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Once & Future, Vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies

Once & Future, Vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-29 17:16:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kieron Gillen
  • ISBN：168415703X
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Summary

The next chapter in the critically acclaimed and Eisner Award nominated series as Bridgette， Duncan， and Rose must find a way to stay one step ahead of Merlin and keep things secret， but it’s a modern era and secrets never stay hidden very long…

THE WORST OF BOTH WORLDS。

Although the monsters of Beowulf may have been defeated， the convergence of stories means the tether between our world and the Otherworld grows dangerously thin。 Determined to stay one step ahead of Arthur and Merlin’s plans， Bridgette and Duncan start with what they know， tracking down the last connections Nimue had: the Nationalists she used to resurrect Arthur， and Lancelot。 But finding the legendary knight may not be enough， Merlin has found his last piece of the puzzle and it goes all the way up to the highest reaches of British government。 In order to prevent more chaos， Bridgette， Duncan， and Rose must fight harder than ever to keep things secret， but it’s a modern era and secrets never stay hidden very long…

New York Times bestselling writer Kieron Gillen， joins Russ Manning Award winning artist Dan Mora， and colorist Tamra Bonvillain present the next chapter in the critically acclaimed and Eisner Award nominated series。。 Collects Once & Future #13-18。

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Reviews

Josh Simons ，

The Parliament of Magpies was not as enjoyable to me as the first two volumes， but it was still a fun ride。 The pace is breakneck and Bonvillain’s colors drive the juxtaposed serious and whimsical nature of the scenes with excellence。 I’ll be on board for the next volume。

Justin ，

A very interesting book （I’ve burned through the first three trades in the past few days） and I’m enjoying the fantastic elements。

Simon Fletcher ，

More Arthurian bunkum and I love it。 Getting better and better with each volume。

Natasha den Dekker ，

Oh waaay to make the comic incredibly relevant for the times Mr Gillen。 Ahead of watching Green Knight the release of this was perfect timing！ The story picks up a little bit after Vol 2。 and the only reason I haven't given 5 stars is because the stories can be hard to keep up with BUT I like that this is acknowledged by the characeters too。 I love how clever this is - bit like the early issues of Wicked and the Divine。 Always poking fun and satirising our myths and legends。 The series has defin Oh waaay to make the comic incredibly relevant for the times Mr Gillen。 Ahead of watching Green Knight the release of this was perfect timing！ The story picks up a little bit after Vol 2。 and the only reason I haven't given 5 stars is because the stories can be hard to keep up with BUT I like that this is acknowledged by the characeters too。 I love how clever this is - bit like the early issues of Wicked and the Divine。 Always poking fun and satirising our myths and legends。 The series has definitely upped the ante with the ending of this one - which was gloriously relevant to anyone in the UK at the moment。 I would also like to point out that we have main characters - one of whom is an elderly lady （a badass tbh） and an intelligent love interest who is very clearly a woman of colour！ *SQUEE* this makes my day everytime I open up this series because Gillen shows how it easy it is to not just a white man front and centre。 （Some written fantasy series could benefit from this tbh）。 Can't wait for the next one。 。。。more

Brianna ，

The story's still going strong， with a very cool twist ending。 The story's still going strong， with a very cool twist ending。 。。。more

Eric ，

This series keeps impressing me。 The illustrations are fantastic， the story is clear despite being complex and woven with literary allusions rom multiple classics。 As long as this one keeps going strong， I'll keep buying and reading it。 This series keeps impressing me。 The illustrations are fantastic， the story is clear despite being complex and woven with literary allusions rom multiple classics。 As long as this one keeps going strong， I'll keep buying and reading it。 。。。more

Jennifer Juffer ，

I didn’t know I could enjoy a fantasy book that is so completely packed to the rafters with legends， fables and a few wives’s tales。Most creators might make a muck out of this convoluted tale of Arthurian legends mixed in with everything BUT the Loch Ness Monster and a pack of wild elves。 Thank goodness， they’re keeping mostly to the familiar stories because this series has some solid plot lines and characters that I can really appreciate！ Who doesn’t live to love Merlin， Gawain， Nimue， Perceiva I didn’t know I could enjoy a fantasy book that is so completely packed to the rafters with legends， fables and a few wives’s tales。Most creators might make a muck out of this convoluted tale of Arthurian legends mixed in with everything BUT the Loch Ness Monster and a pack of wild elves。 Thank goodness， they’re keeping mostly to the familiar stories because this series has some solid plot lines and characters that I can really appreciate！ Who doesn’t live to love Merlin， Gawain， Nimue， Perceival， Grendel…。 and his Mother？ 。。。more

