The Unexpected Impact of Knight Of The Seven Kingdom’s Success On Comic Book Adaptations

Admit it — you can't get enough of all things related to Game of Thrones. Sure, you probably dislike how that original series ended, but audiences have still chosen to lock in on the two HBO Max spin-offs, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Denying the adoration for the three series is futile, so go ahead and lean into it as so many others are, and to the point where A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has not only become the latest streaming sensation from HBO Max and the Game of Thrones universe, but so much so that it's boosting comic books sales as the series finds its footing in everyone's hearts.

Yes, comic book sales, lest ye be unaware of the graphic novel adaptation of The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin, released in 2013, the same title as the first episode of Season 1 for HBO Max. Thanks to the streaming series, The Hedge Knight graphic novel has surged as high as No. 3 on Amazon’s Best Sellers for comics and graphic novels, then sliding to No. 5 before currently resting at No. 10 entering the final week in February.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms = A Great Watch AND Great Read

For context, four of the top-5 on the list belong to DC Comics Absolute Universe: Absolute Wonder Woman (ranked No. 1), Absolute Superman (ranked No. 2), Absolute Batman Vol. 2 (ranked No. 4) and Absolute Batman Vol. 1 (ranked No. 5). Throw in the Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 29 manga (ranked No. 6) and, yes indeed, The Hedge Knight is holding its own against some of the heaviest hitters out there.

There's also The Sworn Sword, another part of that graphic novel adaptation, reaching as high as No. 7 on the list and The Mystery Knight (2010 adaptation) sticking firmly in the top-100 most-read on Amazon's list; and both Hedge Knight and Sworn Sword are selling for roughly $18 for a physical copy and $8 a piece for the digital read.

“George’s writing is incredibly witty and incredibly funny,” the showrunner, Ira Parker, explained to Den of Geek in January. “A lot of people say [Tales of Dunk and Egg] is funnier than the other stuff and I actually don’t believe that it’s funnier than the main series. It’s funny in a different way. A lot of George’s underdog characters have a very sharp wit. Dunk doesn’t have that to fall back on.”

Already garnering a ton of praise as its episodes roll along, some critics comparing it to certain pockets of the original Game of Thrones series in the most complimentary of ways. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wasted no time becoming another fan-favorite from the world constructed by George R.R. Martin, and it's so good people are clamoring to get more of it however they can.