Entertainment Weekly has exclusively unveiled the official poster for season 3 of Game of Thrones. Below is just a preview, check out the full image over on their site.
The first season’s poster showed Ned Stark on the Iron Throne. The second season had a hand grasping a crown. And now the third season has … a dragon! Correction: A flying dragon. The image gives you a sense of how big Daenerys’ children have grown since we last saw them in season two.
Winter Is Coming: First impression? Better than season two’s poster, but not as good as season one’s. Nothing will top Ned on the Iron Throne though. What do you think?
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240 Comments
Can’t say I’m too impressed.
CarneQuote Reply
LOL NOPE
Seven Hells BellsQuote Reply
Sooooo misleading, but it will get viewers. Which I guess is the goal.
Andrew LovgrenQuote Reply
…Er…gee, how do I say something nice about this.
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
Andrew Lovgren,
Not necessarily. Flying dragons will play plenty into Dany’s story this season.
MyNameIsJamieQuote Reply
Misleading, how? Does Astapor ring a bell?
LarsQuote Reply
Is this really the main season three poster?? Nothing about it catches your eye! Atleast the season 2 poster had more visual flair.
ClabogQuote Reply
The lack of Tywin is deeply disturbing
Seven Hells BellsQuote Reply
I am usually not a hater, but I really hope its not the official poster. I am saddened that the promotions for season 3 have not had a certral theme. This one seems like a kid made in Gimp! I personally quite like the fire and crown of season 2.
Omar BrownQuote Reply
This poster and that teaser from a while ago = epic fail.
TastesLikeTheSeaQuote Reply
EW is wrong.. it’s not showing a flying dragon, it shows the shadow of a flying dragon.. i think its quite boring to be honest..
Roger KönigQuote Reply
OK I hate to say this but….is that really the only thing they could come up with? Really? Isn’t it just a teaser?
DraigQuote Reply
This looks to me like it’s just a teaser poster. We see multiple teaser posters before the season premieres, and I suspect we will be seeing more. I imagine the final poster will be nearer to release (2 weeks before maybe).
I like this poster…but, it does feel like just a teaser.
Michael HarperQuote Reply
Did they spend all of 15 minutes on this thing?
ArtQuote Reply
Yeah, okay, my thoughts exactly. I’m glad it’s something, but it looks like little effort went into its creation compared to even season two. Odd.
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
In comparison to two other posters this is VERY unimpressive!
MariQuote Reply
That looks like the size of the dragons in ADWD. I thought they were slightly bigger than dogs in ASOS? I wish the image popped better than this.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
Oh look, it’s… nothing.
WatsonQuote Reply
Roger König,
You’re right. Now that I see it is a shadow it looks a little better.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
This is great because non book readers always ask me when are the dragons getting big. After this poster and astapor this season, they will become fans for life.
quorin halfhandQuote Reply
Not impressed, but might look awesome as a jumbo poster …
PepiQuote Reply
Well I like it. I’ve always had a preference for understatement.
Lazlo WoodbineQuote Reply
That’s a really bad poster…I usually don’t complain about this stuff but that’s bad. They could have done SO many things but they do a white back drop, a shadow and Game of Thrones? Yikes…This would work more for season 5…but still..
JoshQuote Reply
People clicked the link, right? The above picture is like 1/3 of the actual poster. It’s not the BEST POSTER EVER but it’s fine. What are they going to focus on if not Dany? Kings Landing isn’t too exciting this season and they obviously want to draw attention away from Robb for good reason.
DaveQuote Reply
This is surely just another teaser poster. That can’t be the proper poster. If it is… it fucking sucks. Season 2 is my favorite. The colors just pop and it catches your eye. This one is… just… rubbish. It look fan-made. And a bad one at that.
QuowalaQuote Reply
Season 3 trailer tonight on jimmy kimmel as per youtube
damryn of dorneQuote Reply
A very small dragon can cast a very large shadow.
JamesQuote Reply
Looks fan-made..
zodQuote Reply
I can’t be the only one who thought that a three-sword poster would be very amazing?
D’ArcyQuote Reply
I am surprised they didn’t incorporate swords in the poster. Season 1 had a throne. Season 2 had a crown(for a king/s). I think a flaming sword or a sword with blood dripping down would have worked better for season 3. Oh well, it’s just a poster.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
James,
Ha! My thoughts exactly. No way are the dragons that big already.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
meh, geh
SayslahQuote Reply
MY DRAGONS!
I told ya’ll.
Dark StarQuote Reply
Wha-?
Edit: See the trailer for the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw6a28ael1o
Not much but it’s better than this poster…
HmmQuote Reply
Doesn’t look well, dissapointing in comparison to the others. As other users already mentioned it looks fanmade…
juseasQuote Reply
Dragons!!! Now we’re talkin’! Love it!
