Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World #4
Written by Robert Jordan
Script by Chuck Dixon
Art by Chase Conley
Colors by Nicolas Chapuis
Letters by Bill Tortolini
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
Price $3.99
Release date: August 11, 2010

We may be only a few months away from a new Wheel of Time book, but if you’re like me, you’re always looking for an excuse to re-read the earlier books in the series. Dynamite Entertainment has been giving us just that excuse with their translation of the first book in the series, The Eye of the World, into comic form. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World #4 continues the story, with this issue covering chapter 7 of the original novel.

Now, I’m not what you would call the biggest fan of adapted works, but this one has been very decent so far. One thing you can say for it is that it is a direct adaptation that doesn’t stray from the source material. All of the dialogue is straight out of the book, and the plot follows along without any surprises. Chuck Dixon has done his job to translate the book from the written page to the comic. Dixon is able to make the story flow on the page, without making it feel too dry or wordy. Having read the source material so many times, I almost wish there was at least some differences, nothing major, but a nice side plot or something would be okay.

The art also does a good job of translating the book into comic form. All the characters look like how I might imagine them (more or less, your imagination may vary). There’s one panel where artist Chase Conley reminds me of Leinil Yu, while other panels remind me of Michael Turner. It’s a decent style and nothing about it grinds my gears (except for maybe the way he draws the evil Trollocs, but maybe it’s just because it’s not the way I picture them).

If you’ve never read the Wheel of Time books before, but you’ve been interested in checking them out, this is a good way to give the story a look. It may not be the same as reading the book, but it’s pretty close. Fans of the books will be reminded of the things they enjoyed about the series in the first place. I’m giving this issue a 4 out of 5 for being a good adaptation without any surprises.