Editorial: Why You Should Be Watching Game Of Thrones

I was excited for Game Of Thrones straight away. A fantasy series on HBO? I'll take it. I really didn't know too much about it aside from that, other than Sean Bean, Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage had been cast. That was pretty much enough to ensure I was going to watch.

Fast forward a few months and a mixture of curiosity and recommendations from friends and I bought the first book of George R.R Martins's A Song Of Ice And Fire saga. I was a bit hesitant, because lets be honest, Fantasy themed novels are a dime a dozen and very few of them are worth a damn. Some are well written of course, and will have original elements, but so often I find the genre descends into all of the cliches associated with ultimate good vs ultimate evil, and while that can be fun it just doesn't offer any real surprises. So thank God for Game Of Thrones.

Both the books, and the HBO adaptation(even though it's only on the third episode) do away with those constrictions. There are literally dozens of characters, and many of them are fairly important. But you could count on half a hand the ones that are portrayed as "good" or "evil". Now don't get me wrong, there are sympathetic and wicked characters, some pretty vile indeed, and some noble(in the first stories main protagonist Ned Stark to a fault), but that never defines them. Many of the main characters do reprehensible things in the belief that they are in the right, or to protect those they love(even if those they love are monsters)and many do much that same for the sake of honor. And all the while we are treated to one of the most intricately crafted stories in modern literature. The books really are something special.

But why am I telling you guys on CBM this? Well, because the tv show is gearing up top be just as special, and even though Game Of Thrones is not based on a comic book, I think it's important for any genre fan(which we all are I assume) to take notice of. We cover stuff here sometimes that would just sneak past the comic book movie adap radar..be it sci -fi or comic themed stuff like Super. And although there is a comic associated with this series called The Hedge Knight, Game Of Thrones is clearly not a CBM, it's not even an M! But this fantasy tv show could well be one of the most important things to happen to the genre since Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings..and then some. This is adult fare, and I think it will attract viewers that would have never considered themselves interested in Fantasy before. And just like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight forced audiences and critics alike to sit up and take notice of the potential of comic book adaptations, I think Game Of thrones will do the same for fantasy. If you are wondering why we are covering this show on CBM, just watch it. This has the potential to be the most celebrated tv show EVER, and not just of it's type. But it's type is fantasy, and what the Hell are out beloved comic books if not that?