In GEORGE R.R. MARTIN’S A CLASH OF KINGS (VOL. 2) #11, available from Dynamite Comics on February 24th, 2021, Theon Greyjoy wrestles with the stress of holding Winterfell and the paranoia that comes from constantly being surrounded by enemies. Meanwhile, Khaleesi finds new allies in her bid to build an army.
The Details
- Written By: Landry Q. Walker
- Art By: Mel Rubi
- Colors By: Ivan Nunes
- Letters By: Tom Napolitano
- Cover Art By: Mike Miller
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: February 24, 2021
Was It Good?
It’s better than previous issues. The challenge with the series so far is the sheer volume of exposition, narration and info dumps that slow the pace to a crawl. Comics are a visual medium, so if you bog the panels down with hefty amounts of reading, you might as well go read the book. Thankfully, the flow in this issue is much improved.
The art, as with the rest of the series to date, is consistently good. While the character renderings don’t mimic the actors from the HBO series, they do have an authenticity that feels closer to the source material.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Theon Greyjoy is plagued by dreams of wolves with children’s faces, alluding to his personal guilt over the children he murdered in the taking of Winterfell. The pressure to hold the castle mounts as he’s short on men and the trade routes to get reinforcements and supplies are easily blocked by the enemies surrounding him on all sides.
Theon’s sister, Lorren, arrives with reinforcements but she’s only willing to leave ten men. They argue over Theon’s foolish decision to take Winterfell and kill so many innocents when he’s so far from support, and the bloodshed makes enemies of every surrounding kingdom. With little sympathy, Lorren departs and leaves Theon to fend for himself.
Out of time and options, Reek offers to hire men from the North if given enough coin. In exchange, Theon offers Pella if Reek can return with at least two hundred men.
Again, the narration is wordy. Very wordy. However, the grim terror of Theon’s nightmares give readers something to stay engaged, and the lettering work is solid enough to keep the readers’ eyes moving as fast as possible with so much narration.
We switch plot lines to Khaleesi enjoying the protection of Xaro’s palace. In an evening talk, he offers to give her whatever she desires if she gives him one of the three remaining dragons. Khaleesi refuses, and as expected, the refusal sours Xaro’s willingness to give her sanctuary.
Although the heavy narration in the first half of the issue can be cumbersome, there’s much less of it in the second half during Khaleesi’s story. There’s still a heavy amount of lettering with character conversations, but at least the word bubbles feel more organic in context to the panels.
Khaleesi, Jorah and her men leave and work their way through the marketplaces by the wharf to find a ship for transport. They have little luck as few captains are interested in transporting dragons or Dothraki soldiers.
Jorah, notices they’re followed by two men. Before Jorah can take action, a Qartheen assassin releases a tiny manticore to kill Khaleesi. The two strangers that were following them stop the assassin and kill the manticore, saving Khaleesi’s life. They introduced themselves as Arstan Whitebeard and Belwas the Strong, sent by Magister Illyrio to bring them back to Pentos for Khaleesi’s dragons.
Arstan and Belwas instead decide to join Khaleesi on her quest. The three-headed dragon is formed.
Final Thoughts
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN’S A CLASH OF KINGS (VOL. 2) #11, available from Dynamite Comics on February 24th, 2021, uses strong art and herculean pacing to give readers a true sense of desperation for Theon and some much-needed progress on Khaleesi’s quest. This is a solid recommendation for Game of Thrones fans.
Score: 7/10
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