Once & Future Vol. 1: The King is Undead

I really enjoyed this book. I have a slight bias as I grew up on the Sword in the Stone and Arthurian legends. I did enjoy the twist of the darker side of the legend.Both the artwork and story was great. I also really liked the characters as well. The tough as nails grandma, and the innocent "perfect" night. In another personal note I thought it was great to have an British Asian lady in the story as well. As much as I want the story to move forward I hope this relationship works out as well.A great first volume, enjoyed everything about it, and I think this series have even more potential to yet to be reached. Every chapter if the book starts with the issue cover, in the cover gallery, there are fill page spread of all the varient covers for issue 1 and 2.

Dan Mora is a great up and coming artist

Interesting take on the King Arthur story in a modern era. Looking forward to the next volume.

Long Live The King

Absolutely love the art and the different take Arthurian legend.

A new take on the King Arthur myth. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to the next instalment

Here and there in Mora's art are glimpses of Kevin O'Neill's weirdness poking through. Just glimpses, Mora is his own artist and is simply not going to embrace the weirdness in the way O'Neill did. The same is true of Gillen's writing, the weirdness flashes through briefly here and there. Ultimately the writing, like the art, remains attractive and conventional for the most part.I like that Gillen's story reflects and embraces the different medieval Arthurian tradititions. Often contradictory, coherence wasn't the point, each layer added complexity to the whole. Is Gawain a goodie or a baddie? Depends if you're reading English or French medieval texts. Very few modern writers have added much to the general Arthurian tradition by really digging into the sources and feeling how they ticked. Kazuo Ishiguro's incredible The Buried Giant is really the only one that springs to mind.Gillen goes the traditional modern route of layering the Arthuran elements over a regular modern story. There's lots of running around, lots of hasty exposition. It's like James Bond or The Fast and the Furious but with the Knights of the round table. By embracing the contradictory traditions in Arthurian literature Gillen keeps the characters from being too safe and predictable, avoiding being simple action adventure characters.I'm hoping both artist and writer embrace the weirdness of their source material more in the following books. I suspect they won't. If that is the case, then fair enough! It zips along, being entertaining, and there's nothing wrong with that.

A paperback that collects the first six issues of a comic called 'Once and Future.' Which is best categorised as urban fantasy.Violence and some strong language does mean it's a comic better for grown up readers.The book divides all the individual issues up into chapters, using chapter pages and original cover art to show where one issues ends and another begins.When a group with bad motives steal something archaeologists have found, cantankerous old lady Bridgette Mcguire knows bad things are about to happen. She gets away from her nursing home. Finds her hapless nephew Duncan and pulls him into the famiy business. For all the stories she told him as a child about myths and monsters are very much real. Thing is, all legends have a start in reality. Which might not be quite the same as the story....A comic that really blew me away from the off. The art and the colouring are really good and eye catching throughout. Some skin tones can change a little drastically between scenes but that's only a minor complaint.It also has strong characterisation. Bridgette could be selfish and annoying in how she treats people, but she isn't. Because she's a great depiction of that generation that just got on and got things done. Duncan starts hapless, but develops well getting a great character journey across the six issues. A lady called Rose who gets pulled into it with him works as the outsider figure caught up in all this. And you are left wanting more of her.It know it's British myths and stories well. And it knows as mentioned that stories start with reality, and become tales and myths that get twisted down the centuries. So what this says about stories and their origins is pretty interesting.There's a good gradual unfolding of bigger plot as well, as Duncan starts to learn things about his gran and her life. This all comes at a good pace. And you get the sense there's more to come.It is one of those stories, like a few films, that doesn't entirely watch it's timescale, taking place over one very long evening. But that's another minor complaint as well. Because it packs so much story in it's a really great ride along the way.The plot of this one is pretty much complete and self contained along the way, but does leave the door open for more to come at the end. As you will find if you keep reading to the very very end of the last chapter. So make sure you do.A really great start to this series and I am hooked. Will get book two as soon as I can.There's a gallery of alternative covers from the individual issues at the end.

Once & Future Vol. 1: The King is Undead is my discovery of the year.While it draws inspiration from often used Arthurian & other fantastical tales, Kieron Gillen gives it a uniquely refreshing spin in a modern setting.Dan Mora's sketches caught my eyes as soon as I held the book, while Tamra Bonvillain's work brings vivid colors to a dark, dark world. This is one of the rare occasions where I could truly admire a gloomy world without squinting or doing gymnastic of the eyes to rejoice in all the details.Needless to say, I couldn't wait to order the second volume as soon as I finished this one.

A new tale of Knights of the Round. Cool story. Im glad i bought it. Awesome art also too. Poor Duncan. But life itself give us the Destiny we walk thru.

De nuevo vuelven a sorprenderme las buenas opiniones que puede tener un producto y lo desajustado con respecto a mi valoración personal. Ávido lector de todo tipo de comics durante la toda la vida, en mi opinión este producto tiene un guión inverosímil. No es por que sea una obra relativa a la mitología sino porque no consigue suspender la incredulidad en absoluto. Una abuela obligando a tiros a sus familiares, discusiones al lado de los enemigos que no los oyen pero luego sí perciben otras minucias, relaciones rocambolescas entre familia... Podría estar bien para entretener a un público infantil, si no fuese porque no creo que vaya dirigido a ellos. El arte gráfico y la revisión de la mitología británica bien.

Excellent ouvrage et graphisme super!

Me gusta mucho el estilo de Dan Mora, así fué como me enteré de Once & Future, pero la verdad la historia también es muy entretenida, la clásica historia del rey Arturo pero en la era moderna y con muchos giros y fantasía agregados. y el arte... simplemente magnífico.