A new take on an old legend — and much more than that…
By PETER STONE
One of the top artists currently working at DC Comics came from an illustrative background at Boom! Studios. His name is Dan Mora, and he works quickly and exceptionally, sometimes producing almost two books a month. He did a bunch of covers for Marvel Comics and then regular series for DC. His work on Batman/Superman: World’s Finest was stellar. Mark Waid’s stories were solid and clear, complemented by Mora’s terrific pencils and inks.
Mora did a great run on Detective Comics (Issues #1027 through #1050); a four-issue run on Future State: Dark Detective (#11-#14); Justice League Unlimited (#1-5, #10-#13), and the terrific, four-issue event Absolute Power. In Absolute Power, he had to draw almost every character (including the oft-forgotten Air Wave) as well as a Brainiac Queen, an army of Amazos, and even the evil, robotic Failsafe. It’s a very intense series that’s a lot of fun to read.
Daniel Mora Chaves was born in Costa Rica and is a direct heir of the famous painter and sculptor, Francisco Zuniga, who was also born in Costa Rica, but lived in Mexico. Mora initially studied architecture, but switched focus and graduated with a degree in painting. He spent a few years teaching painting classes and struggling to get his work into galleries. Eventually, he switched to drawing science fiction and fantasy, obtaining work in the small comics industry of Costa Rica. Then, Boom! Studios discovered him and hired him as an exclusive artist in 2017.
He drew covers, a series called Hexed, and the origin of Santa Claus with Grant Morrison called Klaus. He started working on The Transformers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Buffy, and the series that brought him to my attention, Once and Future. For reference, that’s our BURIED TREASURE, a modern retelling of the classic Arthurian romances, with some other monsters thrown in for good measure.
The series, written by Kieron Gillen, started in 2019 and ran for 30 issues, steeped not only in Arthurian lore, but also snippets of British history, literature, and famous locations. It is not simply a retelling of the classic novel The Once and Future King by T. H. White, or The Death of Arthur (“Le Morte d’Arthur”) by Sir Thomas Malory, or even the plethora of other books and movies based on the epic story. Once & Future is a distinctly new version, fresh and unique, but also well-researched.
The art, however, is especially the selling point here. I remember seeing the first issue and, being a huge Arthurian romance lover, I bought it immediately. Halfway through that first issue, I suspected that this Dan Mora, whom I had never heard of before, was exactly that – the Once and Future King. Having studied the Arthurian legends and myths in college, I was immediately impressed by the amount of research Gillen poured into even the first issue.
Once & Future immediately goes in a different direction from the 1980s comics classic Camelot 3000, but the basic tenets of the story are still there in Arthur Pendragon, Lancelot, Gawain, Merlin, and Camelot. Then, Gillen throws in other ancient stories and heroes… and villains.Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Beowulf, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon that kills Beowulf. That’s just the start.
Gillen understands the subtext of the key characters: Arthur’s desire is to drive all the Saxons from the island of Britain. And, of course, he needs the Holy Grail to do this. He cannot claim the Grail himself, but the greatest knight in all the land can — Galahad, son of Lancelot. Gillen proves his love for the Arthurian romances, each issue as exciting as the one before.
Mora put in an equal amount of energy into the series with modern designs of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. His vision of Beowulf is heroic and terrifying at the same time. Even the creature known as the Questing Beast is unique and interesting. Mora never falls off on his storytelling or his execution. His pages are exciting when they should be and intensely personal when they should be. His people always emote well, even when they are being attacked by creatures from ancient literature.
I have never seen Mora’s pencils, but I assume they are full of solid anatomy, and his use of blacks is terrific. Then there are his inks. They never seem rushed or lazy. His crosshatching is delicate but knowledgeable. He has found a way to pencil and ink quickly and efficiently, becoming one of comics’ most prolific illustrators.
Once & Future is one of the best independent series of the last 10 years, with a professional, interesting writer and an artistic talent who is now a superstar.
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MORE
— BURIED TREASURE: Adam Hughes’ GEN 13: ORDINARY HEROES. Click here.
— BURIED TREASURE: Strnad and Fujitake’s DALGODA. Click here.
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Peter Stone is a writer and son-in-law of the late Neal Adams. Be sure to check out the family’s online Facebook auctions, as well as the NealAdamsStore.com.
January 17, 2026
I love this series almost as much as I do Camelot 3000. It kept my interest the entirety of the 30 issues, and — just as with Camelot 3000 — I wanted it to continue.