A Game of Thrones #20 Review

Can this comics adaptation ever become as good as either the original novel or TV series or is it something that fans should miss? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Battle is joined at the Trident, with Tyrion Lannister in the vanguard-placed there by a father determined to rid himself of an embarrassment. But the fortunes of war are not so easily manipulated, as Lord Tywin is about to learn, to his great regret…and even greater rage. For in a brilliant tactical move, the host of young Robb Stark has descended upon the army of Jaime Lannister outside the besieged gates of Riverrun, and has won a great victory…and a prize that might end the war before it has fairly begun.

A Game of Thrones has been an amazing franchise with both the novels and HBO series wowing me. I wish I could say this about the comic adaptation as though it remains good it doesn’t really give anything new to this epic tale, and lacks the raw energy that both the novels and the HBO series have.

Daniel Abraham once again does a decent job of adapting George R.R. Martin‘s well known tale, as though the series as a whole leaves a lot to be desired it’s not terrible. The thing that I enjoyed most about this issue had to be the Daenerys/Khal Drogo sequence as though we have Martin’s novel to thank for the sequence itself Abraham’s adaptation captured this emotion brilliantly. Despite this I did feel that the transition between character sequences was far from smooth, feeling slightly awkward. Added to this the synopsis itself along with the cover annoyingly had no connection to the events of this issue.

Tommy Patterson‘s energetic art never fails to impress me with it easily being the best things about this adaptation. The way that he captures the look and tone of this great story simply amazes me with the overall detail being an added bonus. He also captivates with his tremendous layouts with them adding impact and intensity to the final look. One thing that Patterson isn’t amazing at however has to be facial expressions as though when he gets it right it adds a dramatic flair to the story, there are a lot of times when it’s stiff and motionless.

A Game of Thrones may have spawned an awesome franchise but this adaptation doesn’t do much to elevate the story’s status. Due to this I’d only recommend this to diehard fans of the story and even at that warn caution.