For Winterfell!
Scott GlennonQuote Reply
I liked the crown a lot… but this just looks terribly fan-made.
Meh, trailer will be great :P
JuiceQuote Reply
My 9 year old could do better ….
LAY OFF TRAJAN PRO FOR CHRIST’S SAKE !!!!!!
MarkQuote Reply
Imagine that as the re-issue book cover… or the DVD cover… terrible. But hope the trailer makes up for it!
QuowalaQuote Reply
This is the type of poster that will excite people who have not read the books, which is a large portion of the audience. They all love Dany and her dragons.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
I agree that it’s better than last years poster. Hard to say that the dragons look bigger when there is nothing to compare it against (people, animals, landscape, etc.) just a dragon on a grey field.
Duff ManQuote Reply
It should have been the silhouette of a dagger about to plunge into somebody’s back. A little early to be throwing out the flying dragon meme. There’s time enough for that later.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
Hodor??? :-( …
HodorQuote Reply
This is why I buy the sigil covers. I hated the season 2 poster so I bought the Lannister cover instead. I’m hoping for Stannis’ flaming heart sigil next year.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
Surely this is just a teaser poster…I really hope so at least.
KingslayerQuote Reply
Pretty god damn awful, if this is the cover for the S3 Blu-Ray I may have to pass. (Ok I won’t but I’ll make my own cover or something)
Let’s hope the trailer makes up for this crap.
Also the Dragon isn’t big, where are people getting the idea that they’re aDwD size already? Looks like the shadow of a slightly larger than S2 Dragon to me.
Nick_ScryerQuote Reply
Knowing that it is a shadow, I wish that the ground was more redish. That would have added more color and looked better.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
For previous seasons the official poster has also been the box art for the DVDs. I can’t see how this is going to look good on the box set next year.
MikeQuote Reply
Really seems like another fanmade poster…. and not the winning poster either.
DarquemodeQuote Reply
I feel I’m the only one who actually liked the crown one
Seven Hells BellsQuote Reply
Seven Hells Bells,
No, I liked that one too. ;-)
zodQuote Reply
Not bad but not good either. Its a clever concept. Its also extremely boring. The season two poster was so far above and beyond this it doesn’t compare.
The only nice thing I can say about this is that it will be cool to see the giant dragon shadow on buses and billboards all over town. I can pretend Im in Astapor! Oh wait…
NerdQuote Reply
I really like it. Especially while looking at it on my DVD/Blu-Ray box.
However, I don’t think this is the official image for season 3. Seasons 1 and 2 had several different posters if I recall.
ebevan91Quote Reply
Just quoting this so more people see it. Sounds like most people haven’t clicked through to the full poster. Still not amazing, but nice enough. I kind of like the clean look.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
ebevan91,
The other ones were labelled as “fan posters”. The first to be released last year was the crown one, labelled as “official poster”.. just like this one.
“The first season’s poster showed Ned Stark on the Iron Throne. The second season had a hand grasping a crown. And now the third season has … a dragon!”
Says EW. They know their stuff. This is the official image for S3.
zodQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy,
Please.. We’re not that dumb.. Of course we have clicked to see it in all its glory.
zodQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy,
I’m not certain anyone here is so dense that they think a generic cropped dragon picture without a logo, channel, or air date is the actual season poster!
…of course, people prove me wrong time and time again, lol.
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
Actually, the more I look at it…It’s not as bad as I first thought. It’s still not good, but it would look ok on billboards/bus stops etc… Just not on my beautiful Blu-Ray please :(
Nick_ScryerQuote Reply
I mean, I’m fine with it being the official image, but it needs more on it. It needs a slogan like the images for season 1 and 2.
ebevan91Quote Reply
zod,
Lin Beifunk,
You’d be surprised. As I originally said, it’s not amazing but it’s alright, and as others said it’ll appeal a lot more to non readers.
DaveQuote Reply
Personally Im not that impressed at all and I hope this isnt the official poster. To be honest it looks more like a fan made one, I would much rather prefer if they used the teaser poster from a while ago. The one that had ’03.31.13 ‘ with the awesome background.
ATGQuote Reply
Extremely bland.
SourBillyTiptonQuote Reply
Meh, but they can modify it a little and add a little color for the blu ray like they did with season 2 when they removed the hand.
Mirri MazQuote Reply
This is awful.
At least the posters from Season 1 & 2 were good enough to be the covers for the tie-in books and the DVD/Blu-ray. Can you imagine this blurry shadow as the cover for a DVD boxset? This is, at beast, a teaser poster. Not the real thing.
So far, all the promotion for Season 3 has been terrible (aside from the close-ups teaser trailer last week, which was pretty cool). Much worse than the first two seasons. Let’s hope they’ve just been saving the budget for an awesome season…
LexQuote Reply
To me (non book reader), it looks like a good idea, poorly executed.
3eyesQuote Reply
Even a darker, more solid black silhouette of the dragon would look better.
ebevan91Quote Reply
It lacks a bit of color eh… But I don’t really care about posters, just hope the trailer’s good :)
YagoQuote Reply
Winter is coming site f’ed up this poster. Everyone thinks that this small piece of the picture is the actual poster lol. Take it down and just link the EW website. Before i cut off your manhood and feed it to the goats.
king of the NorthQuote Reply
Not much impressed!
Juego de tronosQuote Reply
If dragons were here, the first thing you’d see would be the shadow so this makes sense. First you see the shadow, then you look up…
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
This is very true. She is by far the most popular character among the casual viewers. If you look at the GOT facebook page whenever they release pictures from the show anything with Dany always gets at least 3 to 4 and even 5 times the amount of likes and comments than any other character. The second most popular is Jon Snow. With that said they still could have made a much better poster but still with the theme of Dany and her dragons.
JamesQuote Reply
As a side note, that Dany is generally the non-readers’ favorite character is both encouraging and worrisome. I want to elaborate why, but I’m on mobile and I forgot what the spoiler tag is, lol!
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
Dark StarQuote Reply
That CAN’T be the official season 3 poster art… No frakkin’ way. A bland teaser poster? Maybe. Can’t be the official poster art that’ll be on book covers and Blu-ray covers, etc. Can’t be.
GrantQuote Reply
I really like the dragon theme to it but I also think that no poster will ever be as distinctive and impressive as Ned Stark on the Iron Throne.
Shaya CollinsQuote Reply
On the other hand, using the shadow of the dragon on the official poster means we’ll be getting some hot dragon action. Also it’s grown on me in the last few minutes.
Mirri MazQuote Reply
Since the first 2 season posters where themed around the war for the Iron Throne, S3 poster should have been a Dany and Jon Snow themed one (Fire & Ice). That would have the best idea, especially since they are the 2 fan favorites.
JamesLQuote Reply
Yes, it’s not the full poster (click the link). Sadly, the full poster is not any better. Even the logo looks cheap and rushed. Just bloody awful.
LexQuote Reply
At first I didn’t get that it was the shadow of a dragon. I actually think the shadow idea is pretty good. But as I said earlier, the ground should have been red brick instead of a bland white. The shadow could be a little darker as well.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
GUYS CALM DOWN! ITS A TEASER POSTER-SEE THE LINK…sheesh
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=100732
DBQuote Reply
Eh dont care for it. Don’t love it don’t hate it. I will take anything new right now though.
PerkinsQuote Reply
DB,
See the link yourself: http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/02/22/game-of-thrones-season-3-dragon-poster/
EW knows better than comingsoon…
zodQuote Reply
Looks like the terrible gremlin with wings from Gremlins 2: A New Batch.
Horrible poster.
davidbcQuote Reply
I hate to say this, but the poster is awful. It is an out-of-focus shadow of a leg marching forward, the foot landing on and squishing a garden snake. When I first saw this I thought it was an April Fool’s joke. Maybe it is, just six weeks early? Worst poster I’ve seen
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that for whatever reason, HBO has decided not to feature any actors on the posters – I guess to avoid the perception that there’s a “main” character. Which is unfortunate. It’s pretty hard to make a good poster without any people in it.
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
Are you sure this is the final, official poster? It looks remarkably unprofessional (typography aside).
NousWandererQuote Reply
zod,
It just says “official marketing”, Which it is. I promise you this isn’t the final official poster for season 3. WIC should contact HBO and have them clarify so people don’t mistake it for one.
DBQuote Reply
No tag line, and in Black and white.. I imagine its just sort of a teaser.
CedricQuote Reply
Like all the promo material so far this is absolutely boring. But I don’t care if they put all the money in the show instead. That’s what matters after all!
G_LeeQuote Reply
Looks kind of amateur. Wouldnt make me want to watch the show if I didn’t know anything about it
Matthew MeunierQuote Reply
DB,
You promise me? lol.
Seems pretty clear to me. EW always has the exclusivity when it comes to GOT official posters. They know what they’re talking about.
zodQuote Reply
I’m really hoping that is not the key art, and one of the posters they release before the key art like the two posters before the key art for season 2.
Plus, where’s the tagline? “A Storm is Coming”
SteelyuhasQuote Reply
And I thought that the official poster for Season 2 was disappointing. It’s grown on me a little since then, but compared to this, it looks like Christmas Day. We get it, HBO – an established series with an extremely loyal fanbase entering its 3rd season doesn’t need an extensive or innovative marketing campaign. But it wouldn’t hurt to put a tiny bit more juice behind it. The minimalist can be intriguing if well-executed, but this is too much … or rather, too little.
Really, they couldn’t even throw a quote up there? As far as I know, this season still doesn’t have a tagline.
JaredQuote Reply
Matthew Meunier,
Who watches a show because of a poster? Buzz around the show and positive reviews generate viewers, not a poster.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
Jared,
That wasn’t the tagline for season 2.
Season 1: ‘You Win or You Die.’
Season 2: ‘War is Coming’
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
I gotta ask, WiC… do you truly like this better than the poster for Season 2? Compare them side by side, it’s no contest. One is a piece of art, the other is just a piece of crap. :)
LexQuote Reply
A very small dragon can cast a very large shadow
JackQuote Reply
I don’t see any tag line on this poster, so I’m gonna’ assume that this isn’t the final poster. Anyway, it’s not great – pretty plain. But it’s also just a poster. I was more excited about that 11 second clip of the trailer.
Khal-A-BungaQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
I knew that wasn’t the tagline. I was going to make a joke about the size of the dragon casting the shadow in the poster, but James beat me to it. Somehow, I forgot to delete the quote before posting, but I’ve since done so.
Thank you, though. Sincerely.
JaredQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Posters generate buzz, though. And there are plenty of great “Critics’ darling”
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
True, the quality of the show is ultimately what’s most important — BUT the key art/poster is what will sell a lot of paperbacks and sell DVDs and Blu-ray sets… The seasonal poster for a TV show is pretty damn important.
If this truly is the actual season 3 key art/poster, HBO really dropped the ball… It’s embarrassing how boring and unprofessional it looks. I would be shocked.
GrantQuote Reply
Ah, shit. Pressed enter too early, lol.
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
Lin Beifunk,
…”critics’ darling” shows that always struggled with ratings. 30 Rock, anyone?
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
Hmm … this doesn’t do it for me :|
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
I agree, should of been a picture of Hodors face
Huge FloppysQuote Reply
OT: NEW EPISODE TITLE REVEALED: Episode 23: Walk of punishment
I bet this is the Sack of Astapor episode.
zodQuote Reply
They should release a poster of a weirwood tree face with the red sap pouring out of the eyes. That would be a bad ass poster.
shaneQuote Reply
Where’d you hear that?
Nick_ScryerQuote Reply
Yes, very unprofessional. This is very strange. It barely looks like a poster to me. Something’s not quite right.
Mariamb18Quote Reply
While I agree to the most part, Every non book reader that I’ve shown to this to so far has loved it. Go figure.
Nick_ScryerQuote Reply
Nick_Scryer,
HBO’s schedule on their website, so I’m pretty sure it’s legit. ;-)
zodQuote Reply
If this is the official cover poster, I agree with WiC – it is much nicer than Season 2. Season 1 is pretty much impossible to top. Season 2′s is just ugly – removing the hand for the DVD cover was a good move, but it still sucked. That’s why I got the Greyjoy cover.
This season 3 poster, whether it is the real one or a teaser, is much more elegant and nice looking than the season 2 poster.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Hope this isn’t the final poster. It’s not bad, kinda cool actually, but it’s not something I want used on, say, the tie-in book and especially the DVD cover. I want something with a character, like maybe Robb or Jon.
MedievalFantasyQuote Reply
I have to agree with the majority here: If this is the official season 3 poster it is not doing it for me. While the basic idea is nice (dragons are coming so to speak), it’s just too rudimental. Like Lex, I just can’t picture it on a DVD/BR box screaming “Buy me!” – Maybe they will change it for the box, the one for season 2 isn’t exactly the same either.
AbyssQuote Reply
Would have preferred to see a poster of Mance playing his instrument or Lord Tywin on the Iron Throne. Hell I’d even take a picture of Joffrey over this poorly done silhouette
TurncloakQuote Reply
It’s funny how the season 2 poster was universally panned on here and now everyone is remembering it fondly. Personally, I like this one better than the season 2 poster.
FWIW, I sent an inquiry to HBO to see if this is the official poster or if maybe EW got it wrong and it is just a teaser.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I think this a teaser poster… mainly because it does not have a tagline, and it’s quite simplistic.
AdrianAegonQuote Reply
This reminds me of the Shadow Animals that my dad used to make on the wall for my sister and I. It was cool for about 10 seconds, but then we couldn’t wait to go back to our dolls which were pretty and colorful – and looked like Daenerys, Missandei and Doreah. Dragons are cool – but they need some color – like some mean green eyes and fiery red and gold breath. Color me disappointed.
Tereeza777Quote Reply
same and same. I’d still like to get Targaryen and Greyjoy ones for a later season, as I got Stark’s for my S1 blu-ray. If I could get those 2, Stannis’ and something related to the Faceless Men, that would be amazing.
feyrbandQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
And really, what are the chances that EW is mistaken? NONE
Dark StarQuote Reply
zod,
I only see episode 21 on their schedule :/
CarneQuote Reply
The photo didn’t load properly on my phone, it only shows the wing which kinda looks like a boob (perfect for game of thrones)
The hounds pupQuote Reply
I remeber not likeing the S2 poster last year, but just because it looked so different than S1 did and i like my poserts for movies and seasons of shows to look kind of the same. (nerdy yes and haha this is really the only show i care about the poster.)
The crown works because it is the whole war of the 5 kings things it has grown on me, but this…
If they are going to show the dragons, then show them. Have them be the focal point and showing.
I do think the crying werewood would be awesome as someone suggested earlier.
jasonWQuote Reply
A massacred wedding table would have been better.
The Black CrowQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
I think the initial reaction to the season 2 poster was that it was a bit ugly but it still was eye catching and had some nice details. This is just an iffy shadow on a white background. As everyone else said its just too plain to be used as a cover fur a book or a DVD.
Mirri MazQuote Reply
Carne,
http://hpics.li/d4cbaa7
:-\
zodQuote Reply
Maybe if it was the dragon itself and not its shadow, it’d be a little nicer. Although with the season being based off A Storm of SWORDS, I was hoping for something involving, yeah, a sword. Season 1 had the Iron Throne with Ned, as that was what it was based on, A Game Of Thrones. Season 2 had the crown, since it was A Clash Of Kings. This should involve swords or battles, not dragons. Save something like this for when A Dance With Dragons gets adapted.
MedievalFantasyQuote Reply
zod,
Or perhaps it’s do to with Theon ?
QuowalaQuote Reply
The S2 poster wasn’t great. This is just plain awful. What is this? A shitty sketch of a dragon with a blur effect on it? Way to go marketing department! Another bullseye!
if it pleaseQuote Reply
Season 3. Episode 3. “Walk of Punishment”
http://www.hbo.com/#/schedule/series/GAME+OF+THRONES/PMRS1663
thanks zod :D
AdrianAegonQuote Reply
I like the idea of the poster, but the execution is really not interesting. :\
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
zod,
Thanks!
CarneQuote Reply
this sucks. but to me this shows they put all their time, effort, and money into the show itself, and not wasting the money on advertising for a show that they KNOW millions of people are going to watch anyways
They know that people have marked March 31st on their calendar alongside birthdays and weddings. It’s THAT important to people. I have NEVER heard so many people of all walks of life all bubbling with excitement for a TV SHOW to come out… Why advertise when u dont have to?
Dave BrownellQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
Exactly.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
The Black Crow,
A version of Da Vinci’s Last Supper with a corpse with a direwolf’s head sewn in place of it’s own.
Joan CatalàQuote Reply
Dave Brownell,
that is the worst logic i’ve ever seen. ANYWAYS, I hope you’re right?
if it pleaseQuote Reply
Dave Brownell,
The writers/ directors/ producers don’t have anything to do with advertising. There’s a whole department that deals with marketing the show. But perhaps they haven’t had as much money as previous years as its all been spent on the actual show…
QuowalaQuote Reply
If this was a teaser poster, I’d be alright with it. Still underwhelmed, but teasers aren’t a big deal. But the official one….ah this just isn’t eye-catching. It’s hard to imagine that EW made a mistake, though.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
if it please,
It’s the shadow of a dragon. Like OITF said, the concept is actually quite good, but the execution wasn’t. The shadow should be darker and the ground should be red bricks/dirt.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
That cropped photo of the dragon’s shadow looks like the grainy Loch Ness Monster photo.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
It’s not eye-catching yeah, also it’s just poorly conceived, poorly executed. This fails on every aesthetic level I can imagine. The blur effect almost gives me a headache, the wings aren’t even proportioned correctly. Someone should honestly be fired for this.
if it pleaseQuote Reply
Man, I swear last week at some point I saw a picture of the HBO tie-in for SoS, I think it featured the Iron Throne with a raven perched on it (or was it taking flight?)
Or it may have been a crow.
Anyway, I’ve been trying to figure out where the heck I saw it, but don’t have a clue. Didn’t pay much attention to it at the time as I was busy with something else.
KevMS84Quote Reply
It’s far better than last year’s poster in my opinion. Simple and graphic is far more tasteful and pleasing to the eye.
I’d be far more likely to put that on my wall than season 2′s, or even season 1′s poster.
Lazlo WoodbineQuote Reply
A Storm of Shadows……..
The image must be a clever shadow puppet, with the use of an obstruction nearby.
WildSeedQuote Reply
Joan Català
I don’t know that the direwolf reference needs to be there, but just a banquet with all the main players in attendance would be very nice. BSG did one like that and people seemed to really like it. Or if they want to do something like this, why not put multiple animals in the picture. Then we could endlessly debate the significance of their posture and positioning.
This poster is almost fascinating in how underwhelming it it. I guess that’s something.
WatsonQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Where is your eye even supposed to be drawn? To the title? To the dragon? Not arguing with you, just pissed that HBO has hired absolute morons.
if it pleaseQuote Reply
NEW! NEW! NEW!
Ciaran Hinds, Gwendoline Christie and Rose Leslie are the new regular cast members… which means we will see their names in the intro :D … and since the last name in the list is Ciaran Hinds, I believe he will be the last also in the intro, with the “and” or “with” (the same way Peter Dinklage had in the first season.)
AdrianAegonQuote Reply
AdrianAegon,
You’re easily excited, aren’t you? ;D
zodQuote Reply
I think something like this:
Would have been way better. Or something with Cat or Robb. Maybe this is one of those “The North Remembers,” posters? I hope so. This looks kind of amateurish. Like something you’d find a on forum.
If they really wanted to go with dragons, they could have just done a huddled baby Drogon amidst the burning ruins.
Ryan GenualdiQuote Reply
My imagined poster:
MILD SPOILERS
(seen from above) three swords, one bloody, one frozen, one flaming, laid down on a table with fallen goblets, broken dishes etc.
Too suggestive?
Joan CatalàQuote Reply
That’s actually a pretty lame poster. It just seems like a lazy, quick!-we-gotta-crank-out-a-poster-design-in-5-minutes thing to me. I’m pretty disappointed actually. :/
I hope this poster isn’t hinting something about the quality of this season’s show… o__o;
LaurenQuote Reply
Nope. That was yet another re-release of AGoT.
ebevan91Quote Reply
MedievalFantasy,
Great point. It seems as though the decision-makers on this project just didn’t put much thought into it.
LaurenQuote Reply
HBO has confirmed to me that this is the official poster.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
zod,
after months of almost drought, who wouldn’t be? :))
AdrianAegonQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
that is crazy…
jasonWQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Hide the razor blades.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
I’m glad it’s not just me who thinks that this poster isn’t very good. I definitely liked season 2 poster more, it was really cool, but this one doesn’t catch your attention, or it just didn’t catch mine. It looks like nothing special, just a shadow and a dragon, which is fine but not great, for me it has no story and I wouldn’t start watching GoT if I saw this poster not knowing anything about the show… I hope that it isn’t the final poster… I really do…
EDIT: Ok, seems to be the final poster… Damn… I hope that the trailer will be better, the trailer for the trailer looked really cool :)
InvorvialQuote Reply
Just as I thought, my non-reader friends/family love this poster. So for those worrying about viewers not being drawn to this, I’d say it is more us hardcore fans who are disappointed because it doesn’t look cooler.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
I don’t know why people think a poster needs to be in color in order for it to be interesting. I have plenty of black and white photos in my apartment and I don’t think they are “boring”
oh well, can’t wait to come back tonight to see everyone bitching about the preview.
MQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Well, this is sad… but I still hope this shadow poster is the shadow of the actual poster. Honestly now, it’s not eye-catching at all. Even the S2 poster, wich I didn’t like, was somehow atractive, and could be discussed about, but this one? I mean.. it’a a shadow!!! and even the wings of the dragon look weird.
I know HBO has its strategy and so, but I really don’t get it! Everything this year with GoT S3 promotion seemes off, …out of sync. But trailer is finally coming, and I trust it will be great!
Oh, and what is the time in America now? actually in how many hours will the trailer air? because in eastern Europe right now is 1 a.m. and sleep is coming..
AdrianAegonQuote Reply
Lex,
i personally couldn’t stand last season’s. i was desperately hoping for house sigil box covers for the blu-ray because of it. this one is just ok for me.
feyrbandQuote Reply
Seriously?
This is the official poster? No wonder they’re so silent and the marketing stuff has been on the low, if this is the kind of stuff they’re going to reveal.
Honestly, I love Game of Thrones and I simply adore GRRM’s books, but this poster is crap. Boring and ugly.
