I Reads You Review: George R.R. Martin's A GAME OF THRONES #20

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN’S A GAME OF THRONES #20
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes and Sandra Molina
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
COVER: Mike S. Miller
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2014)

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is Dynamite Entertainment’s comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones.  This is the 1996 novel from science fiction and fantasy author, George R.R. Martin.  It is the first book in his best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels.  That series is also the basis for the award-winning and popular HBO television series, “Game of Thrones.”

Scheduled to run 24-issues, George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is adapted by science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham, who sometimes collaborates with George R.R. Martin.  Tommy Patterson draws A Game of Thrones the comic book, with Ivan Nunes coloring the art.  I have previously read and reviewed A Game of Thrones the comic book series via three volumes of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Bantam Books’ hardcover reprint of the Dynamite comic book series.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #20 opens on the battlefield of the Khals.  Khal Drogo and his warriors (Khalasar) have defeated Khal Ogo and his son, Fogo.  Now, Drogo’s Khalasar begins the pillaging, because to the victor goes the spoils.

Daenerys (or “Dany”) of the House Targaryen is Drogo’s “wife” (his “Khaleesi”).  Astride a horse, Dany makes her way through fields of the dead and witnesses that other thing that goes to victors, the raping of the women.  But Danys is having none of that, as she saves the women.  This is how she asserts her authority within Drogo’s Khalasar and her power over her husband.

Meanwhile, at the Wall, Jon Snow, bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark, wonders about the status of his family, especially the fate of his imprisoned father.  Meanwhile, Lord Mormont, sort of a mentor to Jon, has a special gift for him.  Maester Aemon also has many things to tell young Jon, including information concerning the House to which Aemon belongs.

Prior to reading A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1, I was not familiar with the novel, A Game of Thrones, although I had heard of it and the television series adaptation.  I am thankful to Bantam Books (a division of Random House) for sending review copies of the graphic novels.  They were my introduction to what has been a wonderful reading experience.

Dynamite Entertainment and Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson have done a brilliant job in producing this comic book series.  The adaptation is so sturdy and well-conceived that each 29-page chapter seems like a 58-page installment.  The depth and detail make me think that I am reading a graphic novel with each issue.  George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #20 makes me hope that this adaptation continues after issue #24.

A

www.DYNAMITE.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: A GAME OF THRONES #19

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN’S A GAME OF THRONES #19
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
COVER: Mike S. Miller
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2014)

Dynamite Entertainment is currently producing a comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones, the 1996 novel from science fiction and fantasy author, George R.R. Martin.  The novel is the first book in Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels.  That series is also the basis for the award-winning and popular HBO television series, “Game of Thrones.”

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is a planned 24-issue comic book series.  Science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham, who sometimes collaborates with Martin on fiction, adapts the novel into comic book form.  Artist Tommy Patterson draws A Game of Thrones the comic book, with Ivan Nunes coloring the art.  I have read and reviewed A Game of Thrones the comic book series via three volumes of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Bantam Books’ hardcover reprint of the Dynamite comic book series.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #19 opens with Lord Tyrion Lannister (the dwarf) in the company of his new allies, the mountain men, who are suspicious of him.  He has promised these warrior clansmen much.  Now, they ride to the Trident where Tyrion will meet his father, Lord Tywin Lannister, and try to complete the bargains he made.  Will Tywin go along with a son for whom he really does not care?

Meanwhile, Robb Stark, son of the imprisoned Lord Eddard Stark, marches to meet the Lannisters, but to reach them, he needs the Crossing which will take him to Riverrun.  However, Walder Frey, Lord of the Crossing, has not given his permission, allowing Stark’s forces to cross.  Now, Lady Catelyn Stark, wife of Eddard and mother of Robb, must find a way to make someone who is supposed to be an ally act like an ally.

Prior to reading A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1, I was not familiar with A Game of Thrones, although I had heard of the television series.  I did not even know that the novel was being adapted into comic book form until Random House sent me a review copy of the first graphic novel in early 2012.  Since I have enjoyed the graphic novel collections so much, I have been planning on reading individual issues of Dynamite Entertainment’s series.  As luck would have it, I happened to be visiting a comic book store the week George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #19 was released.  [A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 3 concluded with issue #18]

As I have with the collections, I thoroughly enjoyed #19.  Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson are not producing a slap-dash licensed product.  This comic book is filled with the kind of character details that enrich the story.  It does not matter how big a scene is or how many characters are involved, Abraham makes every bit of dialogue matter and every scene important to moving the narrative.

Patterson’s compositions transport readers to another world.  It may not be anyone else version of A Game of Thrones, but Patterson makes you believe that his art is not just a depiction, but is an actual world brought to life.  Ivan Nunes’ colors add the extra bit of spark that makes the drama vivid.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #19 is not just a good fantasy comic book; it is a good comic book – period.  I wish other fantasy authors were so luck to have Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson adapting their novels to comic book form.

A

www.DYNAMITE.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Graphic Novel Review ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (OGN)

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL GN
VIZ MEDIA/Haikasoru – @VIZMedia; @haikasoru

STORY: Hiroshi Sakurazaka
SCRIPT ADAPTATION: Nick Mamatas
ART: Lee Ferguson
COLORS: Fajar Buana
LETTERS: Zack Turner
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6081-6; paperback, (May 2014)
96pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN

There is a new Tom Cruise movie arriving in theatres in the coming weeks.  This movie is entitled Edge of Tomorrow, and it is based on the novel, All You Need is Kill. Bestselling author John Scalzi (author of Old Man’s War), called All You Need is Kill “science fiction for the adrenaline junkie.” 

First published in 2004, All You Need is Kill is a Japanese science fiction novel written by author Hiroshi Sakurazaka.  Back in July 2009, All You Need is Kill and The Lord of the Sands of Time (by author Issui Ogawa) were the first two novels published by Haikasoru, a science fiction imprint of North American manga publisher, VIZ Media.

In the past few years, VIZ Media has been producing original graphic novels based on various media properties (Hello Kitty, Ben 10 – for example).  Now, its Haikasoru imprint is publishing an original English-language graphic novel of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s All You Need is Kill.

All You Need is Kill: Official Graphic Novel Adaptation is created by Nick Mamatas (script adaptation of the novel), Lee Ferguson (artist), Fajar Buana (colors), and Zack Turner (letters).  The story focuses on Keiji Kiriya, a Japanese soldier of the 301st division of the United Defense Forces (UDF).  Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor, which is called a “Jacket,” and then, sent out to kill the alien invaders called “Mimics.”

Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again.  However, he is not only starting to remember the previous iterations of his fight, but he is also learning more about the enemy and how to fight them.  After one particular rebirth, Keiji gets a message from a mysterious ally, Rita Vrataski – the American female soldier known only as the Full Metal Bitch.  And she may have a way to stop the Mimics.

Of course, All You Need is Kill is a fantastic title for a book, for a manga, and even for a movie.  Yes, producers of the Tom Cruise movie, All You Need is Kill is an even better title than Edge of Tomorrow, which is itself a cool title.

What about the quality of this original graphic novel?  It is a fantastic read.  When VIZ Media first sent me a copy for review, I did not expect much from it, after giving the book a cursory glance.  What surprised me the most is that the graphic novel is not like any other comic book on the market and shelves today.  And it is not Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers.  If I had to compare it to anything I would compare it to Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket.

Like Full Metal Jacket, All You Need is Kill the graphic novel tackles the absurdity of the war machine – from training soldiers and equipping them to sending them into battle.  At the same time, writer Nick Mamatas finds space in cutting the original text to present Keiji’s training method for survival as something that is plausible.  Basically Mamatas has adapted the novel into a graphic novel that does not seem like a collection of plot points and a narrative stream of the original novel’s best action scenes.  It is a complete comic book story with a good plot and well-developed characters and settings.

Artist Lee Ferguson draws the story in a spare style that establishes mood, captures the sense of desperation, highlights the absurdities, and clearly tells the story.  Fajar Buana’s colors depict the bloody horror of war, and some of the coloring also captures that otherworldly sense which classic science fiction has.

After enjoying this truly fine science fiction original graphic novel, I really want to read the original prose novel.  Readers looking for imaginative alien invasion science fiction will realize All You Need is Kill.

A

www.haikasoru.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review: A GAME OF THRONES: The Graphic Novel, Volume 3

A GAME OF THRONES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, VOL. 3
BANTAM BOOKS/RANDOM HOUSE – @randomhouse
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
ORIGINAL SERIES COVERS: Mike S. Miller, Michael Komark
COVER: Tommy Patterson with design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio
ISBN: 978-0-440-42323-2; hardcover (March 11, 2014)
226pp, Color, $25.00 U.S., $29.95 CAN

A Game of Thrones is a 1996 novel from science fiction and fantasy author, George R.R. Martin.  The novel is the first book in Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels.  The series is also the basis for the award-winning and popular HBO television series, "Game of Thrones."

Dynamite Entertainment is currently producing a comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones, the novel.  The adaptation will run for 24 issues, at about 29 pages of story per issue.  The writer responsible for adapting George R.R. Martin’s prose into comics form is science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham (who sometimes collaborates with Martin on fiction).  The artist is Tommy Patterson, who has drawn comic books for Boom! Studios and Zenescope Entertainment.  Mike S. Miller is the series’ regular cover artist.

Bantam Books collects Dynamite’s comic book adaptation as A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel.  A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 3 collects A Game of Thrones, issues #13 to 18.  Vol. 3 includes “The Making of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 3” which presents almost 40 character sketches rendered by Tommy Patterson for this series.

A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 3 opens in the aftermath of the attack on King Robert Baratheon (Lord of the Seven Kingdoms).  Now, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, the Hand of King Robert and in charge of protecting the King, finds himself surrounded by enemies in King’s Landing.  Eddard’s most miserable source of irritation is the House Lannister, to which Queen Cersei belongs.  Many of his other enemies hide behind smiles, pretending to be friends.

Meanwhile, far to the north, Jon Snow, Eddard’s bastard son, is newly sworn to the Night’s Watch, though not in the position he coveted.  As he takes the first steps to his destiny, he finds two dead bodies – two strangely dead bodies.  Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen must finally deal with her brother, Prince Viserys, the Dragon.  Her husband, Khal Drago, Lord of the Dothraki and the father of her unborn child, makes a crucial decision.  And a character innocently reveals his tremendous male endowment.

Prior to reading A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1, I was not familiar with A Game of Thrones, although I had heard of the television series.  I did not even know that the novel was being adapted into comic book form until Random House sent me a review copy of the first graphic novel in early 2012.  I did not expect much from that first experience with A Game of Thrones, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.  Luckily, Random House also sent me A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel Volume 2 and recently sent me a copy for review of Vol. 3.

If one considers A Game of Thrones the novel to be a masterpiece, then, it only makes sense that only the best talent should try to adapt the novel into a medium.  It is debatable as to whether writer Daniel Abraham and illustrator Tommy Patterson are among the best of their chosen fields – Abraham in science fiction and fantasy fiction and Patterson in comic books.  I am not familiar with their work outside of this adaptation of A Game of Thrones (nor have I yet read the original novel).

Judging strictly by their work on A Game of Thrones the comic book, I think writer Daniel Abraham and illustrator Tommy Patterson are just super duper.  I start reading this book and I’m reading it as fast as I can, unable to read as fast as my eyes want to scan across the page.  I lose track of how fast I’m flipping pages.  Before I know it, I have finished one entire chapter/issue, and I am half-way through another.

So you can also make an argument that the best, Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson, were indeed chosen to adapt George R. R. Martin’s beloved fantasy classic into a graphic novel.  After reading the previous two collected volumes of the comic book, I think this is a stunning fantasy comic book series.

Abraham scripts a sumptuous character drama, in which his storytelling crawls into every character.  Patterson’s art in combination with Ivan Nunes’ luxurious colors create the graphical storytelling expression and appearance that is perfect for the kind of detailed, historical fiction and high fantasy story A Game of Thrones is.  However, this masterful comic book is more than just good fantasy comics; it’s simply superb comics.

