They had me at the kickass septuagenarian, but I stayed for kicking white supremacist ass in particular, a delightfully academic and action packed take on Arthurian legend, I will read this again and can’t wait for the next one to come out. Key House, Die, Wicked and the Divine, I’ll think. All their fans should take a look at this one.

This graphic novel THREW ME! But in a good way. I requested it because I have enjoyed every comic/graphic novel I have read from Boom! Studios. In sum, this graphic novel is about Nationalists that bring back evil from back in the days of The Knights of the Round Table, with an ancient artifact. The Nationalists are a fascinating group, with dynamic stories behind each of them. There's the older woman, Bridgette, and her grandson, Duncan, a museum worker.

The story is a little more violent than I usually prefer to read, but I was still drawn in with the suspense and all the action. I only wish it was longer! But it looks like there will be more in the series, so I look forward to find out what happens next, after that ending!

A fun read with great artwork, but not the easiest to follow if you only have passing knowledge of the Arthurian legend. It tries to pack too much into a six volume mini-series, so maybe this will get more breathing room as it becomes an ongoing series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you like Arthurian legends and enjoy fast paced “go get ‘em” stories then this may be the graphic novel for you! Kieron Gillen gives you those bits as well as just a lil’ bit of sorcery and sass with this story of a badass grandma and her clutzy museum curator of a grandson who are out to stop what’s sure to be a disaster of epic proportions. They say that King Arthur will return in Britain’s hour of need, but is he to be the savior or the destruction?

Overall the story intrigued me—there is lots of potential for action as well as the opportunity to do exciting things with the legends available! That being said, my biggest gripe with this is that I found the characters lacking. Most likely due to the fact that we are thrown into the story so immediately, and when the action starts it really never stops. There isn’t any time to get to know the characters. It also seemed a bit fast and jumpy when it came to the story; there were quite a few moments where over the span of a two to four panels you pass through several different locations. It just felt rushed, a lot could be gained from slowing down just a bit.

Though, even with to the above notes, I’d still be interested to see where the story goes and what the next issues bring as far as character development. I am definitely into the idea of a hardcore grandmother out to save Britian, and who doesn’t love geeky, endearing, red headed museum curators?
Also to be mentioned, of course, is the artist—Dan Mora’s art is amazing(Tamra Bonvillain is the colorist)! The bright colors and action shots are captivating and I enjoyed the look of the characters as well.
.
I was given a copy of this title from Boom!Studios via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this interesting take on the Legends of King Arthur! The artwork in this graphic novel was stunning.

I liked the idea of King Arthur being the bad guy and also an undead skeleton. He has been revived in the modern world so he can save the land, but what if he actually causes more problems?

This graphic novel had me drawn in as soon as we got an awesome, badass monster hunter granny!

Overall a really fun read with violence, a darker King Arthur tale and cool characters with lots of secrets.

Thank you to BOOM! Studios and Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I am quite a fan of Kieron Gillen's work and this new series did not disappoint. The art and plot were very good and a lot of fun.

Adventure doesn't get more exciting than this! A bookish lead, his kick-ass grandmother, and one very angry undead (?) King Arthur are just the beginning of the story. Can't wait to see where this goes!

The artwork in this is very good. I like the new take on the old legend of King Arthur. I need to know what happens next!

I really loved this! Gran was great I loved seeing an older person doing all this Badass stuff. Duncan on the other hand was so clueless. There were a few twists I didn’t expect. The art style was nice and I’m really looking forward to the next issue!

The artwork for this graphic novel was phenomenal! It was super detailed and I wish the plot had been as well. This was a very interesting take on the legend of King Arthur, by the storyline/plot was not fleshed out at all. It was like they wanted to get everything crammed into 5 chapters & cut out a lot of important details. I was just as confused about the plot twists as the main character was. I wish they had taken more time to work out or at least explain the finer details. I'm hoping that maybe some of it will be covered in later chapters.

A fantastic book from a writer that seems to keep coming up with hits.. The Wicked + The Divine was excellent, Die is shaping up to be another must buy and then Once & Future comes and the streak doesn't end.

Once & Future is a modern story in the King Arthur mythology, a story where storytelling is a part of the magic. The series features a badass grandmother who is a complex person, loving and kind and destructive and selfish. An old woman who is a realistic person (though she operates in fantastic circumstances). Her grandson, and the protagantist, Duncan starts off as a klutzy everyman nice guy type though there is, of course, a twist toward the end that explains his origins more.

The one negative is that sometimes the story doesn't get enough time to breathe. It can jump from one thing to another and fill the panel with words when there could be panels of just art to use to tell the story wordlessly. The art and colors are very well done and the graphic medium is made for less tell, more show. Overall, highly recommended. There is some scenes of violence that would probably put this in the older teens/adults category, depending on how squeamish your patron base is.

Excellent take on the Arthurian legend with kickarse OAPs, confused nephews, awkward relatives, guns, swords, monsters, oh, and a legendary king being risen from the grave.
The story is action packed and fast paced, the dialogue is on point, and the artwork is splendid.
Highly recommended.

'Once & Future, Vol. 1' by Kieron Gillen with art by Dan Mora is a graphic novel exploring the Arthurian legend, and it was an awful lot of fun.

