A CLASH OF KINGS: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL VOLUME TWO / AUTHOR: GEORGE R.R. MARTIN / ADAPTATION: LANDRY Q WALKER / PUBLISHER: HARPER COLLINS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books were enormously popular before Game of Thrones dominated television and are likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. So it should come as no surprise that the books, as well as being a TV show, are in the process of becoming a long-running series of graphic novels.
A Clash Of Kings The Graphic Novel Volume Two is the latest instalment in this series. It brings the adaptation of Martin’s second book to the middle (four graphic novels are planned). It’s a fairly faithful adaptation of the novels. Each chapter focuses on the story of a single character and tells the story from their point of view. Landry Q. Walker is a dab hand at adaptations, and the bulk of his experience is in tie-in work. It shows; Walker has carefully edited the text of the source material with a lot of attention to both storytelling and world-building. This may be something of an abridged version of the text, but it’s still finely detailed and atmospheric.
Mel Rubi’s art is rather pretty. The characters are far closer to the books than you’d expect, with the possible exception of Daenerys, who looks an awful lot like Emilia Clarke here. There’s also a fair bit of nudity throughout (just like the books and TV show), and yet it seems more appropriate here than anywhere else; Rubi’s art style just suits that sort of work.
Overall, this is a fine companion to the growing range of media that tells Martin’s unfinished epic, and we do hope that this pairing of artist and writer are still available to adapt The Winds of Winter, if it is ever finished.
