Dunk and Egg Go Graphic

by Jeremy DeFatta

Here’s a quick treat for my fellow Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones fans.

Are you familiar with Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas that are set a century before the beginning of A Game of Thrones? They’re good reads, and Amazon is releasing each of them in comic form. Whether or not you’re familiar with them, this could be a good way to expose (or re-expose) yourself to more stories set in Westeros.

The Hedge Knight (a re-release of an earlier version by Marvel) and The Sworn Sword are already available. The graphic versions of the other novellas will be forthcoming.

Now the controversy:

Looking over the reviews for The Hedge Knight brings an interesting conflict to my attention, and that is some fans’ utter disdain for the graphic medium. Why is this? Is this simply another version of dueling fandoms? Can fantasy novel fans really not lower themselves to try out a comic book? I find this disturbing, because I enjoy both these aspects of nerd culture and have no difficulty shifting from prose to graphic works and back again. To anyone reading this, I pose a question: Why is it so difficult for some? I completely sympathize with those who are frustrated over issues with these products not being advertised as comics, but some reviewers go too far and attack the medium itself. Again, why?

And to quell any initial arguments about the terms “comic book” and “graphic novel,” I’m going to go ahead and side with Neil Gaiman and say there is “no meaningful difference.” For the sake of what I post on this blog, the two terms can be interchangeable.

Post your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet me @quaintjeremy.

image: Targaryan wallpaper from Gaming Walls