvel films instead and they couldn't work around his schedule anymore plus he was dating Jennifer Morrison and they had broken up so maybe that would have made things awkward on set for everyone. This story however is amazing and really explains what it was that Jefferson did and how he meet his wife. You also find out why he stopped doing what he did . Unfortunately a job end in tragedy for Jefferson and he loses his wife and that is why he hangs up his traveling hat for good until Regina that is. It really makes one understand why loses Grace drove him to be insane in many ways during his time in Wonderland and when everyone was cursed because he made a promise that he would never leave her to his wife and he broke that promise. Also the villain that they face, the March Hare was so creepy and very disturbing. I wish they could do more with his character in novels like what has he been doing in Storybrooke and what else he did for Rumple plus how did he get that hat. I would also love for a story between him and Alice from the spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland that would be amazing and more stories of his time in Wonderland would be awesome too.
March 27, 2026
3.5⭐️
I find it hard to have a full opinion on a graphic novel like this. The first part that’s hard is the fact that this is part of the tv series so a part of me feels like I’ve already seen these stories even though I know I haven’t. I’d say Hook’s and Hatter’s stories are probably the two that felt much more original than the others. The second part is that the because this novel is shorter and is essentially four short stories, there’s not much room to become attached to characters. Again, I think Hook and Hatter’s stories do a better job of this but then that makes me wish more time had been spent on their stories.
As a fan of the show and I absolutely love Regina, I think this novel should have been able to focus on these minor characters who we didn’t get as much time with in the tv series.
As for the art, I liked the different artist’s style. Some were a little more simple but evoked a really strong atmosphere.
I find it hard to have a full opinion on a graphic novel like this. The first part that’s hard is the fact that this is part of the tv series so a part of me feels like I’ve already seen these stories even though I know I haven’t. I’d say Hook’s and Hatter’s stories are probably the two that felt much more original than the others. The second part is that the because this novel is shorter and is essentially four short stories, there’s not much room to become attached to characters. Again, I think Hook and Hatter’s stories do a better job of this but then that makes me wish more time had been spent on their stories.
As a fan of the show and I absolutely love Regina, I think this novel should have been able to focus on these minor characters who we didn’t get as much time with in the tv series.
As for the art, I liked the different artist’s style. Some were a little more simple but evoked a really strong atmosphere.
March 6, 2018
2.5 stars. Rather a disappointing book as I hoped that it'll fill in some plotholes that found on Once Upon a Time but it only contains the most needed Jefferson & Grace's backstory (which it is the best of four stories and I really enjoyed it very much) Hook's story in Dead of Water was interesting but it fell rather too short to the storyline on show. I greatly enjoyed the pictures/color of Belle & Rumple's story. Regina's story... well... that was waste of the space since we had so many backstories of Evil Queen/Regina on OUAT and I felt this story was rather out of the context that found on the show. I enjoyed the bonus material, located at the end of the book as it gave me some peek how the show transformed. This book is good for the fans of OUAT who would like more of the backstories of the characters.
July 10, 2015
A fun, quick must-read for Once Upon a Time fans. The art is gorgeous. The stories are all new and set in the Enchanted Forrest which I don't get to see as much of on the TV show as I would like. Loved it!
This is my first graphic novel that I've ever reviewed. It might possibly be the first I've ever read. So I can say, as a graphic novel novice, that it was really fun to read this. I didn't finish the first book in the Once Upon a Time book series because it was a novelization of Season 1 and not a very good one at that. It was boring to re-read stories I already knew from the TV show. I'm happy to say that all of these stories are new. They are background stories for five of the characters - Belle, Rumplestiltskin, Captain Hook, The Mad Hatter, and the Evil Queen. All of these stories are set in the Enchanted Forrest. Of all the characters, we didn't see much about them in the Enchanted Forrest and I loved getting to see more stories about them there. It was a lot of fun.
There are two authors and four artists. Each story has it's own artistic style and none of the stories have the same style as the cover. I kind of wish they had showcased the different art on the cover instead of having something completely different. It gave me the expectation that it would have highly realistic illustrations inside but instead the art was more stylized or cartoonish. I loved the art, don't get me wrong, but I think the cover should at least match.
I was also surprised by how thin and tall this book was. It almost felt like a picture book.
The first story is about Captain Hook. It's about an adventure he has as a pirate and it shows some of his sarcasm and bravery. This story was good. Maybe not amazing, but still good. It reminded me that Captain Hook had a bad boy side to him that he's lost a little of in the TV show. The art for this story was my least favorite from the book. It's very sharp and undetailed. I should admit right now that part of my motivation to read this book was to stare at some hot pirate pictures. Sadly, not as much hot pirate as I was hoping for. However, the art matches the adventure plot of this story and works really well. *stares at hot pirate on cover some more*
The story about Belle and Rumple is so fun and romantic. I think it might be my favorite. It showed a stage in their relationship from the Enchanted Forrest that we didn't get to see much. They aren't in love but they had moved past the cruel stage at the beginning of their relationship. The art is amazing. It is colorful and beautiful. The watercolors gave it a romantic fantasy style that matched the story. The great plot twist at the end shows off Belle's cleverness and adds a little romance, too. The artist did a good job being true to the characters and how they look on TV.
The least interesting story has to be the one about the Evil Queen. Not much happens in the plot and the art is very dark and a little boring. The end of this story increases the Evil Queen's resolve to get revenge on Snow White. Wow, that's new! (Not.) That story line is already very emphasized in the TV show. If anything, it's a little too emphasized.
I think the story that went into the most detailed background was for the Mad Hatter. It was his entire backstory and it helped me understand his character in a whole new way. The cartoony look of this story was perfect for the Wonderland setting. Even though it's the longest story in the book, it kept my attention the whole time. What an emotional, sad story. I like the Mad Hatter even more after reading this.
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