Once And Future #28
Duncan, Gran, and Rose put their Christmas plan into effect in Once And Future #28, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. This comic keeps the thrills coming before ending with a shock that fans have known was coming for a long time, but that makes it no less a surprise.
Mary uses her place as Nimue of the Lake to get Excalibur. She gives it to the Arthur she resurrected and learns the truth about Merlin and the whole situation. On Christmas, the Arthurs battle it out, with the undead Arthur ripping through everyone. Duncan, Gran, and Rose unleash Lear, who protects the sword. Duncan and Gran get to Bath, leaving Rose to watch Mary. Unfortunately, they hit a timeslip on the path, and New Year’s brings Gawain to London with a score to settle.
There’re a lot of great moments in this issue, but the standout is the moment between Mary and Merlin. It’s quiet and tragic as Merlin lets on his role in the story. He was a bard in love with his dying king and created a story, something that would help them live forever. That’s why he knows the truth of everything. It’s not a huge, game-changing reveal, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. Love drove Merlin to start a cycle of stories that would rule life in an effort to find the king he loved so they could be together again. He never finds him, every cycle bringing him heartache and pain.
It’s a moment of unexpected tenderness from a book that is often speeding from event to event. It’s a heartbreaker and reveals the origin of it all, the key to all the pain and death. This is one of the reasons this book is so great. Gillen always finds a way to give readers the unexpected, and this moment stands out. The rest of the issue is great, but this one little moment allows it to hit the next level. Tenderness drives a man to do something he never wanted to do and damned everyone centuries in the future.
Mora and Bonvillain get a lot of work here. There are few teams in the entire comic industry better than the two of them. From the first few pages with Mary, Merlin, and Arthur to the last couple with that final page shocker, their art is nothing short of brilliant. The sequence with Mary and Merlin is beautifully written, but what really makes it work is the art. Mora and Bonvillain capture the love and desperation of a simple bard who would become the greatest wizard in history all over the death of the man he loved.
Once And Future #28 is brilliant. Gillen, Mora, and Bonvillain craft a wonderful story with a surprisingly poignant moment that shows just how great this book is.
