Assassin's Apprentice I #1

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I have really enjoyed working with Dark Horse to bring Fitz’s story to this medium,” says author Robin Hobb. “I’ve been very impressed with their integrity and respect for the original material.” Hobb is the author whose books Martin described as ‘like diamonds in a sea of zircons,’ the writer to press on those who turn up their noses at fantasy. Her writing is superb, her world-building irresistible, her storylines both hell-for-leather exciting and deeply introspective.”—The Guardian The adaptation to the graphical novel is good - it's been almost three decades since I last read the novel, but there are still many familiar parts and if something was skipped I did not miss it. I do remember that in the novels there's an unfortunate amount of moping by the main character which is thankfully absent in the adaptation. As the space is condensed, the plot also opens up more clearly than I remember, though it does come with some pretty heavy speech bubbles full of exposition. Writer Jody Houser states, “I’m excited to continue telling Fitz’s story in comics form. An epic fantasy classic and a dream art team… what’s not to love?”

Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou relays the narrative with typewriter-style lettering on scraps of torn beige parchment. He presents dialogue in easy-to-read uppercase lettering classic dialogue balloons. He may not go as Old School to reveal thoughts as puffy clouds, but his pleasing font grows bold to express intonation. Assassin’s Apprentice #1 has the difficult task of adapting a novel to comic book form but does so with great skill and interpretation thus far.”— Major SpoilersEither way, Dark Horse and this creative team have created something pretty darn special here. Should the quality continue throughout its entire run (hoping its completed, of course), this will no doubt draw a lot of new readers into the tales of the Six Duchies. Maybe after we can even geta Liveship Traders adaptation. Please... 4.5/5

I would highly recommend Assassin’s Apprentice and the Farseer Trilogy. As you read you become ever more immersed in the story and it just seems to get better and better.”— Fantasy Book Review The cover art is not the style in the comics. The story is illustrated by Ryan Kelly with colours by Jordie Bellaire. The art suits the fantasy setting and all the characters are easily distinguishable from one another. The colour palette is sombre showing the medieval setting with flashes of colour cleverly used to portray uses of the magical abilities of The Skill and The Wit. Art is good (even excellent in places) but knows it's there to support the story rather than carry it. Hobb is the author whose books Martin described as ‘like diamonds in a sea of zircons,’ the writer to press on those who turn up their noses at fantasy. Her writing is superb, her world-building irresistible, her storylines both hell-for-leather exciting and deeply introspective.”— The Guardian AIPT can exclusively reveal a new comic series is on the way this December from Dark Horse Comics called Assassin’s Apprentice. An adaptation of Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy, Hobb will be joined by co-writer Jody Houser, artist Ryan Kelly, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The six-issue series launches into comic shops on December 14, 2022.

Assassin's Apprentice #6

Written by Robin Hobb and Jody Houser this adaptation does a very good job of introducing the character of Fitz as a young boy, the world of the Six Duchies and some of the main characters and plotlines. Having recently started my reading journey following the life of FitzChivalry Farseer with the novel of Assassin's Apprentice I was eager to see how it would be adapted into comic book format. The project was announced on the 9th of September 2022. It is currently in production and being released in set of issues. A man awakens a boy in the middle of the night. His face is a map of wrinkles. He offers to teach him if the boy wishes to be a loyal servant to the king. The boy agrees without knowing what the man will teach him. What happens next? Let’s delve into Assassin’s Apprentice #4 and find out!