Once & Future #30 Review: A Splendidly Satisfying Farewell to One of Comics' Best Series
After 30 issues of legends, myths, and heartbreak, Once & Future's end has finally arrived. I must admit to conflicted feelings as this series has become one of my all-time favorite stories, so there's an inherent sadness in saying goodbye. That said, Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, Ed Dukeshire, Madison Goyette, and Dafna Pleban have created a truly special series and a walk-into-the-sunset ending that delivers satisfying payoffs with just a hint of hope for more down the line. Once & Future #30 is a thoroughly satisfying farewell to one of the most original and inventive stories in comics, and here's hoping this isn't the last time we get to return to this amazing world.
Once & Future #29 left us with several lingering threads, and issue #30 impressively deals with all of them in satisfying ways. Granted, I would have been fine with 10 more pages to sort it all out, but Gillen brings those threads together in a fulfilling conclusion that doesn't rob those individual moments or characters of their impact. The biggest beneficiary is probably Lancelot, who has been a major factor but hasn't perhaps had the chance to showcase how he perceives the story and what he ultimately hopes his role in it to be. Here we get a true glimpse of both before he charges in, bringing his arc full circle.
Mora and Bonvillain work wonders on very page of this issue, but if you had epic dragon battle on your wishlist this week you are in for a royal treat. The battles throughout this issue range from the fantastical to the supremely personal, and no matter the approach, they always deliver. Frankly, dragons are simply cool, so seeing fights that take up the entire page will always hit, but these are balanced by more intimate but no less tense confrontations that hit like freight trains.
As one might expect, Bridgette is at the heart of this issue, but in a far different fashion than we've grown accustomed to. We're used to the sarcasm and gruff exterior that protects the golden heart, but we don't see the regretful and vulnerable side of Gran all that often – one who recognizes not just what someone else has gone through but her own role in that process. These sequences are some of the weightiest and most heart-wrenching of both the issue and series.
This is especially true for one sequence towards the end, which is simultaneously hopeful and sullen. That's what makes the final few pages so effective. You've been rooting for this trio over the course of the entire adventure and it's wonderful to see genuine growth amongst all of them without sacrificing who the characters are at heart. Despite being in the midst of so many other major moments and the amount of dialogue needed to move things forward, Dukeshire is able to utilize every inch of the page to let it all breathe, and the moments that need a little extra get that welcome bit of oomph to send them over the top.
Bringing Once & Future to a close effectively was always going to be a tall order, but issue #30 meets that high bar and delivers a satisfying closing to this thrilling chapter with a wink towards what the future could hold. I already can't wait to jump back into this story once more from the beginning.
Published by Boom Studios
On October 12, 2022
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Dan Mora
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain