And Then I Read: A GAME OF THRONES VOL. 3

Image © George R.R. Martin.

I liked this comics adaptation of the first “Game of Thrones” novel pretty well when I started reading it, but did not care fir this volume so much, mainly because of the art by Tommy Patterson. He’s doing pencils and inks, which is a ton of work on such a big project, but in places here the inking looks rushed and sketchy. The characters seem to be looking more like each other all the time, and in places there’s a cartoony feel to the figures and faces that doesn’t seem right for the subject matter to me. There could be some artistic burnout involved, I don’t know. The story is compelling, the adaptation seems good, though it’s been over twenty years since I read the book, so I’m not a very good judge of that. But for it to work visually, the art has to draw me in, and this doesn’t. Instead, I find myself mentally critiquing it as I read. In all, I felt like I’d rather imagine these characters in my own head than see them depicted in this form. I haven’t watched any of the HBO adaptation, so I don’t yet know how I’ll feel about that, but it seems likely it’s going to be a more realistic approach than some of the art in this book. I’m thinking I may not get the final hardcover volume.

Not recommended.