A Game of Thrones #2

Review - A Game of Thrones #2

Review by Paul Fiander

Covers: Mike S. Miller, Alex Ross
Writer: George R.R. Martin, Daniel Abraham
Artist: Tommy Patterson
Colorist: Ivan Nunes

The second issue of GOT brings in one of the series’ most intriguing characters he is a Lannister by birth and often overshadowed by his brother. I am of course talking about Jamie Lannister, he to me is an amazing character with a deep honour code who is tested throughout his life. He does have his issues and we will get to those at a later date. However his younger and somewhat smaller brother is more the Lannister I would like to have a brief look at. He is perhaps the biggest draw in the TV series due in a large part to the performance of Peter Dinklage. Linguistically he works wonders with the words form the Martin novel but he does have a great deal to draw from. This issue has one of my favourite quotes from the entire series;

“All dwarves are bastards in their father’s eyes.”
Tyrion Lannister

The line is dripping with venom and rejection and helps to paint a picture of the life that the ‘Imp’ has had to endure. He has to find weapons to fight with that others have not yet mastered. He is one of the key players in the mind battles that are fought for the seven kingdoms. Of course the question is can our Lion of Lannister outsmart the rest of the realm.

The character model of Tyrion is a mixed bag, his stature seems very fitting but he lacks the eluded to scoliosis from the books. It’s a small thing but the twisting of the spine can be easily shown in art. Da Vinci was a master of looking at all manner of people and finding a way to draw them that showed all the facets of the appearance. It is something that is lacking in the art of comics and I hope that more artists start to look beyond the beautiful as they depict the characters within the pages. Thankfully there are some creators who do look at wider influences especially in the Indie realm.

Of course the story in this issue holds probably the most pivotal point within the whole series. A letter between sisters that within it holds a few lines that will end up costing more lives than most can count. This is of course something G.R.R is famous for he has a rampant disregard for human life but without this flaw we would not get the intrigue of the series, and literature would be a lot poorer due to this. The message concerns the death of Jon Arryn, his widow puts the death down to murder committed by the Lannisters. The decision is made for Ned to continue with his plan to become the hand of the King and relocate south to Kings Landing. However one point still has to be settled Jon Snow. Ned’s Bastard has a desire to take the black and become a man of the Knights Watch and I seems he may get his desire before too long.

My worries about the look of the Direwolves seems to be unfounded as we get to see Greywind in a contest against a castle dog. The aggression shown in his snarl is enough to scare the smaller dog off. The Wolves quick growth also shows they will be depicted like the book and be a monstrous size before long. In a world of magic and monsters these depictions matter if they are weak then the whole fantasy aspect would be watered down. Of course the large test will be when some of the fantastical creatures are finally unleashed but that is another time and issue.

Its time to leave you with the words of House Lannister
Hear Me Roar

The Comic is available in both print and digital from Dynamite comics. Follow this link for more details.

Review - A Game of Thrones #2

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