Once & Future Deluxe Edition, Book 1

Once & Future (Collected Editions) #1-2

by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora (Penciller)

The definitive collection of the first two story arcs of the Eisner Award-nominated series collected for the first time in a single deluxe hardcover.

WHAT IF ALL THE LEGENDS ARE TRUE?

Retired monster hunter Bridgette McGuire knows that they are. And when a group of Nationalists uncover the fabled scabbard of Excalibur in order to bring King Arthur back from the dead to reclaim England, she will be the only one who can stop them. In order to do so, she’ll need to pull her unsuspecting academic grandson, Duncan, into a deadly world of myth and prophecy.

Their quest will lead them to confront the complicated history of their family, confront the deadly secrets of England’s past, and throw the Otherworld into shambles, allowing for new legends and characters to make their appearance--and bring a world of trouble along with them.

The definitive collection of the first two story arcs of the Eisner Award-nominated series for the first time in a single volume, this deluxe edition hardcover includes Once & Future #1-12 by New York Times Bestselling author, Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine), and Russ Manning Award Winner, Dan Mora (Detective Comics).

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

463 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 23, 2021

About the author

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

Reviews

[Highland G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art is gorgeous. Premise is good, stories that come to life by recreating parts of them. Some of the story/Dialogue isnt great. This is the Luther Strode of king Arthur stories. It gets very action packed. Lets all just be honest and admit we are here for Mora’s art. Its great and I want more.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really fun; basically a non-stop action romp, in which stories can be incursions into our reality. That idea, when malignant, spreading to more people, forms more incursions, and so on. The main character ends up going from a bundling virginal doofus to a literal Percival (all in the first issue), who saves the day - following in the line of his family, all of whom were monster hunters. Think supernatural, but they hunt actual stories, so they need to play into the story or disrupt it, depending on what is actually going down.

Even internally, the logic doesn’t make sense, and the soft worldbuilding techniques don’t do it much favours. This has to be a very much, turn off your brain and go with it to have fun, kind of book. And that’s fine! I DID have fun reading it. There wasn’t ever a point where it subverted my expectations, and there’s basically never a down beat. There’s just threat after threat after threat, so there’s not that much character growth either.

The artwork is mostly great. Especially the colour palette; it’s a bit weird, maybe grim dark, tainted grail type stuff, but with bright colours that really pop off the page. The binding is excellent in this version as well. It’s unfortunate it’s not oversized too, that would have been really great. But it’s a good time and great value for money, if you can nab it on sale and you’re into the whole retelling of Arthurian legend paralleling modern day Brexit UK and monster hunting mashup.

[Qamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely awesome book. Firstly the quality of the Deluxe Edition is outstanding. Its design is beautiful & stunning. I have the slipcase edition and the slipcase is beautiful and so high quality.

This Deluxe Edition collects the first 3 trade paperbacks of this story. It collects issues 1-18 of Once & Future by Kieron Gillen & Dan Mora.

The story is written extremely well and so easy to follow. It is definitely a page turner. The story is really well paced not too slow and not too fast just perfect.

The artwork by Dan Mora is just outstanding & beautiful. It works extremely well with the story. The colours are rich,bright & vibrant and that works with the story/concept extremely well.

This is a very highly recommended book especially if your into Fantasy/Folklore type of stories.

[Mouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, I really did… but when she shot her grandson in the face in the beginning and he acted like no big deal I just rolled my eyes…”So, it’s gonna be one of these type of stories!”
Y’know, allow me step up on my nerd soapbox here… but they’re not really sure King Arthur is buried in that plot in Glastonbury. In fact, they’re not really even sure if he existed or as to when. But I guess that’s why this is just Fantasy, based on the legend.
I kind of enjoyed how it spends time in Glastonbury since I spent some time there as well exploring the legend.
This book has an interesting concept, I’m just not so sure how well it’s put together. I think it would make for a good cheezy B movie or tv show.
Lots of good action, bad dialogue, and good art in it!

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m quickly learning that Gillen just isn’t my jam. After reading once and future he’s 0/2 for me.

The art in this book is incredible which is the only reason it’s not 1 *.

The writing is very YA leaning much like the wicked and divine. It feels like surface level history for those with little experience. Very action focused and has a few nods to the King Arthur stuff, but not much besides names and some of their roles.

I wish this was slower and went into more detail instead of turning it into a popcorn action flick type story.

This may be my final Gillen read (if I’m lucky enough).

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this first part of the series, I think the concept of the world is really cool where legends from history come to life when the story is mirrored. For the most part this was just constant high octane action which was good I just wish they slowed down to lean into the interesting world. Looking forward to the next book!

[William Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Gillian is cooking he sure is cooking. Up there with Gaiman when it comes to incorporating mythology into story

[Wouter Dhondt · Rating 2 out of 5]

All style, not a lot of substance. This should be right up my alley, but somehow it does not click. The pace is probably too fast for me and you mostly end up with gory combat and little story. The art is amazing though.

