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Camelot 3000

Camelot 3000 is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-series.

Plot

The series follows the adventures of King Arthur, Merlin and the reincarnated Knights of the Round Table as they reemerge in an overpopulated future world of 3000 A.D. to fight off an alien invasion masterminded by Arthur's old nemesis, Morgan Le Fay. Fulfilling an ancient prophecy that he would return when England needs him most, Arthur is awakened accidentally from his resting place beneath Glastonbury Tor by a young archeology student, Tom Prentice, whom Arthur makes his squire and later a knight. The two of them travel to Stonehenge, where Merlin lies sorcerously trapped by the fae creature Nyneve, and awaken him to help them retrieve Arthur's legendary sword, Excalibur.

Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot are presented more-or-less traditionally as the familiar doomed triangle of lovers; Guinevere is reincarnated as Joan Acton, an American military commander, while Lancelot is reborn as Jules Futrelle, a French industrialist and philanthropist. Sir Galahad is changed from an idealized version of the Christian knight to a samurai and devout adherent of bushido. Sir Percival, the foolish man slowly wise is genetically altered into a monstrous giant but retains his gentle manner. Sir Kay, the court churl, reveals to Arthur that his characteristic obnoxious demeanor was in fact an affectation intended to reduce tensions between the members of Arthur’s court, by uniting them in mutual dislike of Kay.

Modred is not the son of Arthur's sister in this version, but the bastard child of Arthur by another woman. After Modred's birth, he had been taken away by a peasant woman to be hidden from Arthur, but she was intercepted by Sirs Kay and Tristan. Arthur then attempted to drown the baby among the other May Babies to keep him from becoming a threat to any legitimate heir; but unknown to Arthur, the baby survived. In the year 3000, Modred is reincarnated as Jordan Matthew, a corrupt United Nations official in league with Morgan Le Fay, and who later fuses the recovered Holy Grail into a suit of armor.

The most original treatment in the work of any of the Arthurian characters is that of the figure of Sir Tristan, who is unexpectedly reincarnated as a woman. His transformation forces him to reexamine his previous conceptions of gender roles and his own sexuality. Although his relationship with Isolde – also reincarnated as a woman – is tested by his new identity, their enduring love for one another eventually triumphs, and the two become lovers.

Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland received widespread recognition from their peers for their work on Camelot 3000, including a 1985 Jack Kirby Award nomination for Best Finite Series.