A group of Nationalists decide to resurrect a monster from Arthurian myth and its up to Bridgette McGuire and her clueless (to what's happening) grandson Duncan to try to stop it. From Duncan's first battle with the questing beast to the interesting twists brought on by the Fisher King, this story shows how messed up ancient and modern families can be.

I loved this story. There is action and bravado. There is great humor along the way (I love how Bridgette seems to have large caches of weapons everywhere). There is some pretty great art by Dan Mora. I got a review copy of this graphic novel, but I'm going to continue reading the series on my own. I loved it that much!

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Let's get this out of the way up front: this book was a lot of fun to read. I've read a couple other things from Gillen, so I knew I liked his writing going into the story. And he certainly has an excellent grasp on the fantasy setting. This one, if you couldn't tell from the title, ventures into Arthurian legend, but does so in a contemporary context. The characters can be a tad silly, particularly Gran. She is a tough as nails woman who, it turns out, has a history of battling mythical creatures. When a group of archaeologists are found dead, she moves quickly to bring her grandson into the fold to fight against a looming threat.

The art is wonderful for this story. I especially liked the coloring, which is somewhat bright to match the lighthearted portions of the book. But the characters are all drawn well. I can't think of a single time that a character looked odd because of the penciling. All of the art seemed to strike a chord with me.

I enjoy a good retelling of classic stories. This one takes the right steps to not just rehash what came before. It shows an appreciation and respect for the inspirational source without being dogmatically tied to it. Bring on more of this story and these characters.

“The danger always comes from people who take the stories too literally...”

Generally when I see Kieron Gillen’s name attached to a book, it fills me with good feelings. He has written many comics I’ve enjoyed. Reading the blurbs attached to this one only seemed more encouraging. Once & Future is Arthurian legend in a contemporary setting but with all the wild magic of fantasy. The writing and dialogue is fun and witty. Gillen’s crafted a story that is very much rooted in the Arthurian mythos but still manages to have its own twist. And that twist is that the King Arthur here isn’t quite a good guy.

The duo at the forefront of this story are Duncan McGuire and his gram Bridgette- former monster hunter. And boy is Bridgette a piece of work (that I love greatly). Over the course of Volume 1, the quest starts to unfold; as well as the idea that it ties in quite closely with the whole McGuire family. I’m excited to see where this goes and am glad that Boom! has decided to expand it to an ongoing.

Dan Mora’s and Tamra Bonvillain’s art and coloring respectively are gorgeous and gritty. Violent when it calls for it, and with people swinging swords around, it does come to it. The undead and monster designs are fantastic. All the panels in this comic are just so pleasing to look at. I look forward to reading more!

Oh, and long live the undead king.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A take on Arthurian Legend I didn’t know I needed! It’s action packed from the beginning. This was full of adventure and action paired with great artwork. It’s great that the characters were established and developed well very quickly and that the reader was able to enter the world alongside Duncan as he learns about his legacy. And to top it all off, there’s an independent, eccentric grandma kicking butt and taking names at every turn!

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for giving me access.

This graphic novel took me by surprise! I want to be just like Gran when I am older! Freakin badass lady with all sorts of secrets.

Once & Future was an interesting twist on the story that we all grew up hearing, the Sword in the Stone. It was dark and gritty and full of monsters - I mean, I think they are monsters? There are definitely skeletons that come back to life.

I’m looking forward to the next volume to find out what happens next.

I had a blast reading Once & Future. From page one, I was interested. The art is gorgeous and the writing is fast-paced without feeling as if it's moving so fast that you can't keep up. I love the idea of a grandmother and grandson side by side fighting the bad guys. It's a charming but fun and interesting story. Looking forward to seeing this series through!

Arthurian legend has never been a subject that's interested me, yet I'd been seeing rave reviews for this title so I decided to look into it. It's safe to say the story surpassed my expectations! Kieron Gillen's twist on this popularly retold tale adds new levels of horror to make the story fresh and interesting.

Dan Mora's realistic illustrations allow readers to easily suspend their disbelief and become lost in the story. He has an exemplary grasp of using layouts to build tension and create rewarding action sequences. The intimidating designs for the undead king and his knights were my favorite part of this book. Tamra Bonvillain is my favorite colorist and her work on this title did not disappoint. Her electric colors grab the readers' attention and add an air of mysticism.

I definitely plan to continue reading this series as it continues. The characters have strong personalities and I felt it was easy to grow attached to them. Duncan was already forced to grow very quickly throughout the first volume, and the story seems to be priming him for even more development. I'd recommend reading this title even if high fantasy or medieval legend doesn't interest you. I honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy this book since those genres typically bore me, but this story does not follow traditional lore and carves out its own path.

Kieron Gillen (Wicked + Divine) and his incredible team have kicked off a new saga with style, action, and commentary that is miles above most other current series. Through Arthurian lore blended with contemporary issues, "Once & Future" demonstrates how blind, nationalistic pride is crippling and our understanding of legend, flawed. While an introductory level of Arthurian knowledge might increase the readers' ease of understanding or quality of experience with this first installment, it's not necessary and all vital details are appropriately woven into the narrative. Insightful, funny, and gorgeous - this is a winner.