Review - A Game of Thrones #18Review by Paul Fiander
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Covers: Mike S. Miller
Writer: George R.R. Martin, Daniel Abraham Artist: Tommy Patterson Colorist: Ivan Nunes |
A very quick admission I love A Song of Ice and Fire (book and Audio book) as well as the Game of Thrones TV show. I hope my review will come across as measured but I feel it fair to pre-warn the reader. This also gives you some idea as to why starting at Issue 18 will be no trouble for me as I can jump straight back into the story. We will be looking to fill in the blanks at a later date but for now I will just concentrate on this issue.
I view this series as kind of the illegitimate love-child of both the screen and book versions of G.R.R's work. This is best shown by the front cover if anyone has seen Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon) then they will instantly recognise the boy sitting on the Iron throne. However he is almost the image of the Joffrey described within the Book. On the flip side if you turn the cover you will find reference made to this issue being part of Book One A Song of Ice and Fire. This however does not mean the comic is inferior in some ways it is actually more accessible than the book.
One of the biggest complaints made against G.R.R. is his plethora of characters with similar names. The great thing about the Graphic Novel is that it gives the reader a visual cue to work from allowing more character recognition and so better entry to the series.
As far as this issue goes the story feels very tight and the passages used carry the story along at a good pace. From the first moment we set our eyes on Lady Stark to the last glimpse we get of her Husband (bound in Irons) no panel seems wasted. There is little action to speak of and so the art does have a static feel to it. However this is a series where action takes a back seat to politics so this is to be expected.
As King Joff is the starting point of this review it seems just that he is the finishing point. He is such a wonderfully annoying little whelp and that comes across really well especially when he starts complaining to Mummy about a slight against him. It is this characterisation that makes the whole world such a great place to be in and it looks like the Graphic Novels will be able to stand toe to toe with the other mediums associated with this wonderful franchise.
The Comic is available in both print and digital from Dynamite comics. Follow this link for more details.
I view this series as kind of the illegitimate love-child of both the screen and book versions of G.R.R's work. This is best shown by the front cover if anyone has seen Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon) then they will instantly recognise the boy sitting on the Iron throne. However he is almost the image of the Joffrey described within the Book. On the flip side if you turn the cover you will find reference made to this issue being part of Book One A Song of Ice and Fire. This however does not mean the comic is inferior in some ways it is actually more accessible than the book.
One of the biggest complaints made against G.R.R. is his plethora of characters with similar names. The great thing about the Graphic Novel is that it gives the reader a visual cue to work from allowing more character recognition and so better entry to the series.
As far as this issue goes the story feels very tight and the passages used carry the story along at a good pace. From the first moment we set our eyes on Lady Stark to the last glimpse we get of her Husband (bound in Irons) no panel seems wasted. There is little action to speak of and so the art does have a static feel to it. However this is a series where action takes a back seat to politics so this is to be expected.
As King Joff is the starting point of this review it seems just that he is the finishing point. He is such a wonderfully annoying little whelp and that comes across really well especially when he starts complaining to Mummy about a slight against him. It is this characterisation that makes the whole world such a great place to be in and it looks like the Graphic Novels will be able to stand toe to toe with the other mediums associated with this wonderful franchise.
The Comic is available in both print and digital from Dynamite comics. Follow this link for more details.
Images courtesy of Dynamite Comics
Comic - Provided by Publisher
Comic - Provided by Publisher
