Arthur’s reign has changed England forever in Once And Future #19, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. Picking up in an England consumed by stories, Gillen and company outline the new status quo for England, as Duncan and Gran try to figure out what their step is.

The issue begins with Duncan and Gran escaping a group of faeries after emptying out Gran’s armory and returning it home. Merlin and Arthur slaughter more British troops as Percival brings news of an invader. Duncan and Gran discuss their new circumstances and decide it’s time to leave home. Meanwhile, Merlin and Arthur have a new foe to face.

The last issue promised a very different status quo, and this issue bears it out wonderfully. Gillen starts out the whole thing with an action scene, one that does a great job of setting out the new way of things. The whole thing with the faerie attack is so well done, and it really gives readers a feel for the world as it is now. Using faeries as the foe is a great way to teach audiences the stakes of this new world- these are the true faeries, vicious, bloodthirsty creatures, and they are dangerous. It gives the feeling that everything in this new world of stories run amok is deadly and shows the stakes that everyone has been dealing with for the last few months.

Each character is dealing with things differently- Duncan is stepping up as the new hero, Rose has gotten a bit more adventurous than she was in the past, and Gran is actually the most frayed by the whole thing. She’s been fighting against the stories all of her life, and she thought being able to talk about it to others would make a difference, but it isn’t. There’s the sense that she has too much on her shoulders, which isn’t how anyone would have thought Gran would have dealt with the situation.

Mora’s art is excellent. His faerie are the terrifying creatures they need to be to sell the terrors of the new world. The opening action scene is exciting from the word go. His character acting really sells where each character is mentally, and that’s important for an arc like this. Bonvillain’s colors make the whole thing pop, especially the backgrounds.

Once And Future #19 opens things up on a high note and never lets up from there. Gillen sets up the new status quo expertly, using the first few pages to not only outline the world but where all the other characters are in it. Mora and Bonvillain are one of the best art teams around, and this book proves that with every page. This opening issue of the new story arc does a great job at pulling readers in and comes highly recommended.

Grade: B+