A

www.bantamdell.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: The Hunter (Book One)

RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE HUNTER (BOOK ONE)
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

CARTOONIST: Darwyn Cooke
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
ISBN: 978-160010-493-0; hardcover (July 28, 2009)
140pp, 2-Color, $24.99 US

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter is a 2009 graphic novel written and drawn by cartoonist, Darwyn Cooke.  Originally published as a hardcover, Parker: The Hunter is based on the 1962 crime novel, The Hunter, written by Donald E. Westlake (under his pseudonym Richard Stark).  The Hunter introduces the enduring and ruthless career criminal, Parker (whose first name is never mentioned in any of the 24 “Parker” novels).

When IDW announced in 2008 that acclaimed comic book creator Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier, The Spirit) was adapting four of author Westlake’s “Parker” books as graphic novels, fans were excited.  This was probably especially true of readers looking forward to what would hopefully be a great crime comic book.  With the release of the first Parker graphic novel, The Hunter, fans of crime comics got their wish.

However, Parker: The Hunter is not just a fine crime comic book, but it is also an outstanding comic book.  In his adaptation, Cooke even remains faithful to the original novel’s uncomplicated plot.

Parker arrives in New York City with a head of steam, as he scams and schemes his way to a little financial stability.  He only needs a little stability, just enough to begin to get payback.  Parker’s mission begins the woman who betrayed him – the woman who shot Parker just above the belt and left him for dead – his wife Lynn Parker.  She’s the key to Parker discovering the whereabouts of Mal Resnick, the partner who double-crossed him after a successful heist.  Parker, however, wants more than to just coldly exact revenge; he also wants back everything that was taken from him, including the money Resnick stole from him, and that will pit Parker against Resnick’s employers, The Outfit.

Is The Hunter a great crime comic?  It certainly could be considered as such.  Is it a faithful adaptation of the source?  Yes, it is – quite so, but The Hunter is something else, also.  It’s a terrific comic book, plain and simple.  Darwyn Cooke has taken Westlake’s first Parker novel, a story that has already been told, and Cooke retells it in a new voice.  This is Cooke’s voice – the graphic novel as only he can do it.  Cooke blends words/text, pictures in sequence, portraits, cityscapes, and single illustrations into a graphic work that does more than just adapt The Hunter into comics form.  It is something new; it is Parker and his world as they’ve never before been.

With modern crime comics, sometimes the emphasis is either on drawing stylish art that will have a “film noir feel” (even in full-color crime comics) or stories that “play with crime genre conventions.”  Cooke’s The Hunter is certainly visually stylish.  The elements of line, shape, value, texture, and color are hardboiled.  In terms of components and principles of art, Cooke’s work here has a passing resemblance to the comics of Will Eisner and Alex Toth, both noted for their cinematic visual motifs.  However, ultimately the art direction, graphic design and composition, both as style and as storytelling, make The Hunter something different.  Whereas other creators may be concerned about crime comics that have a general visual style or specific narrative conventions, Cooke reaches beyond convention simply to tell a great story with wide appeal.

The parts of Westlake’s text that Cooke uses as word balloons and in captions, he also brings to life with his art.  The art establishes story, especially the first 24 pages, in which Cooke efficiently reveals to the reader Parkers abilities and his aptitude as a criminal.

Cooke detailed renderings of New York City, 1962, brings us to a hustling, diverse city of distinct locales and varied local colors.  From the bustle of the subway to greasy diners manned by saucy waitresses, Cooke establishes the world in which Parker will make his long, slow, but relentless climb up the hill to revenge.  Look at this book long enough and it is obvious that Cooke put so much thought into creating The Hunter’s environments via art direction and set decoration.  There’s the cool, ultra-modern of Lynn Parker’s apartment, bought with ill-gotten gains.  That actually pales next to the spotless, space-age elegance of the lobby at Frederick Carter Investments.  Whatever the setting, Cooke’s deft touch at fashioning the milieu of Parker’s world brings the story alive and brings the reader into that world.

Ultimately, The Hunter will be judged on how well Cooke tells a story, more so than on how pretty the art looks or how much the art fits a genre.  Every panel and every page connects in one fantastic tale of a man who simply wishes to balance the scales in his favor.  Yeah, Parker is a ruthless criminal and murderer, but in the world in which he lives, he earned what is his.  All he wants to do is get that back.

