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Rating: 
Summary: King Arthur finally returns--to fight Earth's alien invaders
Review: Fans of pure Arthurian legend may NOT enjoy this graphic novel, set around the year 3000. Arthur's evil sister has lead an alien force to take over the earth, and a young boy who happens to be named Tom Malory discovers and awakens King Arthur. They rescue Merlin, and with his help contact the reincarnated souls of the old Round Table, barely in time to save the planet from the domination of slimy green aliens. Arthur is made to seem rather stupid in this graphic novel, still retaining rather archaic speech, and in the end, the reader may be left wondering, did he EVER really understand he was fighting extra-terrestrials? Still, it is a FUN book, for those who do not always take Arthuriana seriously, and are in the mood to read of preposturous situations featuring the great king.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I had extremely high hopes for this one. After reading several other '80s DC classics set in the future (Ronin, Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns), I was expecting something spectaclular. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, its OK, but its not the masterpeice some people say it is. Brian Bolland is my favourite artist and I was expecting his work to be of the same standard as The Killing Joke, which is the only other interior work of his that I have seen. It doesn't come close to that. Of course, the reason is obvious. Killing Joke was only 48-pages long and he took three years to draw it. Camalot 3000 is about 300 pages long and he probably had a stricter deadline. I always wondered why Bolland didn't do more interior work. Now I prefer that he sticks to covers because almost every one is a masterpiece. Story-wise, it is significant because it is one of DC's first mature comics and helps set the stage for Vertigo and so on. Although the climax was good, I found that some of the characters were not very well developed. Even King Arthur himself could have been made more real. Morgan Le Fay is excellent though as is Sir Tristan. The love triangle between Lancelot, Arthur and Guenevere could have been further explored also. Guenevere just doesn't seem to love Arthur at all, so why is there a triangle in the first place? She should just leave him.
There are some intersting twists throughout, however, and it is unfortunate that DC doesn't make maxi-series like this very often these days.
Rating: 
Summary: Holds true to the legend while playing with it.
Review: I happen to be both a fan of the Arthurian story and an Arthurian scholar, and I absolutely adored this book. The artwork was powerful, truly aiding the telling of the tale. The story was clever and far superior to the usual twist of this nature. I definitely enjoyed the added complication of Tristan coming back as a woman! The story holds true to the patterns and spirit of the legends, which is what I look for specifically in retellings of the Arthurian tales. This book is definitely worth every penny you spend on it.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, But Dated.
Review: I remember when Camelot 3000 was originally released by DC. It was their first Maxi-Series, and Brian Bolland was so late with the art that it took over three years to put out 12 "Monthly" issues. The chaotic release schedule insured that I was never able to see how the series concluded... Flash forward almost twenty years: I'm almost 32 years old, and I guess I actually HAVE matured somewhat, because instead of the amazing classic I remembered, Camelot 3000 came across as cliched, corny, and just plain weird. The story takes place in the year 3000. when an alien invasion of Earth is in full swing. Young Tom Malory, after seeing his Mother and Father killed by the invaders, stumbles upon the crypt of King Arthur......Arthur is resurrected (As per the prophecy), and soon enlists Merlin and the reincarnated Knights of the Round Table in his war against the Aliens, who are actually the puppets of his half-sister Morgan LeFay. The long length of the book allows for some nice character exploration, and the art by Brian Bolland is great. The down side is this: Readers expecting a masterpiece will be disappointed by Mike W. Barr's script. Bolland's art is great, as I said, but I spent more than a little time laughing at his ridiculous "Futuristic" clothing designs. VERY dated..... Overall, worth a look for the curious comic fan, but not recommended for the more discriminating reader.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking
Review: It broke new ground. It was one of the first books published on high quality paper and distributed only to the direct market. The first maxiseries in comics history, this book was planned with a beginning, middle and end, much like a prose novel. It also had the freedom to do whatever it wanted with its characters since, despite being published by DC, it was outside of their continuity. It was published without the Comics Code Authority seal and was advertised as a book for mature readers. Thus this book was able to explore subject matter mainstream comics had shied away from. Two of the central characters in the book are involved in an extramarital affair, for example, and one character is a man trapped in a woman's body. It had fantastic art. Penciller Brian Bolland today is well known for his beautiful cover art, but in 1982 when this series began, he was largely unknown outside of England. By the time the book finished in 1985 (unfortunately the wait between some chapters was incredibly long, another trend in comics' future that this book foretold), he was widely known throughout mainstream comics for his incredibly detailed and expressive linework. It was incredibly well-researched. Writer Mike W. Barr utilized a creative consultant for this book, a member of academia who was well-versed in the Arthurian lore Barr was reworking for his own purposes. Barr similarly drew from his own research into the legends of King Arthur and used as inspiration for this story great works of literature, including the masterful poetry of Sir Thomas Mallory. It mixed genres seamlessly. In this book, these Arthurian legends were reimagined in a completely new setting: a far-flung future Earth in the midst of an alien invasion. The sword-and-sorcery trappings of the Arthurian legend are juxtaposed with science fiction clichés and a hint of political intrigue to make a book that is better than the sum of its parts. Reincarnation meets genetic engineering at one point, leading one of Arthur's knights of the round table to come back as an eight-foot-tall monster. Meanwhile, villainess Morgan Le Fay not only employs aliens from a tenth planet as her henchman, but also the UN's top security advisor as her right-hand man. This series was Camelot 3000. Innovative, imaginative, and beautifully crafted, it should be on your bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: The once and FUTURE king....
Review: It is a grim, overpopulated world, short on resources, as well as hope. Long ago man abandoned the dream of space to focus on more "practical" needs. The powers-that-be rule with an iron fist. Dissidents, criminals, and undesirables are genetically altered into zombie like "neo-men"- mindless muscle to use against the masses. Then, if this was not enough, into this hopeless, hellish cauldron came invaders from the stars that we had turned our backs on. London was in flames and it looked like the world truly would end with a whimper- on its knees.
Enter Arthur Pendragon, the One True King, to unite a planet as he once united a kingdom. I especially enjoyed the closing page of this excellent graphic novel, with it's suggestion that this is not only a timeless, but cosmic, myth cycle. Where ever evil gains the upper hand and hope dies, no matter how far-flung the planet, the universe crystalizes out a True King to set things right once more- to defend the dream of what was, and what yet may be....
Rating:
Summary: Read-A-Lot!
Review: Though written quite a while ago,
This Arthur tale is worth the dough.
I read it first when I was a boy.
I read it still, it gives me joy!
Britain falls to alien spoor
and Arthur returns to even the score.
Gwen and Lance renew their lust.
It's hard to know just who to trust.
Merlin returns, Excalibur too.
This story has a lot for you.
If you love Le Morte D'Art
In your collection, make this book a part.
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