Once And Future #20
As Duncan, Gran, and Rose find a new home for themselves and the residents of the nursing home, Arthur and Merlin battle it out with a new foe in Once And Future #20, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. Gillen throws some new wrinkles into the plot and ends it all with a new threat for the heroes.
Gran relocates the group to the Grail Castle as Arthur, Merlin, and Galahad facedown a new challenge- another Arthur. Arthur calls on the dead to serve him, sending them at his new foe, but the new Arthur sends out his champion- Lancelot. At Grail Castle, Gran explains why it's the safest place, and Rose asks to go get her parents in Bath, something Gran doesn't want to do because of the legends that make Bath home. She and Rose have some harsh words about Mary, and Gran goes to her room. Duncan goes after her, and they have a heart to heart about their family and why she reacted the way she did, and then goes to Rose to tell her they are going to Bath. Lancelot tears through the army of the dead before bowing to the person he was fighting for, Guinevere. Arthur and Guinevere's wizard tells them they must destroy the pretenders. Duncan, Gran, and Rose arrive in Bath, which is looking mighty Roman in Otherworld and Gran shows Duncan why she was scared to make the trip.
Gillen is a master at raising the stakes, and he does that with this issue. The biggest plot takeaway is, of course, the second Arthur and Guinevere. England was always a land of stories and the second Arthur compounds the whole thing. Gillen has played up the fact that the people have as much effect on stories as stories do on people. Mary summoned the first Arthur and got the kind of Arthur she wanted- a frighteningly British one. This second Arthur, possibly also summoned by Mary as Nimue, seems to be an entirely different, wearing beautiful, radiant armor, with a Guinevere and Lancelot at his side. The first Arthur reacts murderously, as is his wont, but Merlin's reaction is much more interesting; he knows more than he's letting on. Once And Future has always been interesting, but Gillen is taking the whole thing to the next level with this new plot twist.
Gillen doesn't skimp on the character-building either, with the conversion between Gran and Duncan after Rose and Gran's fight being the emotional heart of the book. Rose learned a lot from Mary, and she throws it at Gran when Gran refuses to go get her parents. Duncan and Gran's heart-to-heart reveal something vital about their family and relationship. She didn't just raise Duncan to be pure because of the Grail- although she admits that was certainly part of it- but because she wanted him to have a happy life untainted by the life of their family. It's a wonderful moment between the two, and Gillen plays it perfectly.
Mora is one of the industry's best artists, and this issue is yet another example of why. His figure work is phenomenal, and that's on full display in this issue. His design work on the new Arthur and Guinevere is pure and wonderful in comparison to the more horrific designs of the prior Arthur, Merlin, and Galahad. Elsewhere in the book, he captures the emotion of the scene between Gran and Duncan perfectly.
Once And Future #20 starts a new conflict and has a great emotional throughline. Gillen is almost showing off with this issue; he does such a great job of expanding the plot and hits the right emotional beats. Mora continues to be one of the best artists in the industry with this issue. The issue does what Once And Future does best, impressing readers with each panel.