Decades ago, Donald Westlake began an epic journey convincing readers that Parker was doing the right thing as Parker saw it, and that first book, The Hunter, was a terrific book of crime fiction.  Nearly 50 years later, Cooke retells that story in his own unique voice, and as expected, Darwyn Cooke’s The Hunter is a superb comic book – in whatever genre one might place it.  It is a graphic novel better than most and as good as the best.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: A GAME OF THRONES: The Graphic Novel Volume 2

A GAME OF THRONES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, VOL. 2
BANTAM BOOKS/RANDOM HOUSE – @randomhouse
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
ORIGINAL SERIES COVERS: Mike S. Miller, Michael Komark
COVER: Tommy Patterson with design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio
ISBN: 978-0-440-42322-5; hardcover (June 11, 2013)
240pp, Color, $25.00 U.S., $29.95 CAN

A Game of Thrones is the 1996 novel from science fiction and fantasy author, George R.R. Martin. The novel is the first book in Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels, which are the basis for the HBO television series, “Game of Thrones.”

Dynamite Entertainment is producing a comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones. The comic book adaptation of the novel is expected to run over 24 issues of about 29 pages per issue. The writer responsible for adapting George R.R. Martin’s prose into comics form is science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham (who sometimes collaborates with Martin on fiction). The artist is Tommy Patterson, who has drawn comic books for Boom! Studios and Zenescope Entertainment. Mike S. Miller has provided the cover art for most issues of A Game of Thrones the comic book.

Bantam Books is collecting the comic book adaptation as A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel. A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 2, to be released shortly (as of this writing), will collect A Game of Thrones, issues 7 to 12. The book also contains some back matter. “The Making of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 2” illustrates how a section of Martin’s novel is transformed into 5 pages of A Game of Thrones #9.

In A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 2, the action takes place in the icy north of The Wall, the valley of the Eyrie, the decadent south and the capital city of King’s Landing, and the Dothraki’s sacred Vaes Dothrak. Much is happening. Lord Eddard Stark, the King’s Hand, continues to investigate the death of Jon Arryn, the previous Hand. Stark’s wife, Lady Catelyn Stark, accuses the dwarf Tyrion Lannister of trying to kill her son, Brandon (“Bran”), and of another possible murder.

In the barbarian lands, the young princess, Daenerys Targaryen, has found the unexpected in her marriage to Dothraki warlord, Khal Drogo. Meanwhile, her petulant brother, Prince Viserys (who calls himself “The Dragon”), continues to demand that the Dothraki help him reclaim his inheritance as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms from King Robert Baratheon. Meanwhile, the Lannisters continue to plot against everyone.

When I first read A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1, I was not familiar with anything related to A Game of Thrones, except that I’d heard of the television series. I did not know that the novel was being adapted into comic book form until Random House sent me a review copy of the first graphic novel in early 2012.

I did not expect much from that first experience, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Thus, I have been anticipating Random House sending me the second collection of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel for several weeks now, and they have sent it.

Based only on my readings of the comic book, I see A Game of Thrones as a great big character drama and an epic soap opera, told as historical fiction. The comic book, as written by Daniel Abraham, captures the epic scope of A Game of Thrones – the large cast and the expansive setting and background – by giving the reader an intimate view of all the major players. Abraham also focuses closely on bit players in the moments they make a direct impact on the narrative. Abraham engages the readers by narrowing the focus on character conflicts, motivations, and relationships.

In Vol. 1, I thought Tommy Patterson was a good artist, but I found his storytelling to be inconsistent. Now, the awkwardness I noticed in some scenes is gone. Patterson’s style is consistent and his compositions results in clear storytelling. Patterson captures everything that is big, grand, and expansive about A Game of Thrones, but his pencil has a laser focus on detailing the characters, both their physicality and personality. Graphically, visually, and pictorially, Patterson brings the characters to life with the skill of someone doing this much longer than he has.

The result of Abraham and Patterson’s efforts is one especially good comic book. Yes, you can call it a “good read,” but add “x 2” to that. As for the back matter: this book offers five pages from A Game of Thrones the novel. Then, the editors show how those pages of prose become a script, thumbnails, pencil art, lettered art, colored art, and finally 5 pages of A Game of Thrones #9.

