New Spring: the Graphic Novel (Wheel of Time Other)

Summary: Moiraine and Siuan, two young women in training to become Aes Sedai, overhear a dire prophecy that the Dragon - humanity's only hope in the Last Battle with the Dark One - has been reborn. In secret, they vow that they will be the ones to find him and guide him as he grows, thus keeping him from the clutches of the Darkfriends that are hidden everywhere - even within the Aes Sedai stronghold of the White Tower. Meanwhile, Lan Mandragoran, the uncrowned king of a vanished land, rides from Tar Valon back to his home in the Borderlands to resume his private war with the Shadow. But when Lan and Moiraine's paths cross, the Pattern shifts... for they both fight against the Dark One in what might be humanity's most desperate show more hour.

Review: I'd seen some of the pages of this graphic novel a while ago; the first issues came out in 2005, under a different publisher, and between publisher issues and Jordan's death, I wasn't particularly expecting this series to ever be finished. But, good news: I was wrong!

Bad news: the later issues go off the rails a bit, both in terms of the artwork and in the way that the story's told. It's pretty evident where the original team stopped having a strong hand guiding the process. I don't dislike the latter artwork, per se, but it's enough of a shift from the first 2/3s of the book that it's pretty jarring. (Even the lettering style changes, which I found much more distracting than the shift in the artwork.) However, some of the artwork, especially in the early parts, is fantastic. Not all characters looked like I pictured them when reading the main Wheel of Time books, but the important ones (Moiraine and Lan) are pretty darn close, and Cadsuane might actually be better than I pictured. Likewise, a lot of the art for things like buildings and clothing was fantastic; the full-page painting of Tar Valon was just gorgeous, and they handled the weaving of Saidar (which is technically invisible, but obviously can't be drawn that way) really well.

Similarly, the storytelling in the last few issues isn't bad, but it's not as good as it could be, and it's not always clear what people's motivations or importance to the story is. However, since this is a) a graphic adaptation of an existing novel, and b) likely to appeal most to established fans, a little vagueness in the storytelling isn't a terminal flaw. Jordan wrote a good story, and I enjoyed revisiting it in graphic novel form (although now I really want to re-read the actual book). 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I've read the WoT books too many times to have any idea whether this would appeal (or even be understandable) to newbies. For WoTiphiles, though, it's definitely worth adding to the collection, even with some of the problems in the last few issues. show less

Figured I'd start this fresh off my reread, which worked out great for direct comparisons. For starters, it's amazing how you can halve the page count by simply switching to a visual medium... and a lot of things look as Robert Jordan described them (notable to me: Gitara Moroso's outfit, the Ogier stonemason, Moiraine's mourning dress). This is largely because those earlier issues/chapters were made while RJ was still alive, and in this edition there are emails from him to the Dabel Brothers on art decisions with suggestions for changes.

Chapter 8 is noticeably different, visually- was it a different artist, or was it because after he passed?

Still, prior to that there are a number of issues where the voice boxes aren't attached to the show more right character speaking, and occasional typos. This could've used a round of editing for consistency, maybe... show less

the graphic novel of the tale of Moraine Aise Sedai and Lan's origin story. Overall well done, and I really wish they would come out with more of these, recounting the events that occur in the series of novels, as I have not read the last two books due to my loosing track of the plot and my unwillingness to read through rouhgly 10,000 pages of material. So yes, you, graphic novel wheel of timey people--please make more of these, stat! over all very good. I think sometimes a picture can be worth a thousand words, and this seemed to follow that trend. though Jordan's writing at its best can be top notch, it was interesting to see the wheel of time world in a graphic novel format and it allowed somethings that complimented the text nicely, show more and seemed to offer a human side to the young accepted on their quest to become wielders of the the one power and to attain the great serpent ring. a fun good read that sits was truly enjoyable---one more added comment...eh gads, what happened in the last chapter or so? maybe it was just my copy, but the art work half fell apart towards the end. to be honest, i was so hooked by then that i'd have kept reading even if it were stick figures, but the earlier chapters were all so beautifully rendered, and the last one...well...it just wasn't. i wonder if had something to do with jordan's death, but anyway, despite that, a good read. show less

Substance: Abridgment of the "prequel" to Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Names and references far too many unnecessary characters; has confusing scenes and dialogue; and although it gives the essential gist of the story, it's understandable only if you already know it. I never have liked the Aes Sedai, or the relationship between Morraine and Lan, which borders on abusive and psychotic.
Style: The artwork varies between realistic and caricature seemingly at random.

I liked it better than the Eye of the World Graphic Novel. Probably because I didn't read New Spring.

A few nice visual touches--informed by Jordan himself, I figure.