A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume One

I've read almost everything to do with the Song of Ice and Fire series. The visuals in the books seem to be more inspired by the book descriptions then the show which I really enjoy. It's very satisfying to see the world in more colour. I was always kind of disappointed that the show gave up on depicting the the colour of the clothing and banners described in the books. The story and dialogue is definitely simplified but the back of the comics gives details of how the creators decided what dialogue to keep in graphic novel.

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 show more 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. show less

It's not an easy job, converting a long book into a (relatively) few graphic-novel panels. Harder still to do it without being influenced by the TV series. The author and illustrator have succeeded wildly. I loved the new idea of how Tyrion and Jon should look.

This is the first of the "Song of Fire and Ice" series. It starts with a bang, as the book does, and keeps you hooked right up to the end, when you make a sad, disappointed sound that it's over. A story set in a fantasy world with kings, families, a way of life that has worked for them for so long but is about to no longer work for them at all. There are swordfights, wolves as pets, little people as royalty, depravity, plenty of shock/tenseness/disappointment, and strong, show more sympathetic characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more. show less

So, what can I say about this book?

First, it's exceptionally well-written considering what it is. The text is almost all culled directly from [b: A Game of Thrones|13496|A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436732693s/13496.jpg|1466917] and it is edited in a very readable way that doesn't subtract from the books story in the least. It is a closer adaptation than the show was, but that is courtesy of the medium that it is presented in. The show is arguably quite better paced and... erm... better 'cast' in certain ways. So, the writing is very well done.

Secondly, the art was in many ways inexcusable. While the actual scenery was lovely, in particular the panel that we got show more of the Eyrie, the construction of Winterfell, the brief shots of the Wall itself, etc. the actual character art left much to be desired. Yes, the designs in many ways were truer to the book descriptions (i.e. Theon, Robb, and Joffrey in particular) the actual execution of drawing these figures left a lot to be desired. In particular, the female characters all were drawn from the exact same big busted, small waisted, thick lipped format that was troublesome after you realize many characters being eroticized by it were 13, 14, etc. Yeah. Not exactly comfortable reading or artwork.

The book left me fairly perplexed by the end and wanting to give it one star due to the fact that comics kind of require at least decent art to be readable. Ultimately, I ended up with a two star rating to account for the fact that the actual stories and writing was decent and followed the book... but the art. Man. It's going to haunt me a while.

Ghost, the albino dire wolf, has a black nose and highly resembles Snoopy. That just ain't right. show less

First of all, you must read the first paragraph on the front flyleaf, preferably aloud and with great gusto. I was able to make my coworker run away cringing when I read it.

Next: I read the first four books in the Song of Fire and Ice series in a mad rush right around the time the fourth book was published, so it must have been late 2005 or early 2006. When the fifth book was finally published last year, I thought about going back to reread in order to remember the backstory before launching into "A Dance With Dragons" but still have not gotten around to it. So picking up this graphic novel was a step in the direction of someday rereading the series.

The drawings are beautifully detailed and the colors crisp and vivid; there is plenty show more of violence and nudity, so it's definitely not a children's comic book, and don't let anyone try to trick you into thinking it's so. If you've seen or heard anything about the books or the TV show, you must know what you're getting into -- this is MA material.

The next installment is due out in December, although I find it hard to believe that they'll be able to keep up the pace of publishing, given the intricacy and work that goes into each collection. I hope the collaborators on this work manage to make it through the entire series -- for that matter, I hope Martin makes it through the series; it started out as a trilogy and is creeping its way to a seven-book series at last check. show less

This is the first graphic novel I have ever read. When I went to the library to get the fourth book in the ASOIAF series, the book was out on loan, and seeing these graphic novels of the first book, I decided to read them.

It was interesting, but I have mixed feelings about the artwork, and appreciation of the illustrators art was what motivated me to read these in the first place. So many of the male characters were interchangeable.....the only way I could differentiate Renly Baratheon from Theon Greyjoy was the green armor worn by Renly. They all have square jaws with strong chins and pretty much the same nose. The female characters are unrealistically youthful......there is no mid-life sag despite multiple pregnancies. To be honest, show more it was difficult to visually differentiate Sansa from Catelyn and Robb and Bran were almost identical.

Now, my pet peeve.......the horses. To be both brutal and honest, I recall classmates in fifth grade; horse crazy girls who could draw a horse far, far better than anything in this book.

On the other hand, the illustrators did a fine job with the landscapes. The illustrations of the Wall, the Vale of Arryn and the Eyerie, King's Landing, the Red Keep, Moat Cailin, were all very detailed and a treat for the eye.

All things considered, this was a fun and interesting companion piece to the ASOIAF series of novels.

*Disclaimer: this is a review of all 4 books in this series, they don't break down well for individual review. show less

A pretty good graphic novel adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire. Despite the title that obviously attempts to suggest otherwise, this is not an adaptation of the TV show, but rather of the original prose series.

Daniel Abraham does a really good job of extracting all the important stuff from the huge original text. In fact, it didn't seem there was much missing to me at all, as even the Prologue was included. Then again, it's been a long time since I've read A Game of Thrones, so obviously there are things I don't remember anymore.

The artist, Tommy Patterson, also does a good job. Every panel is drawn in great detail and includes full backgrounds. He positively excels at architectural shots and monumental scenes that include a lot of show more people and where great detail is required. He is less good with facial expressions and conveying emotions. It seems Ned and Jon Stark in particular only possess a single facial expression. This is not a good thing for a series where interpersonal relationships and emotions take precedence over huge battles and magical events.

Featuring good colorist work as well. In the end, this all amounts to a pretty good comic book take on the series. There's room for improvement for the artist, as suggested above, and they really should have numbered the pages. Bonus content in the form of The Making of and George R.R Martin's preface is also quite good. show less