Broken Frontier

Don't let it be forgot … That once there was a spot … For one brief shining moment … That was known as Camelot!

When I was growing up, almost every Saturday morning was dedicated to yard sales.  My dad woke up before the crack of dawn and strode through the house bellowing, “Everybody get uuuuuuuup!” much to the chagrin of my older siblings.  They groaned and complained and threw the blankets over their head in feeble defense.  I, on the other hand, usually jumped out of bed raring to go.  Only the premieres of a new batch of fall cartoons could possibly tempt me to stay home.

Yard sales in those days were treasure troves of toys and—more importantly—comics.  It wasn’t surprising to find boxes or grocery sacks full of comics for pennies on the dollar.  My collection grew week by week, bolstered by runs of Master of Kung Fu, Shogun Warriors, Ghost Rider, and—I’m not ashamed to admit it—Richie Rich and a bunch of other Harvey classics.

These days, I go to yard sales and I rarely see a comic.  When I do, they’re usually books from the 90s stuffed into plastic bags beaded with condensation from being in direct sunlight … and they’re almost always priced at a buck a pop.  Not much of a bargain considering any small comic show in the country is packed wall-to-wall with quarter and dime boxes.  Somewhere along the way, every would-be yard entrepreneur with a few comics in the basement misunderstood a news story about Superman #75 and decided every comic they owned was four-colored gold.  Yard sales should be about getting rid of stuff you don’t want, not about making boatloads of cash.

Eh … I’m self-aware enough to realize I’m just bitter because I can’t find cheap comics at yard sales any more.

I know what you’re thinking.

Cullen, would you please get off your high-and-mighty lemonade stand and get to the point?  What do yard sales have to do with Camelot?

Well, nothing actually.  But the yard sales lead to the flea market.  And it’s the flea market that’ll get us where we’re headed.

Around one o’clock, once the yard sales started winding down, we would often stop at a flea market to make an entire day of junking.  Two flea markets hold special places in my heart.  The first, held in a weed-covered parking lot of a Fayetteville drive-in, I liked because there was a guy who sold comic grab bags (50 for $5.00) out of the back of his pick-up.  The second was a sprawling Mecca of bargains held at the North Carolina State Fair Grounds.  That’s the one that opened the door to Camelot.

While my parents looked wandered about, looking at food dehydrators and 4-for-a-dollar tie-dyed t-shirts and knock-off brand tool sets, I usually headed directly to one of the huge sheet-metal warehouses where some of the more permanent vendors set up shop.  In the back corner, a guy by the name of Jimmy offered a nice selection of collectables, including old records, magazines, beer cans, and—of course—comics.

Over the years, Jimmy sold me a bunch of books.  He tracked down a coveted G. I. Joe #2 for me, as well as a ton of X-Men and Spider-Man books.  Once, when I toyed with the idea of selling comics myself, he sold me several dozen boxes of “dealer’s stock.”  But the first comics I purchased from him were twelve books all squeezed into a single magazine bag.  The series was DC’s first “maxi-series,” Camelot 3000, and if the fantastic cover of the first issue didn’t catch my eye, the note on the price tag would have.

Complete series.  Pristinemint.

Pristine mint?  I didn’t even know what that meant!  I had heard of mint and near-mint and very fine and good conditions.  I even had a completely off-base understanding of each of those categories.  But pristine mint?

Jimmy explained that the books were in such wonderful condition that they had essentially never been opened.  A finer condition could not be found. 

Sold!

I plunked my money on the table and left with my prize in hand.

On the ride home, I stared at the first issue’s cover (the only one visible the way the books were packaged).  I couldn’t help but wonder what the other covers looked like … what the story was like …  But I didn’t dare open the set and risk the pristine condition, did I?

I didn’t even make it home before opening the package and pulling out the first of the comics.  If I was exceptionally careful, I thought, I might be able to read the comics and keep them in their perfect shape.  But after reading … and re-reading … and re-reading this remarkable series, I knew I had forever lost the perfect state of my comics.

But how could I not read (and re-read, as I mentioned) this book?  The high concept—King Arthur returning in the year 3000 to help save England (and the world) from invading aliens—is one I’m surprised a movie studio hasn’t scooped up.  Mike W. Barr’s script is crisp and holds the original legends of Arthur in high regard.  Brian Bolland’s artwork is beautiful and clean … and no one draws aliens getting slaughtered in more inventive ways.  You can almost hear the crunching of their frog-like bones.

The greatest POW! moments of the first issue are punctuated by fantastic splash pages.  Arthur rising from his crypt.  Merlin (hands down the coolest version of the wizard to ever appear in comics) erupting from his grave like a pillar of unholy flame.  The Lady of the Lake raising Excalibur from a pool within a nuclear plant.  Breathtaking stuff.

As the series unfolded, the Knights of the Round Table were reincarnated, often with interesting results.  Guinevere is a soldier.  Sir Lancelot is one of the wealthiest men in the world.  Sir Galahad is changed from an idealized version of the Christian knight to a samurai. Sir Percival is brought back as a genetically altered monster. Sir Tristan is reincarnated as a woman and struggles with her sexual identity.  Of course, the doomed history of Camelot repeats itself, and Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot once again find themselves in their tragic triangle.  Of course, Morgan Le Fey and Mordred rise as the villains of the tale, hounding the knights all the way to the bitter end.

This is a book I cannot recommend enough.  I still read it every now and then, and the story and artwork holds up exceptionally well.  It always surprises me when people say they are unfamiliar with this series, because as far as I’m concerned it’s a … pristine … example of how good a limited series can be.

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Cullen Bunn's fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. The first issue of his comic series, The Damned, will be published by Oni Press in October.  You can find out more about his work by visiting www.cullenbunn.com and more about The Damned at www.thedamnedcomic.com.