When a group of terrorists use an ancient artifact to bring an ancient evil back to life, retired monster hunter Bridgette McGuire draws her unsuspecting grandson Duncan, a museum curator, into a world of magic and mysticism. Were the Arthurian legends true? Here’s to you Once and Forever. Volume 1: The Undead King , published by Non Stop Comics.
Could I borrow this sword?
The main character is Duncan McGuire, a relatively gentle and calm university lecturer who is drawn into the world of sword and sorcery by his monster-hunting grandmother, Bridgette. It seems like all the stories Duncan ever heard about King Arthur and Excalibur were true. What’s more, now someone has decided to resurrect Arthur, who, according to Duncan’s grandmother, will return in “Britain’s darkest hour” – but it seems not to save her.
Returning to the good old lady for a moment, Bridgette McGuire is the personification of Buffy, if she had killed all the vampires and voluntarily decided to spend her last years in a blissful retirement home. At least until the incident that started this nightmare. Oh yes, there is no shortage of elements of broadly understood horror mixed with fantasy here, because how about the Lich King-like Arthur and his evil bodyguard – zombies or ladies of the lake, who also said goodbye to “life” a long time ago and do nothing about it ? Oh, and I would forget about monsters, one to be more precise, but still. The counterbalance is the unforced humor that comes from our grandmother and the idiotic main character.
He is a man you can immediately identify with. Clumsy, but with a huge heart. The retired monster hunter is a force of nature, dragging Duncan along on an expedition for which, unbeknownst to him, she has been preparing him all his life. Here we encounter the first disadvantage (although probably not for everyone) Once and for all , because the whole wonderful story is rushing at a rapid pace when our heroes try to win the race against time, collecting information and equipment and facing threats, both living and breathing. , or those already dead (and apparently unable to come to terms with this fact). I will come back to this issue, but now I would like to focus on something that I can honestly say…
… It’s something wonderful!
By Merlin’s beard, one might say. Kieron Gillen is certainly a talented screenwriter, but what Dan Mora does is simply a masterpiece. To say that the visuals of the first volume are up to par is an understatement. His great attention to detail, facial expressions, specific attitudes and behavior of each character… poetry for the eyes. What’s more, the line seems to get better over time. Dynamic action scenes, an epic undead king with exposed entrails, muscles and bones sticking out from under them. Maybe only one character was drawn too young, because although she was supposed to be the mother of two adult sons, she looked like their sister. Her mother, on the other hand, was too old, which somewhat spoiled the credibility of the story.
Nevertheless, the best element of this comic book is the graphic design, regardless of whether we are talking about subsequent pages or the covers of individual issues. Of course, I can’t forget about the person responsible for the colors – Tamra Bonvillain. The extraordinary range of colors and shadows she used, especially the psychedelic hues when the characters cross the border of other dimensions, were executed perfectly. In general, the backgrounds throughout the volume are eye-catching and make the reader spend as much time admiring the pages as following the action and dialogues. This duo of artists gives events a tangible energy that makes it difficult to look away, not knowing what will happen next.
You work in the family business now
The power of history to influence reality plays an important role in Once and For All . This comic is based on the truth of the Arthurian legends, as Bridgette reminds Duncan from time to time. Fortunately, knowing about these legends is helpful, but not required to have fun. I mentioned earlier that the downside may be the fact that everything happens so quickly in the plot, but I must admit that I had no problem following the fate of our heroes. What’s more, I really liked the fast-paced action because it doesn’t let me get bored even for a moment.
On the other hand, the story told in this way may give the reader the impression that the characters were poorly developed and therefore unreliable – at least two of them had no idea about the existence of supernatural phenomena, but quickly acclimatized to the local reality. Duncan had no trouble mastering skills such as sword fighting and shooting that simply would not have been possible without prior training.
Well, that’s what an action-oriented narrative demands. The story jumps from one scene to the next, leaving little room for a break. As you can see, everything has its pros and cons. Coming back to the first ones, the multitude of characters and references may be an advantage, because apart from the King of the Britons, we also have Galahad, the Fisher King, and Gawain, and I’m not going to mention the rest so as not to spoil anyone’s fun. There are also references to not only historical events, but also more current ones, such as Brexit. And this wonderful graphic design, yes, I know, I’m repeating myself, but it’s one of the prettiest comics I’ve ever come across.
To sum up, I think that the volume The Undead King , published in Poland by Non Stop Comics , will appeal to everyone who likes films like The Mummy with Brendan Fraser, i.e. wants to feel adventure, a slight thrill and a laugh from time to time. At the same time, he can also learn something about the Arthurian legends, and even if he knows them, Kieron Gillen presents the old myths anew in an interesting way.