*A Thank you to NetGalley, The Author, and Publisher for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased Review*

I've been reading too much during this quarantine, but I just can't stop (isn't that a good thing?) I did take a week off for finals but alas I am back and with another review. Considering that you saw the rating you can really tell I loved this. I read it in one sitting from start to finish and I could not stop! Now, I am going to try to give my review without giving things away which is going to be hard because I want to talk about it hard but here goes...

First things first, I am so glad that my grandmother is not Bridgette McGuire! I don't know how Duncan handled things, considering everything that happened. Bridgette is a gun totting bad-ass, wait maybe I do want her to be my grandmother. She is a shoot first ask questions later type of gal. One thing I will say is that Gillen really showed the consequences of being this way.. one of the last moments breaks my heart a bit but I couldn't feel bad for Bridgette considering how she acted.

Duncan was adorable, and I absolutely love him. I don't think I remember a time that I immediately liked a character at first page/panel but I did with Duncan. A true good guy and the complete light to Bridgette's dark. I love the lore that Gillen sets up with this, and if your a history buff that loves King Arthur's story that you definitely need to check this out.

Mora's illustrations really blended well with Gillen's writing. He really set the dark tones when needed, but also made sure not to give too much away. I'm not a illustrator (I can barely draw a stick figure) but I know that drawing action and making it look good is hard to do. Also, let me say that nothing was overtly sexual, but there was some blood so keep that in mind.

Overall, I really loved this and I can't wait to see where this goes. ( )

I only have one gripe with this comic, though it's a big one -- the breezy way the characters, especially Rose, accept and go along with the grandmother's crazy orders from the get-go. There are a few hand-wave scenes to try to justify it, but it just doesn't feel real, which severely undermines the story.
But that aside, this is excellent. The handling of Arthurian legend is inventive and exciting, the pacing is break-neck, the dialogue is frequently cool or funny, and the artwork is both dynamic and gorgeous. Add to all this some deeply crazy family drama and an intriguing, Unwritten-esque take on the relationship of stories and reality, plus undead knights galore, and you have a terrific reading experience, once you can convince yourself to suspend disbelief on behalf of the character reactions to the events before them. So even with the large caveat I opened this with, "Once & Future" is warmly recommended. I'm excited to read volume 2! ( )

First read of the year.

So much fun. Grandma Bridgette is the best. ( )

Winter 2021 (November);
Hugo Nominee - Graphic Novel

I love, love, love Arthuriana stories, and so I was delighted when I started reading this one and it was absolutely in that vein. I love how the story twists and turns, and from the outset has delightful meta-narrative about "quests" and "heroes." While this didn't end up being my highest rated story for the graphic novel section of nominees, it did rank in a close second and I'm absolutely going to be reading more things from this series as it comes out.

An exciting, violent, and funny adventure. I'm not a frequent comics or fantasy reader but I was attracted by the story and then really impressed by the art. Definitely looking forward to volume 2. ( )