Staff Picks (May): The Mystery Knight GN

It’ll be a few months before another season of Game of Thrones returns to grace our collective screens, and even longer before we see The Winds of Winter. If you find that the drought doesn’t appeal to you, and have a desire to expand your knowledge of the lore, this is the comic for you!

The Mystery Knight, adapted to graphic novel format from the 2010 short story of the same name, is set several generations before the main plot of Game of Thrones and follows the exploits of a hedge knight, Sir Duncan the Tall, and Egg, his young squire. While travelling the Kingsroad, “Dunk” and Egg are drawn to a lavish wedding feast for a nearby lord. What’s more, the celebratory tournament boasts an impressive prize: a dragon egg! But when the guest list boasts the key players of a failed rebellion for the Iron Throne, there may be more than just merrymaking in the works.

I have a soft spot for the few Dunk and Egg stories that Avery has adapted so far. The self-contained adventures feel episodic in contrast to Game of Thrones’ very deliberate narrative progression. The situations are smaller in scope, but some of the best aspects of this story are how the little interactions shape the present mythos of the book and show. In Game of Thrones, we see the whole picture through the eyes of many different characters. In Mystery Knight, you’re given limited, intimate looks in to the lives of only two, a knight and his squire. Add to that Mike Miller’s incredibly clean and detailed line work, and you have a shorter experience that holds its own alongside the pop culture giant that is Game of Thrones.

If you find you enjoy it, consider picking up the two prior published trades as well (The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword).

—Luke Martin

Publisher: Bantam
Item Code: MAY171202
Release Date: 7/5/17
SRP: $26.00