Once And Future #12
Things come to a head in Once And Future #12, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. This issue wraps up the current storyline nicely, throwing some interesting wrinkles into the whole thing while also setting things up for the future.
Grendel's mother attacks the nursing home. Duncan and Gran do their best to hold her off, with Duncan hitting her with a sweet dropkick before Gran lures her away so Duncan can help get the residents to safety, ordering Duncan to get weapons. He meets up with his mother, Elaine, who offers him a weapon they don't have. Gran is able to drive Grendel's mother out of the nursing home, and Duncan and Elaine give chase into a mere. Duncan dives into the water after her, and Elaine starts reading from an Old English book. Gran comes up and puts a gun asking her what's going. Then Elaine tells her she's no longer Elaine, but Nimue. After some cajoling, what's been going on, how the story of Beowulf and Arthur were both trapped in paper for years, and have been released and that she has to continue reading so Duncan can take Beowulf's place in the story. Gran allows her to, and the woman in the lake brings Duncan a sword, much like Beowulf found a sword in his story, and he's able to kill Grendel's mother. Everyone goes home and prepares for what is to come- Gran back to the nursing home, Duncan to Bristol and Rose, and Elaine/Mary/Nimue to who knows where. In Otherworld, Arthur grows impatient and asks Merlin when they can begin the Grail quest, and Merlin says when they find Bors. At 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister is briefed on the goings-on and prepares to look in a box older than the British government to see what to do next.
This issue has a lot to unpack. That was a very long summary, and it's basically just paraphrasing everything. Gillen is building something grand in this story. There's a wonderful little moment in the beginning- the cab driver, the one Duncan forced to bring him to the nursing home, is killed by Grendel's mother, and Duncan sees what the human cost of monster fighting is. It's not like the cops Grendel killed (who were also there because of Duncan telling Rose to call them)- they were just doing their jobs. This man was completely innocent, and it's Duncan's fault he's dead. Later, when he gets home, readers can see the weight on him as he tells Rose about the deaths- not the fight or anything like that, but the dead people. It's a great character moment that Gillen nails.
From there, everything is big action and adventure, as Duncan and Gran face off against Grendel's mother and Elaine. Who has been skulking in the shadows for this entire story arc. Coming to the forefront with key exposition about the nature of what's going on. It's all a war of stories and the kings therein. Some stories were for the Saxons, some for the British. Beowulf was consigned to paper by a Merlin, and Arthur's was a folk myth. Once And Future has been hinting that it's about how stories play with the real world, and this little passage keeps that up. It's worth mentioning that Elaine says "a Merlin," which implies there are more than one, which could also mean more than one Arthur. She also says that she's working for Merlin as Nimue, but Nimue betrays Merlin in the stories. Does this Merlin know that, or is he merely doing what the story tells him to do? It remains to be seen. Also, anyone familiar with British politics will find the end of the issue epilogue with the British Prime Minister very interesting. Bors… Boris… Arthur being a racist and all about keeping Britain pure…. Boris Johnson being a bit racist and all about keeping Britain pure. Also, Duncan is now Percival, and Beowulf and the ladies in the lake gave Excalibur. Whatever happens next is going to be wild.
Dan Mora knocks it out of the park as always. Grendel's mother is a giant snake monster, and she looks terrifying, just a massive feral presence, all fangs, claws, and coils. As usual, the action scenes in the book are wonderfully intense and kinetic. On top of all of that, Mora nails the emotional storytelling aspects of the book. Like Duncan's scenes when the cab driver is killed, and afterward with Rose or the moment after the big fight when Duncan and Gran catch their breath, his art perfectly captures what Gillen's script needs it to. Also, as always, big ups to Tamra Bonvillain and her coloring. The art wouldn't be nearly as good without her deft palette of colors.
Once And Future #12 wraps up the Beowulf story perfectly. There's really not much else to say about just how good this issue is. Gillen, Mora, and Bonvillain knock it out of the park with every moment, balancing action and exposition, putting a bow on this phase of the story while also setting things up for the future. Once And Future is one of comics' best-kept secrets, and this issue keeps that up..
Grade: A+
