Author: George R. R. Martin
Adapted by: Daniel Abraham
Art: Tommy Patterson, Ivan Nunes, Alex Ross, Mike S. Miller
Publisher: Bantam Books
I’ll start off by saying, I have not read the original books, nor seen the TV series, so everything is new to me.
A Game of Thrones collects the first six issues of the series. Having not read the original books, I can’t say whether or not it was adapted well, but for a first volume, it read just like that, a first volume. The art is good, but not spectacular. I noticed a few inconsistencies the way some of the characters were represented from page to page, but overall, it was good enough not to be a distraction. The colors and lettering really stood out and made the art pop out.
UPDATE: There are a few pages that are sexually explicit, but 95% of the book is not
“Winter is coming”
Seems to be the common theme in the house of Stark (one of the many families involved in this series). It seems to be a premonition of something bad to come, or just the fact that winter is extremely bad in that area. Unfortunately in this first volume, it is not really delved into, but a lot of the misfortunes that take place would lead one to believe it’s the former rather than the latter. Of course, that’s what this first volume is like. I’m sure it would serve as a great companion book to fans, but as a first timer who did not know the story, it feels like it has some holes in the story. I’m sure these holes could be filled with knowledge of the story, but left me wanting more. It’s an introduction through six issues of the main players of the series, which makes it hard to really get into it because it jumps around in order to take all the information from the book, and compress it to a shorter story. Now don’t get me wrong, what it did do is make me want to grab the actual book to have all those holes filled, because it definitely looks and feels like a great story.
Speaking of story, this one appears to be rich in betrayal and mistrust. A king that has lost who he is with a wife who schemes behind his back (not to mention commits adultery and incest all in the same act). A family torn when their son is hurt, and all clues point to the kings in-laws. And then a family seeking revenger and what they believe is their proper spot. A whole mess if you ask me. But how different is it really than the real world? People letting their positions change their character, or living in a state of constant mistrust or revenge. It’s a common theme in today’s society, a me first attitude. If only we all could live with the mindset of a servant, like Jesus taught in Matthew 20:25-28 “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many”.
For all that A Game of Thrones is, it’s what it highlights that sticks out the most. And that makes for good story, and even better life lessons.
July 23rd, 2012 at 9:45 am
I don’t know, have you read the same book as I did? I mean the whole book is just filled with sexually explicit encounters just like the tv series
July 24th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Thanks for the comment Ray and for reading the review. I’m not sure if you are referring to the graphic novel or the actual book. As I stated, I haven’t read the actual book. I’ve only seen three episodes of the tv series, which I agree, is very explicit (which is one of the reasons I don’t care for HBO because they seem to just throw in extra nudity for the sake of it. It’s like they have a quota that they need to reach).
However, this graphic novel is not a whole book filled with sexually explicit encounters. Only 4 of the 100+ pages have graphic showing, and 2 of the four are probably the most explicit (pages at the end between the dragon princess and the barbarian). I should have mentioned that in the article, which I will do an update on, but for the majority of this first volume, there isn’t explicit sexual scenes, and definitely not nowhere near the tv series.
July 27th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
I’ve read the book, seen the first season, and flipped through the graphic novel. I wouldn’t say that it is any more sexual than it is violent, love-filled, loyalty-laced, or political. At thousands of pages in the series, it’s full of everything, a lot like life (or The Bible for that matter). Is it explicit? Yes. Is it for everyone? No. But if you’ve actually seen the show, and read the book, then you knew what you were getting, right?