Let’s hope the actual season isn’t as bad as this terrible thing. As much as I like the show, I’m not going to celebrate half-assed efforts, like that raven teaser.
Valdred DethstormQuote Reply
meh.
to be honest, after the disappointing season 2, my interest in the show has significantly waned, and this poster is certainly not threatening to change that.
season 1 was on the cusp of greatness. a lot of non-believers were won over by the unprecedented boldness of the series at the end and the show had a great buzz going for it ahead of season 2. but an uneven and at times cartoonish second season (literally, see shadow baby, WWs), replete with nonsensical developments (cat & jaime, jon & quorin, “where are my baaabiiiiieeees”) basically brought the show back down to genre fare, thus confirming the suspicions of skeptics that the series would not transcend the silly dungeon and dragon stuff.
the show just isn’t the emerging pop cultural phenomenon it was a year ago, like say the walking dead, which has successfully elbowed its way into the zeitgeist despite significant issues. instead, the potential game of thrones has fizzled into a niche show for the fantasy crowd because of an unnecessarily messy season. disappointing.
qwertyQuote Reply
I kinda like it, but lacking any great innovative ideas, I’d rather take some clichè poster with just a mash up of all the biggest characters with, say Dany, Tyrion and Jon at the fore, some icy cliffs with shadows walking beneath them on the right side of the background and distant dragons flying on the left.
sjweningsQuote Reply
qwerty,
Overreacting much?
zodQuote Reply
the lackluster poster and the long-delayed teasers/trailers make one wonder if they gutted the promotional budget this year.
qwertyQuote Reply
Looking back, the official Season 2 poster was released around the same time last year, and was officially released by Entertainment Weekly.
It’s such a basic looking poster! The more I look at it, the more I dislike it.
I’d be surprised if this is seriously the only poster we get.
Michael DraycottQuote Reply
DB… You promised me.. :-(
zodQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Did they confirm that it is THE official poster? Or AN official poster?
Michael DraycottQuote Reply
If the title “Game of Thrones” was better made, with sparkles and effects like the others official posters, I could like it more, even with the crap’s rest. Despite of second season, which I don’t love, David and Dan has the chance to compensate with the wonderfull GRRMs history.
I hope that simple official poster and the other poor teasers were made to hide the wonderfulness of the season. Different of season two, i sincerely hope.
BoyintreeQuote Reply
If they continue to follow this road, for season four (if there’s a season four) we may as well have a white poster with just the logo slapped on it.
This just reeks of laziness, something done in less than fifteen minutes. An actual baby dragon would’ve been better. Or a -darker- shadow. The way it is…looks really bland.
Valdred DethstormQuote Reply
It’s the worst poster I have seen ! It’s really ugly, too simple, created by a bad graphist, … i don’t have words to say how it’s bad.
ErikQuote Reply
I know this isn’t fair, but… Imagine this was the teaser poster and blu-ray cover for season 1. And you’re trying to convince your friends who’ve never heard of GoT to start watching it. And all you’re showing them is the shape of a dragon on a generic stone texture. This won’t look like must watch television to them.
This is HBO resting on its laurels. Which is fine because they’re well deserved. Just give me something else on the blu-rays.
TimQuote Reply
Well if you had any sense, you wouldn’t tell a friend to start watching with season 3.
ebevan91Quote Reply
I have to say I am confused. – Not pissed or anything, just confused…
An actual digital artist can make that thing in under 15 min while eating breakfast, and they really thought it would do as official marketing art for HBO´s greatest hit series right now? – Honestly, I am confused…
AbyssQuote Reply
Would have been interesting to see all the kings swords on the cover for you know, A storm of swords, its far to early for the dance of dragons. Or at least the important swords.
TravisQuote Reply
While the rest of your comment is your opinion, you are wrong about this. The show is about to premiere its trailer on national television on a broadcast network. It is still being referenced on other shows regularly (Parks and Rec referenced it last night). Any news stories about it online generate a ton of interest.
No, this show is very much still a part of pop culture.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
AdrianAegon,
The “and” will go to Dame Diana Rigg if they do that again.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
ebevan91,
Sure. And I would just force them to watch the show, to hell with the poster.
All I’m saying is: Back when HBO had to advertise season 1, they didn’t just put generic-fantasy-thing-A on generic-stone-texture-B. Obviously, the show is now in a position where this is all they need to do. Which is comforting to know. Just not pretty to look at.
EDIT: Still, I’m gonna give them the benefit of a doubt and say that maybe what they had originally planned didn’t work out for some reason – and this was a last minute, temporary alternative. Which would give me hope for the BD cover.
TimQuote Reply
I hope HBO gets grilled by fans at comic con on the weak marketing campaign for this season.