A shame. In another time or place I would have loved it.

[DayDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO MUCH FUN ! What a ride !

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora is ofcourse a nod to the T.H White classic,  A Once and Future King,  but besides that they are both about the Arthurian Legend, the are very very different. Once & Future is a comic with a insane amount of action,  almost to much, i think this is one of the rare books that is better in single issues, because when binge reading this, its action after action and so one, atleast thats my personal opinion. Its badass dont get me wrong but there is almost no time for a breather. It also contains the most badass grandma i have ever laid my eyes on. The biggest seller for me is the artwork by Dan Mora, which is colored by Tamra Bonvillian in a way i have never seen before. The action, yes there is that word again, jumps of the page, and the art is stunning from beginning to end. Its a fairly fast read aswell, nothing wrong with that, and the hardcover itself looks very fine, it could have included a bit more extra's but this is still a fine book. Just different from what i expected in the beginning story wise.

3.5 stars

[Carly O'Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Epic and gory, a modern monster-hunting take on Arthurian legend. Duncan comes from a long line of secret monster hunters whose job it is to keep the world of stories from bleeding over into the world we know. He doesn't even find out about this world until well into his adult life as his grandmother attempt to retire from her adventuring days, because just knowing about the story world makes it easier for it to sink its claws into you. And then before you know it, you've taken on the role of a character out of legend and must face up against the obstacles they faced.
Duncan's own mother has gone rogue, attempting to bring the ancient King Arthur into the maintain world in order to upset the current world order. Arthur believes in Britain for the Britons and by that, he means no Anglo-Saxons allowed, only the previous Celtic people whom they had conquered. There is definite commentary here regarding modern nativist movements, including a prime minister who looks suspiciously like Boris Johnson.
Any interesting story but I don't know that I'm invested enough to follow up with further issues or volumes.

[Garrett M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a massive Kieron Gillen mark, he's got very few misses for me.
Dan Moras artwork is always gorgeous
Love an Arthurian story that also talks about Arthurian stories and its different interpretations, and action is always fun as well
I have a massive softness for stories about relationships with your grandma, and stories about being raised your whole life to be a weapon. Note I like these types of stories for different reasons.
This books got a lot going for it and I highly recommend it, read the whole series

[Zach Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of if not the best original comic series i have ever read. The art was absolutely stunning with intense scenes and incredible motion. The story was new and fresh at every twist and kept you hanging on the story wanting more each page. I would recommend this story to anyone whether they read comics already or not.

[Matt Quann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comics should, above all other things, be fun, right? Well folks, Gillen & Mora's Once & Future is most certainly that. This has some rock and roll art that does great work in small character moments and the absolutely metal Arthurian action pieces. This is hilarious, heart felt, and packed to the brim with genuine badassery.

Here's how much I liked it: I saved the last two chapters until volume two arrived on my doorstep. Welp, guess I know what's up next!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun. The characters were easy to get attached to, and the story makes good use of its small cast. Very good pacing; breakneck action that helps you not think about the collateral damage too hard, but there are moments to breathe and moments of levity as well. Art is outstanding.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen for grown-up nerds.

[Dawson Padrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Issues 1-30

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.1

[Oksana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Гарний і крутий візуальний стиль, химерна історія.
Бабуська - топ

[Trevor ComicFan · Rating 5 out of 5]

97

Such a great story and some of the best art in the business. Very glad I was able to pick up the deluxe edition!

[Yolanda Carhell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to start with the obvious: this book is gorgeous. The cover, the binding, the art, all of it is absolutely stunning.

As for the story, I didn’t know too much about it other than that it was inspired by Arthurian legend (which is enough of a hook for me). But it’s so much more than a retelling - it’s clever, witty, creative and a lot of fun, with a spin on King Arthur that I haven’t seen before. The characters are great and as it continuous to introduce more legendary elements I fall in love with it further. I am a sucker for a story about the power of stories, and this is one of them.

Have I mentioned how gorgeous it is? I can’t get over it.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Just a fun and action packed blasty blast. Everything works.

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story arc was quite promising, but then the book lost me.

At first it seems like the book is about King Arthur being evil and the main characters have to avoid his resurrection or rise to power and fight his minions. But then the story introduces more and more mythical figures and the main characters have to assume roles to fit the current 'story'. Meanwhile King Arthur changes according to different stories in play and forgets his own minions. It gets very confusing and I have the feeling that the book doesn't know where to take the story.

Then there's the three main characters. The grandma knows everything, her dumb grandson has to do the dirty work and his date knows where to head next. All of them have the biggest plot amor, as various monsters kill everyone but the protagonists. When this happens for the sixth time in this volume (I counted), it really doesn't have much of an impact anymore.

The artwork on the other hand is great, as it is done by Dan Mora. The monsters look great, the shift in the sky, when monsters appear looks cool and the characters are clear and bright. It doesn't wow me just yet, but I have to admit that it's quite good.

