The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN #1 from Dark Horse Comics. Adam P. Knave and D.J. Kirkbride write,
Nick Brokenshire draws and colors, and Frank Cvetkovic letters.
Rani Arturus is a chess player from Portland – a bit
introverted, but really smart. British dad, Indian-American mum. She’s got a chess
tournament in Cornwall, and after a tough loss she takes a walk on the beach.
While she’s there she stumbles across a cave, finds a sword in a stone, and
meets an old guy in a spacesuit. And that’s when things get weird.
This is, of course, a very modern twist on Arthurian legend,
made more obvious by new friend Gwen and local café server Lance. How the story
will work out politically should prove interesting, but this first issue is
purely focused on Excalibur (and the characters). The issue ends on an exciting
cliffhanger, and the art works nicely (I especially like the effect of the
color palette).
For such a well-utilized legend, this first issue presents
an awful lot of open questions. And I like that about it – it’s familiar but
not predictable. It’s a great read for a wide range of readers.
THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN #1 is available now from your
local comic shop, or online at darkhorse.com.
~Mike ( @MikeyGeek )
