I have already read both the novel and watched the television series, so was unsure about the necessity of reading the graphic novel adaptation. However, it is a really interesting book, not the least of which is Martin’s and Abraham’s description of their struggle with actually adapting the story to this format. Martin’s novels are really dense, so I would imagine that Abraham found adapting the story to this format quite a challenge. I thought it was done well, streamlining the story without adding in superflous characters to bridge the gap (*cough* Roz *cough*), as seen in the HBO series.
In terms of story, the graphic novel does not really offer anything new, but it is a nice summary of the plot. I was indifferent to the art, on the whole. I thought the Tyrion character was really well drawn in the graphic novel, as ugly as he is described being in the book - Peter Dinklage is perfection in the television series of course, but he is a handsome man playing a character who is most definitely not. The female characters are all drawn very similarly but for hair and height, and are really just generic female comic book characters in common poses. The graphic novel also shows Westeros as very clean, bright and shiny, for the most part, which it certainly should not be.
Nothing about this graphic novel really stands out for me, probably because I am already so familiar with the storyline. I am not sure why this was published – a challenge, something the public really wanted, or just an effort to capitalize on the current popularity of the novels? Unless something remarkable happens with the next, I will not be continuing with the series.
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