Besides the beautiful, precise art from Brian Bolland and Bruce Patterson, it’s hard to determine exactly what Camelot 3000 has going for it from the first issue.
Mike W. Barr writes the human protagonist pretty well; his emotional turmoil is believable, for example. But a lot of the comic features a larger than life King Arthur, who remains unperturbed whether he’s waking up after two thousand years, fighting aliens or playing with ray guns. He’s a lousy character, especially since Barr changes the focus from the kid (who becomes Arthur’s squire) to Arthur around the halfway point.
While the art’s beautiful, it’s ineffective. Bolland’s occasional full page spreads never have enough oomph. The Lady of the Lake raising up Excalibur is an iconic shot but a dull scene.
Barr doesn’t spend enough time establishing the setting either, though he deserves credit for dropping the reader into an alien invasion cold.
CREDITS
The Past and Future King!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Bruce Patterson; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.
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