The Last Siege #1 Review

Heir apparent

Written by: Landry Q. Walker
Artwork by Justin Greenwood
Colors by Eric Jones
Lettered by Pat Brosseau
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: 30 May 2018


This book was a strange experience. It seemed almost instantly familiar even though I hadn't read anything about it before I opened it. This is attributable to two outside factors. Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Come hither and I will tell ye a tale. A song of ice and fire.

That is perhaps a little unfair, but the environment of this book does seem very familiar. Two specific scenes stood out in my mind although I'm not a massive fan of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones (although prefer the latter). The two scenes are the Prancing Pony Inn scene - the one where they meet Aragon - at the start of Lord of the Rings, and likewise the scene in Game of Thrones where Catelyn Stark seizes Tyrion Lannister in the pub. Both scenes have that kind of Western feel, that of strangers meeting in a saloon sizing each other up. The Game of Thrones parallels also extend to another dynamic of The Last Seige, the central theme of the succession to the throne.

Now, I raise these comparisons for two reasons. Firstly the book will appeal to the numerous fans of those two franchises. Secondly, the book does very well within that genre. As a first issue the quality stands up against the comparison. It doesn't feel derivative in a bad way, rather it taps into shared archetypes and themes. Walker's writing really drew me in and I really was gripped by the story, and was especially interested in the reveal towards the end.

Art-wise this book was good too. Initially, I felt that the style wasn't as tight as it could have been, but once the book evolved into an intense level of character interaction the style came into its own and the facial depictions were very detailed and distinct. The colors are matched to the genre style and to labor the Game of Thrones references evoke an atmosphere that is more Winterfell than Kings Landing.

Bits and Pieces:

I think that this was a strong start to the series, but I will need to get deeper into the storyline before I figure out if it is the type of book that I can really get into. I'm more Space Opera than Fantasy in my tastes though and I would say that if you are interested in Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones then I think you could safely add an additional point to the score below.

7.8/10