Mark ，

Interesting ideas/plot twists。。。 but not enough to rise to the level of the earlier volumes。

Sam Quixote ，

Duncan， Rose and Granny Bridgette face more nightmarishly warped Arthurian legends - it’s the Green Knight， Lancelot and Galahad’s turns - as Merlin continues his plan to take the Grail and return Arthur to the throne of England… with bloody consequences！ Once & Future is an ok series but it’s gotten a little too action heavy in this third book for its own good。 I didn’t mind it so much in the second book with Grendel and co。 but it’s pushing it a bit to have another book of the gang fighting mo Duncan， Rose and Granny Bridgette face more nightmarishly warped Arthurian legends - it’s the Green Knight， Lancelot and Galahad’s turns - as Merlin continues his plan to take the Grail and return Arthur to the throne of England… with bloody consequences！ Once & Future is an ok series but it’s gotten a little too action heavy in this third book for its own good。 I didn’t mind it so much in the second book with Grendel and co。 but it’s pushing it a bit to have another book of the gang fighting monstrous characters almost the entire time AGAIN。 I’m not totally sure what Duncan’s mum Mary/Nimue’s motivations are or why she’s “bad”， and the concept of “being” a story is really underdeveloped to the point of confusion - how does Duncan saying he’s Gawain mean anything？ You just tell yourself you’re a character in a story and then… you become it， or something？ Instead of just non-stop action， expanding on these core concepts of the series would’ve made this book better。 As it is， I wasn’t that taken with watching people fighting the big bads of this book。 The familiar characters all look really interesting as reimagined by Dan Mora， whose art is once again superb， particularly Lancelot who looks very striking in bright blue。 The opening scene with Gran and the magpies is fantastic and the ending is a great cliffhanger but most of the middle didn’t do much to grab me。 Lots of noise， little meaning。 If all you want in this series is flashy action， you’ll enjoy this book， but if you’re after anything slightly deeper than superficial， you’ll be let down with Once & Future， Volume 3: The Parliament of Magpies。 。。。more

Khurram ，

I like the story， I like to concept， I like the characters the only reason I could not hive this five stars is a few of the action panels and dialogue is a bit too confusing。I am glad that Rose got a bigger part in this book as she only really had a cameo on the last book。 Gean is awesome as always。 Duncan is great fighting monsters， but not so much in dealing with people in any level。Merlin's plan is revealed and players lear their real roles。 This is a great action packed volume after this eve I like the story， I like to concept， I like the characters the only reason I could not hive this five stars is a few of the action panels and dialogue is a bit too confusing。I am glad that Rose got a bigger part in this book as she only really had a cameo on the last book。 Gean is awesome as always。 Duncan is great fighting monsters， but not so much in dealing with people in any level。Merlin's plan is revealed and players lear their real roles。 This is a great action packed volume after this everything has changed。 All round great book。 It includes an a4 cover gallery at the back。 I can't wait for volume 4。 。。。more

Chris Thompson ，

Another humor and action filled volume that ends with a bang。

Mik Cope ，

This volume was excellent， the story really picks up pace to breakneck speed and， without spoiling anything， one particular gruesome death near the end was particularly satisfying to see。

Johnny King ，

Wow， was this brutal。 Fast paced。 I read thru this quick！ The story just keeps building

