A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Vol 1 by George R. R. Martin, adapted by Daniel Abraham, illustrated by Tommy Patterson

A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Vol 1
by George R. R. Martin, adapted by Daniel Abraham, illustrated by Tommy Patterson
Published by Bantam, March 27, 2012
240 Pages • ISBN 978-0440423218 • Hardcover



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Book description:

This graphic novel adaptation contains more than fifty pages of exclusive content not available in the original comic books, including:

• a new Preface by George R. R. Martin
• early renderings of key scenes and favorite characters from the novels
• a walk-through of the entire creative process, from auditioning the artists to tweaking the scripts to coloring the final pages
• behind-the-scenes commentary from Daniel Abraham, Tommy Patterson, and series editor Anne Groell

You’ve read the books. You’ve watched the hit series on HBO. Now acclaimed novelist Daniel Abraham and illustrator Tommy Patterson bring George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy masterwork A Game of Thrones to majestic new life in the pages of this full-color graphic novel. Comprised of the initial six issues of the graphic series, this is the first volume in what is sure to be one of the most coveted collaborations of the year.

Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse—unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season.

Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen’s brothers Jaime and Tyrion of the powerful and wealthy House Lannister—the first a swordsman without equal, the second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind. All are heading for Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an army of barbarian Dothraki—whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys.

I was asked: "Is this bad, or just bad in comparison?"

The short answer:

It's not bad, but it's not good, either.

Longer answer:

Basically, how many different ways can you tell the same story and keep it fresh? Unfortunately, I didn't feel like there was anything here that made it stand apart from the original book or the show. The art is ok, but I had trouble distinguishing some of the characters from each other unless they were talking, as many of them look too familiar to each other. The adaptation itself is ok, but nothing spectacular. I also felt that unless you'd already read the books or seen the show, there were some aspects to the story that were glossed over a little too thinly, so if this was your only access to the story, some of it wouldn't be clear. This seemed to be written with the express understanding that anybody reading it would already have a base knowledge of what's going on, and I think that's poor adapting of a story.

I guess if you're a hardcore GoT fan, this could be a good addition to your library, but for the casual fan like myself, it's just not that compelling. I'll just stick with the original books and show.