I will finish the story with book two, but I cannot recommend this so far.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action-packed fantasy that plays with classic British folklore and myth in a really creative way.

I enjoyed Gillen's idea of myths taking on life through belief, that there are different versions of the myth that can be willed into being. It seems like a unique way of introducing an urban fantasy setting, while still playing fast-and-loose, interpreting things in different ways as the plot flows along.

The story progressed really natural, I read it in a single sitting and found it very satisfying.

Racism and immigration are explored here, as King Arthur slays any and all "Anglos or Saxons". King Arthur here is presented in the form of Welsh Celtic legend of a warrior who fights off the invading hordes of Germanic Tribesmen, namely the Anglo-Saxons. Having King Arthur be anti Anglo-Saxon demonstrates that Britian has never been one singular identity, but rather has changed and morphed over time as different people moved and settled in the country.

Dan Mora's artwork is expressive and kinetic. With strong confident line work he creates a world where fantasy meets reality. The design of the various "mythic" figures are all fantastic, I particularly like King Arthur and Galahad as he appears later in the story.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

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.

[Reshi Mudry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detuve la lectura por un par de semanas porque no lo quería terminar sin tener el siguiente, supongo que eso habla bien como reseña.
Es... pochoclo, pero no despectivamente. Hay trabajos que cambian tu forma de pensar, de ver un tema en particular o a uno mismo. Y hay otros que buscan entretenerte un rato y que disfrutes la montaña rusa. Este es el segundo, y es excelente en lo que hace. Siendo justos, el arte solo ya vale el precio de admisión y un guion que sabe escalar el conflicto y ser gracioso cuando debe es, honestamente, un plus.

Eso si, recomiendo tener leído algo de leyenda Arturiana para disfrutarlo como se debe. Bueno, sí, podés verte un par de videos en youtube, obvio. Si no fuera Octubre y no estuviera con lecturas spooky, mi próxima lectura sería The Once and Future King, que lo tengo colgado hace un par de años. Otro merito para este comic, la verdad.

[Cody A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Counting this as the complete series because it feels weird I read the whole thing over the course of the week and can’t distill my thoughts on each book.

I quite liked this. Definitely took a bit for me to pick up the fully grasp the ideas about stories and archetypes but I stayed engaged throughout. You might get more out of this if you know more about some of the legends/mythology than I did going in but I don’t think it is super necessary.

The art is incredible throughout the books. Especially so for the varied Arthur’s. Really loved the page showing the Arthur’s receiving news of the sword in the stone with each of their Merlin’s delivering the same speech contrasted with Bridgette startling awake.

Big Kieron Gillen fan now after ripping through this and Die. Excited for more of The Power Fantasy. Less excited to actually have to wait for more of his writing.

[Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun, imaginative use of Arthurian/British lore in a modern setting. Has some of the same issues as Gillen's other work, where the pace is so fast you'll get through an issue or two and realize that some of the plot connective tissue isn't quite there. In other words, sometimes I didn't know what was going on, or why it was happening.

Art's awesome though, the dialogue is whip smart and frequently funny. Somewhere around issue 14 there's one particular scene where a main character comforts a dying villain and it's written with an absolutely wild amount of sensitivity and balance that I don't see a lot in action-driven graphica.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this series ever since it was announced; mostly for Dan Mora's art and the promise of a modern Arthurian legend. However, this series is so much more than a simple retelling.

This series is Excalibur (1981 film) meets The Unwritten. It uses the many legends of British history to weave a new epic full of monsters and mystery. The stories come to life and threaten the world as we know it, but luckily, Duncan and his grandmother, Bridgette are working to stop calamity from unfolding. This first collection introduces a lot of ideas with some great payoff throughout, and I am excited to continue this series to see what else Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora have in store.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having enjoyed a digital copy of the first volume I decided to pick this up especially with a good deal on the price. I love the design of the book and the oversized pages and thick glossy paper really show off the fantastic artwork by Mora and the superb colours by Bonvillain. The only disappointment is the glue in the sewn binding is poor and the pages are coming off the spine.

On the story, it's a really enjoyable action, horror, fantasy that's fun and quick to read but with ideas that one can delve into and unpick. Looking forward to volume 2!

[Shibosan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Довольно проходной комикс, хотя и читается легко, да и нарисован неплохо. По мотивам его вышел бы бодренький сериальчик где-нибудь на CW. На самом деле сюжетная канва даже немного напоминает сериал Grimm шедший лет 10 назад на NBC - тоже молодой и со всех сторон положительный мужчина оказывается втянут пожилой родственницей в мир сверхъестественного, открывает в себе необычные способности и начинает мочить монстров из сказок и легенд. И даже рыцари и грааль на заднем плане постоянно мельтешили.

2,5-3*

Посмотрим что второй том нам готовит.