Is King Arthur’s new world starting to collapse around him before he can even take his throne? Find out in Once and Future #23 from BOOM! Studios.

ONCE AND FUTURE #23

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Dafna Pleban
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 29, 2021

Previously in Once and Future: Rose, Duncan, and Bridgette have an encounter with yet another knight, Yvain, who has a giant, fire-breathing lion as a companion. They evade him and make it to a secret arsenal in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and we learn that Shakespeare used to be a hunter in the Accord. At the Grail Castle, Jack and Rose’s dad have their hands full trying to deal with a giant. Bridgette’s hastily penned instructions advise taking an offering to the Faeries in trade. In Camelot, things are not going well for Arthur, who decides to make a stand east of Bath.

STORIES AND FAMILIES

Once and Future #23 opens in Stratford-Upon-Avon where Elaine has Bridgette in the sights of her gun. Elaine wants access to the Armoury. Bridgette threatens to blow it all up. This is a bluff, but she is hoping it will buy them some time.

By the Grail Castle, Jack leads a cow into the woods to trade with the Faeries in the rain. That’s nerve-wracking enough, but on his way back, he runs into the Giant. He finally looks to see what he got in trade and finds out it is a few seeds. But not just any seeds. When he drops them and they immediately start to grow, he realizes that he is now part of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Near the “Romantic” Arthur’s camp, the Galahad we know (the undead centaur version) talks with the Romantic Lancelot. Galahad wants to fight beside him. While Lancelot understands this, he also knows that this is not the Galahad he knows, and they were both manipulated by Elaine. Galahad cannot believe he is being denied his heritage, but the other Galahad arrives and sees only some sort of magical beast that is able to talk. He decides he wants to hunt that Galahad.

The standoff between Elaine and Bridgette continues. Elaine admits to wanting to find a way to heal her son or, failing that, a way to take revenge on Merlin and basically everyone else. She is decidedly vengeful, which makes her interesting and a little bit unpredictable. Bridgette tells her that her own plan will mess with Merlin, and whatever she is taking from the Armoury is not going to be helpful for Elaine. She wants to leave with what she came for, and Elaine can help herself to anything else. Elaine accepts this deal.

Bridgette takes Duncan and Rose to Leicester. It is a site known for a few monsters, and Bridgette has one in mind, an old god that was trapped by one of Shakespeare’s own stories!

DEPENDABLY GORGEOUS ART

Once and Future #23 opens with the stand-off between Bridgette and Elaine. The art behind this is terrific. These are two implacable women who have had conflicts before, probably most of their life. They are focused and calculating. We cannot help but see the similarities between them as well as the underlying idea that they know each other well. Bridgette bluffs, not because she knows she can fool Elaine. She knows she will recognize the bluff. But she also knows that simply putting the bluff out there introduces a shred of doubt and confusion. It is a battle of wills between them.

Color has always played a big part of the artwork, especially to help us differentiate between the Otherworld and the real world. Now that the Otherworld is ascendant, the coloring has become more specific to set off spaces and groups of characters. The area around the Grail Castle remains based in pinks and purples (except for the gold of the Faeries). But there are now two sets of Arthurian characters we need to keep track of. The undead Arthur remains in purples and greens with red as an accent. The Romantic versions, appropriate to their concept, have a palette of rich autumnal colors. It is a gorgeous book.

BOTTOM LINE: ARE THE STORIES DOOMED TO REPEAT?

Once and Future #23 brings together a variety of classic stories that don’t seem to be at all related, but which become connected in unexpected ways that enhance the overall plot. This is definitely not a jumping on point, but it is a solid read nonetheless.

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