Adam Fisher ，

The saga continues with a good middle Volume。 We dive more into the roles of the Arthurian legends here， with our characters filling them in the modern day plot。 （It actually has me combing my brain to see what loopholes I can find in the tales。。。 trying to determine where the plot is heading。 But this book still has me guessing。As Arthur continues to fade away， Merlin's machinations ebb and flow。 Rose kills the Green Knight and takes on the role of Gawain。 Duncan's mom shows up again on the sce The saga continues with a good middle Volume。 We dive more into the roles of the Arthurian legends here， with our characters filling them in the modern day plot。 （It actually has me combing my brain to see what loopholes I can find in the tales。。。 trying to determine where the plot is heading。 But this book still has me guessing。As Arthur continues to fade away， Merlin's machinations ebb and flow。 Rose kills the Green Knight and takes on the role of Gawain。 Duncan's mom shows up again on the scene and claims to now be in the role of Elaine， resurrecting a robot-ninja-like kind of warrior to be Lancelot。 Merlin raises Galahad， now a nightmarish centaur。 The plot is to get the Grail to Arthur to heal him。。。 and it does， though indirectly。 Arthur is restored to full power， and he immediately pulls London into Otherworld， and starts his conquest for real。Where this is headed next， I don't know， but I can feel the pressure building。。。 what happens next？Strong recommend。 。。。more

Jimbo ，

Not the biggest Arthur fan， but Gillen takes the story to a place that I never could have imagined。It is funny， bloody， political， magical， sexy， sad， and a mirror image of Camelot--the bad side。Too much fun to keep to oneself。Thanks Kieon Gillen， Dan Mora， and Tamra Bonvillain for a beautiful adventure story with art that dazzles （just look at their Lancelot - stunning！）Get this book。

Bonnie McDaniel ，

This is more like it。 After the balls-to-the-wall （and quite gory） action set pieces in the previous volume， Old English， this volume focuses a little more on the characters。 Grandma Bridgette is her usual cynical badass self， and Duncan is settling into his role of monster slayer a bit better。 This volume does have a bit more convoluted plotting than the previous two， as Kieron Gillen is trying to match his modern story to the many variations， twists and turns of the original Arthuriana。 Gawain This is more like it。 After the balls-to-the-wall （and quite gory） action set pieces in the previous volume， Old English， this volume focuses a little more on the characters。 Grandma Bridgette is her usual cynical badass self， and Duncan is settling into his role of monster slayer a bit better。 This volume does have a bit more convoluted plotting than the previous two， as Kieron Gillen is trying to match his modern story to the many variations， twists and turns of the original Arthuriana。 Gawain the Green Knight makes an appearance， and his story "infects" Duncan's girlfriend Rose （who thankfully has a lot more to do）。 This is all in service of the puppet master behind the scenes， Merlin， who is manipulating the overarching story to bring the mad undead king Arthur back to Britain。 In a cameo at the end--in silhouette and black shadow， but the reader can tell it's England's current Prime Minister， Boris Johnson--"Bors" makes the mistake of revealing the existence of monsters the same moment as Zombie Arthur drinks from the Holy Grail， with the result that the entire country is sucked into the Otherworld。 （"Bors" also gets his head handed to him by Arthur， quite literally。）As always， the art is just gorgeous in this volume。 I gather it's rather unusual for an artist and colorist to stick with a title as long as Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain have for this one？ I am grateful， as the consistency in the colors， panels， character placements and designs is a big part of why this series is so good。 With the closing cliffhanger of this volume， future installments in the series promise a big shakeup in the overall story。 Looking forward to it。 。。。more

sassafrass ，

5* for decapitating boris johnson

Anne ，

My goal in life is to be exactly like Bridgette when I'm old and gray。I love her， flaws and all because she's just such a no-nonsense badass。The story expands further and Rose gets to play an even bigger part。 Duncan is starting to get the hang of the hero-ing gig， but all the ladies in his life （including his mother？） seem to be padding his falls for him quite a bit。 It's hard to say who the man character is， as everything started with Duncan learning about his heritage。 But Bridgett is still r My goal in life is to be exactly like Bridgette when I'm old and gray。I love her， flaws and all because she's just such a no-nonsense badass。The story expands further and Rose gets to play an even bigger part。 Duncan is starting to get the hang of the hero-ing gig， but all the ladies in his life （including his mother？） seem to be padding his falls for him quite a bit。 It's hard to say who the man character is， as everything started with Duncan learning about his heritage。 But Bridgett is still running the show， and this volume proved that Rose is going to be more of a power player in the overall story than originally thought。The same old villains are lurking around every corner and Merlin is still pulling everyone's strings。 This volume digs a bit deeper into the mystery surrounding Duncan's mother， but for every answer tow more questions pop up。The biggest difference includes the addition of a special agent that liaisons with the UK government and a new recruit that is sent in to spy on his operation by a higher up in British politics。 This politician looks suspiciously like Prime Minister Boris Johnson。The ending is a HUGE cliffhanger that seems to change the rules of the game further than anything so far。This gets better and better with every issue。 Once & Future is one of those comics that just hold my attention from start to finish。 Interesting characters， fast-paced plot， interesting world-building， and lovely art。Highly Recommended！ 。。。more

