Once & Future #22

Once & Future #22

BOOM! Studios 2019

Written by Kieron Gillen

Illustrated by Dan Mora

Coloured by Tamra Bonvillain

Lettered by Ed Dukeshire

Will a shocking turn of events be enough to turn the tide of the entire world?

The war continues to rage across Britain as both Arthurs prepare to face one another for ultimate rule of the land. As Duncan, Bridgette, and Rose arm themselves for what's to come, a surprising betrayal threatens even the most carefully laid plans!

I am still enthralled and excited today as I am when the first issue debuted. I am also loving that we are still seeing the two Arthur’s still at odds with one another and the ultimate showdown between them is looming on the horizon. And I am sorry but grandma is still one of the best characters to have been introduced in the last handful of years. Her sassy attitude and well potty mouth plus just the way she doesn’t filter what she says makes every scene with her something to look forward to. She plays off Duncan perfectly and heck even when she’s not in the scene we feel her presence, the cards that tell them how to defeat the Giant for instance, making her a formidable woman in every sense of the word.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are immaculately rendered. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does this magnificent job with their constantly changing and evolving personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story, the revelations and the twists & turns we are left wondering how much can change in the blink of an eye?

I am extremely impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I am also very much liking how we see the layers opening up new avenues to be explored, the giant, the betrayal and the aid from an unexpected source all add such great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

The interiors here are absolutely brilliant! The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work is extraordinary to see. How we see backgrounds being used to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is marvellous to see. The creativity and imagination that we see is bloody brilliant as well and the creatures or beasts really come to life beautifully. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show such a mastery of colour and how it works as well as how to maximise their effects.

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Every time we turn around there’s something exciting going on and whether that’s the introduction of new characters or just diving deeper into the ones we know as allegiances shift or someone gains a momentary upper hand it all just leaves you in awe. This is all thanks to the immaculate writing and impeccable characterisation and the mindbogglingly brilliant interiors.