Fans of all things A Game of Thrones will want A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, so will readers looking for a good fantasy comic book.

A

www.bantamdell.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: A GAME OF THRONES: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1

A GAME OF THRONES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, VOL. 1
BANTAM BOOKS/RANDOM HOUSE

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
ORIGINAL SERIES COVERS: Alex Ross, Mike S. Miller
ADDITONAL ART: Michael Komark
COVER: Tommy Patterson with design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio
ISBN: 978-0-440-42321-8; hardcover
238pp, Color, $25.00 U.S., $29.95 CAN

Born in 1948, George Raymond Richard Martin is best known as George R. R. Martin, the bestselling science fiction, fantasy, and horror novelist. Martin was also a writer and story editor on the mid-1980s revival of The Twilight Zone and was a writer on the 1980s CBS television series, Beauty and the Beast.

Martin is currently a hot commodity because of the HBO television series, “Game of Thrones,” which is adapted from his A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels. The first novel in that series was published in 1996 and is entitled, A Game of Thrones.

Last year, Dynamite Entertainment began producing A Game of Thrones, an original comic book adaptation of the novel (not the TV series). The adaptation is expected to run over 24 issues of about 29 pages per issue. The writer responsible for adapting George R.R. Martin’s prose into comics form is science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham, who sometimes collaborates with Martin on fiction. The pencil artist for A Game of Thrones is Tommy Patterson, who has drawn comic books for Boom! Studios and Zenescope Entertainment. Alex Ross and Mike S. Miller are among the artists drawing covers for the series.

Bantam Books has collected the first six issues of the comic book as A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1. This initial story arc focuses on the House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon, who resides in King’s Landing. Located in Winterfell, House Stark is headed by Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn with their sons: Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; two daughters: Sansa and Arya; and Eddard’s bastard son, Jon Snow.

King Robert is coming to Winterfell to bestow an honor upon Eddard, one he cannot refuse. Meanwhile, Robert’s conniving wife, Queen Cersei, Jamie (her slutty brother), Tyrion (her other brother who is a devious dwarf), and Robert and Cersei’s vainglorious son, Prince Joffrey, begin causing chaos in the House Stark – everything from murder and attempted murder to crass manipulation and conspiracy.

Meanwhile, there is another vainglorious royal, Prince Viserys, heir to the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros. Viserys sets in motion a plot to reclaim the throne, and the first move in this plot is to make his sister, Princess Daenerys, a prize to win the army of a swarthy barbarian chief.

Not being familiar with anything related to A Game of Thrones, I didn’t expect much of this graphic novel/hardback collection, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike many mainstream comic books, A Game of Thrones is not a colorful, kinetic adventure filled with superheroes, large fight scenes, and a slavish devotion to continuity. Although this is fantasy and has an involved internal mythology, the character drama drives the story, more so than genre trappings and elements.

This comic book is basically a soap opera with a large-scale cast, but is set in the world of medieval fantasy. I have not read the original novel, and I am still impressed that Daniel Abraham is able to make so many characters interesting and intriguing. Normally, my eyes would cross from trying to keep up with all the machinations and the numerous subplots, but Abraham makes it clear and straightforward.

I think that Tommy Patterson is a good artist; he can certainly draw, but his storytelling is inconsistent. He draws some scenes with an awkwardness that is inappropriate for those scenes – such as the fight scene between the children in issue #5. Considering that this fight leads to recrimination and execution, Patterson’s composition of the fight lacks dramatic impact. For the most part, however, compositionally, stylistically, and graphically, his art creates an attractive world for A Game of Thrones. Although I mostly avoid anything with his name on it, I really liked Mike S. Miller’s cover art for issue #4, with its fine art quality drawing on Jon Snow and his direwolf.

For years, I always hoped that some publisher would take the opportunity to adapt a novel to comics, but also have the patience to produce the adaptation over a long-running series. Over the past few years, Marvel and Del Rey have ventured to do so. I consider A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1 to be the reward for my patience.

As a bonus, The Making of A Game of Thrones is a large section at the back of the book that offers a generous selection of art and text explaining the production of A Game of Thrones the comic book series. Readers that like to see comic book pencil art will find themselves quite satisfied.