| Once & Future | |
|---|---|
 Issue 1 cover | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Boom! Studios |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | August 2019 – October 2022 |
| No. of issues | 30 |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora |
| Written by | Kieron Gillen |
| Artist(s) | Dan Mora |
| Colorist(s) | Tamra Bonvillain |
Once & Future is a horror comic by Kieron Gillen, with art by Dan Mora and colors by Tamra Bonvillain, about King Arthur. It is published by Boom! Studios.
When a group of British nationalists perform a supernatural ritual in order to resurrect King Arthur, they discover that Arthur has his own agenda. As Arthur leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake, octogenarian Bridgette McGuire — a retired monster hunter — and her grandson Duncan must try to stop him before other creatures from stories begin emerging as well.
The first Once & Future trade paperback (Once & Future: The King is Undead, comprising issues #1-6) was a finalist for the 2021 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, [1] the third trade paperback (Once & Future: The Parliament of Magpies) was a finalist for the 2022 award, [2] and the fourth trade paperback (Once & Future: Monarchies in the UK) was a finalist for the 2023 award. [3]
Screen Rant calls it "(t)he best modern King Arthur adaptation", because it is set in the present day and "explores the power of stories" rather than "the myths themselves". [4]
Comic Book Resources considers it "a more successful adaptation [of Arthurian mythos] than most", and posits that this is because Gillen "plays fast and loose with Arthurian legend" and acknowledges that there is no single canonical version. [5]
Boom! Studios has collected issues of Once & Future as trade paperbacks:
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