Zackman ，

Man， this series keeps getting better and better。

Art ，

This volume takes it up a notch。 The stories are sucking in more and more people。 Can Bridgette， Duncan， and Rose keep the Otherworld at bay？ The twists and turns of this book are great fun。 Thoroughly enjoyed it。 This series keeps getting better。

Ronald ，

Another excellent story。 Lots of excitement and adventure with the "stories" and the real world。 Good stuff！ This would be a 5 star story but the introduction of and interference of the government is not that well written。 At least that is not a major part of the story。 Another excellent story。 Lots of excitement and adventure with the "stories" and the real world。 Good stuff！ This would be a 5 star story but the introduction of and interference of the government is not that well written。 At least that is not a major part of the story。 。。。more

Lashaan Balasingam （Bookidote） ，

With the tone and direction fully established through the previous two story arcs， this latest volume embraces its action-packed and zany story-telling with more classic references while pushing its cast into unconventional and over-the-top adventures。Let there be more chaos！Yours truly，Lashaan | Blogger and Book ReviewerOfficial blog: https://bookidote。com/ With the tone and direction fully established through the previous two story arcs， this latest volume embraces its action-packed and zany story-telling with more classic references while pushing its cast into unconventional and over-the-top adventures。Let there be more chaos！Yours truly，Lashaan | Blogger and Book ReviewerOfficial blog: https://bookidote。com/ 。。。more

Amy ，

I'm really enjoying this series as bonkers as it is。。。 the Arthurian legends （as myriad-layered as they are [not using the p-word]） + Grendel legend， now the Green Knight 。。。 all bashed together with our stalwart reluctant knight and his insane， bad-ass grandmother/Fisher King/substitute mother。 This one ended with a great cliffhanger too。also loving the illustrator（s？） who draw twisted gore and old-lady perms equally well。 :） I'm really enjoying this series as bonkers as it is。。。 the Arthurian legends （as myriad-layered as they are [not using the p-word]） + Grendel legend， now the Green Knight 。。。 all bashed together with our stalwart reluctant knight and his insane， bad-ass grandmother/Fisher King/substitute mother。 This one ended with a great cliffhanger too。also loving the illustrator（s？） who draw twisted gore and old-lady perms equally well。 :） 。。。more

Bandit ，

It took me a minute to get into these series。 At first， it was kind of a Grimm （or insert your own reference for stories with people hunting supernatural creatures）， but then it evolves dramatically into a much more complex and fascinating universe。 One I’m not all too excited to follow。 In fact， book three takes you further than ever into this place where stories and reality collide， brutally and bloodily， and the worldbuilding is now at the level where there’s enough terror and enough realism It took me a minute to get into these series。 At first， it was kind of a Grimm （or insert your own reference for stories with people hunting supernatural creatures）， but then it evolves dramatically into a much more complex and fascinating universe。 One I’m not all too excited to follow。 In fact， book three takes you further than ever into this place where stories and reality collide， brutally and bloodily， and the worldbuilding is now at the level where there’s enough terror and enough realism you can properly （and terrifyingly） engage with the narrative。 Moreover， now there’s a political commentary here。 The author snuck it in subtly enough （and I for one love subtlety with these things）， but there it is， the Brexit mentality， England for English， xenophobic commentary， etc。Only the threat （perceived and real） to the nation is on a far grander scale， straight out of the classics， the proper battle of good and evil with ancient evil looking to rise up and modern good （as represented by Duncan， his girlfriend and， the main event， his awesome， awesome grandma） are potentially all that stands in its way。Now that the world is getting woke to the power of older （and female） characters above and beyond Mrs。 Marple， they get more attention and pages， but there’s still no one quite like this chain smoking asskicking granny out there。 Love that character。Overall， a wildly entertaining ride that features great storytelling and terrific technicolor bonanza of art panels。 Recommended。 。。。more

Nancy ，

This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2。com/2021/08/2。。。This third volume of the Once & Future series is as strong as the first two， and I am loving these twisted King Arthur tales！The story starts out innocently （I’m not fooled）， as Gran relaxes with one of her many cigs out on the patio of her senior home when six magpies fly to her。 She recites two nursery rhymes that would correlate with the six birds and realizes they are a bad omen of what is to come。 Of course， t This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2。com/2021/08/2。。。This third volume of the Once & Future series is as strong as the first two， and I am loving these twisted King Arthur tales！The story starts out innocently （I’m not fooled）， as Gran relaxes with one of her many cigs out on the patio of her senior home when six magpies fly to her。 She recites two nursery rhymes that would correlate with the six birds and realizes they are a bad omen of what is to come。 Of course， the colored orbs surrounding them is always a clue that magic and mayhem are around the corner。 She calls her hunky ginger grandson Duncan over to help and he brings along his love interest Rose along as she has some foretelling powers。While the story continues with a dark King Arthur and Merlin， some other English tales and characters are incorporated- such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight， Elaine of Astolat and Elaine of Corbenic。 All of these mentions made me have to look up Wikipedia entries on them all， as my knowledge of Arthurian tales is rather scant。 The way that Gran， Duncan， Rose， and Duncan’s mother Mary twist all of these legends around to suit them can be a bit confusing， yet it works。 Rose is incorporated more into this story， as she takes charge of a beheading and then later befriending a flying dragon。The concluding pages seem to put Arthur and Merlin to rest， but of course， there is a twist that brings them alive once more。 And now because of someone’s stupidity， the dark magic is out in the world for everyone to see， not just monster hunters and sinister government agencies。 The strange creatures on the last page are creepily awesome。 I look forward to what author Kieron Gillen and artist Dan Mora have planned next for readers！ 。。。more

Cale ，

For the first time in this series， I really felt like I didn't have enough background in the myths and legends to quite grasp everything that's going on。 But even so， this is a blazing action story that throws a couple of new elements into the mix （expanding on the government aspect that Bridgette had been sorely hoping to keep out of things） and does some complicated things with the characters and the archetypes they portray。 A fair bit of it feels like it's getting pieces into place for the ne For the first time in this series， I really felt like I didn't have enough background in the myths and legends to quite grasp everything that's going on。 But even so， this is a blazing action story that throws a couple of new elements into the mix （expanding on the government aspect that Bridgette had been sorely hoping to keep out of things） and does some complicated things with the characters and the archetypes they portray。 A fair bit of it feels like it's getting pieces into place for the next volume， but it does so in a way that is a pretty fulfilling story on its own。 The interactions between our main trio get increasingly complex， with a dark humor that feels very familial。 The art is still stunning， especially in its color usage。 The story is still fascinating， even as it gets increasingly convoluted。 I look forward to seeing where it goes。 。。。more

Gary Sassaman ，

Weakest volume so far， but still enjoyable。 I think there's enough story for maybe 4 good comics here， instead of the 6 that are collected in this volume （issues #13-18）。 Dan Mora's art and Tamara Bonvillain's color are both still spectacular， but you can see Mora getting stretched a little thin with also doing Batman in Detective Comics。 I'll continue to this til the end， which I think is coming soon， though。 Weakest volume so far， but still enjoyable。 I think there's enough story for maybe 4 good comics here， instead of the 6 that are collected in this volume （issues #13-18）。 Dan Mora's art and Tamara Bonvillain's color are both still spectacular， but you can see Mora getting stretched a little thin with also doing Batman in Detective Comics。 I'll continue to this til the end， which I think is coming soon， though。 。。。more

Mark ，

Still enjoying this。 Lots of old English legends and stories having an impact on the present。 Arthur coming back as a villain。 New heroes rising。 A fun time and the art is great

John ，

I'd probably give this five stars if I knew more about British history and legend。 I'd probably give this five stars if I knew more about British history and legend。 。。。more

MercyEvanReads ，

4。5⭐

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Once & Future, Vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Once & Future, Vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Once & Future, Vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0