It just makes no sense at all.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Quite right, I agree.
This is “THE season”, where, you know, they should put their very best effort.
I sincerely hope all their sleeping in laurels and slacking off won’t come back to bite them in the ass, but if that happens they won’t be able to say they didn’t see it coming.
Valdred DethstormQuote Reply
More looks like a drake kite than an actual dragon… SMAUG IS COMING!
ArvinQuote Reply
This poster is kind of blah.
So far the marketing campaign for the third season has been underwhelming.
duckyQuote Reply
I’m really not sure how a miniature wyvern’s shadow is supposed to sell reissues of A Storm of Swords with HBO-themed covers. But, what the fuck do I know?
AtreyuQuote Reply
Atreyu,
You saw a wyvern? I saw a bunny rabbit that was in the process of exploding.
Cary StormQuote Reply
Now if the shadow of the dragon had been reflected in a bashed helm on the ground, or a pool of blood, or a skull, we’d be getting somewhere. It seems kind of incomplete as it is.
Bunny WayQuote Reply
qwerty,
You could not be more wrong. Game of Thrones season 2 averaged close to 11 million total viewers per episode. That is with HBO only being available in 30 million homes in the US. Also, it was the most pirated show in the world last year. There is not a more popular show in the world right now. That is what differentiates GOT from other shows, it is a worldwide hit.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
T-Minus 5 hours until everyone can bitch about the trailer, and in return I will bitch at them, and then I’ll be bitched at for bitching at the bitchers. Game of Thrones, don’t you just love it!?!?
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
Bunny Way,
Your jealousy at not being the model of the exploding rabbit is sooooo transparent.
Other than that, completely agree.
Or, maybe, it’s a kind of Rorschach test. I see a wyvern. Therefore, I am strong in spirit but plagued with deadly halitosis. Cary sees a rabbit, therefore he is soft and cuddly, but tender shoots fear him.
AtreyuQuote Reply
qwerty,
Game of Thrones’ second season breaking HBO sales records:
Source: http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/02/22/game-of-thrones-dvd-sales-breaking-hbo-records/
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
It’s pretty obvious that not much went into this – planning, brainstorming, designing, nothing. There’s no real concept, it’s just a shadow of a dragon flying, and any designer work their spit could turn this thing out in under an hour (depending on how much work the shadow required.)
Also, the font looks cheap and the lack of margins is kind of weird.
Strange. But maybe they think the show is at a healthy spot of marketing itself.
ChristicleQuote Reply
qwerty,
Why is society so down on genre? This isn’t really directed towards you, but towards everyone in general. Why, exactly, IS genre so “silly”? I never understood why the sudden presence of witches or dragons or sentient boats or whatever suddenly takes away from a story. In the hands of a bad writer, maybe, but GRRM & co. put tales of humanity first.
(Though the WWs were in the first fifteen minutes of the entire show, to be fair, so I’m not sure why anyone’s dropping for that. From the onset it was clear: this is fantasy, not made-up history — mainstream beware!)
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
I don’t care for it much, but it really did not bother me overly much since I assume there would be a yet-to-be-released poster that would be the Seasn 3 BD/ DVD key art. If this in fact is the Season 3 key artI am more tan a bit disappointed….
Looks like I will definitely be buying Best Buy’s Seasn 3 exclusive house sigil cover!!
DarquemodeQuote Reply
Someone upthread mentioned this is craptacular offering was the product of GIMP. They give the artists too much credit. MSPaint all the way.
AtreyuQuote Reply
Kinda lame!
HildaQuote Reply
Sorry guys – I love this. But totally a Dany fan girl
Patchy FaceQuote Reply
i dont get, why it had to be the shadow of a dragon..
the whole black shadow issue about drogon killing the kid is in mereen i think, so its waaaay to early for that
Roger KönigQuote Reply
Roger König,
Think Astapor. A trade.
Lin BeifunkQuote Reply
I am one of the few it seems that favors this poster over S2. We can all agree that Ned on the throne was badass but I feel that this is good foreshadowing of Dany’s season being better than last. Also, as aforementioned in previous comments, I think that they’re attempting to sway non-book readers away a bit from the big moments that take part in Westeros this season so the impact can be greater when those character’s stories pan out.
King of the NorthQuote Reply
I guess I’m in the minority too, I definitely like this one better then season two. I can understand people not loving it, but I don’t get the negative reaction either.
House SnowQuote Reply
…Seriously?
Valdred DethstormQuote Reply
Valdred Dethstorm,
Well, I don’t think most expect people to get so upset over a poster. People actually think this poster and the promo material so far portends to a lesser quality show. Someone should tell them that the production team and HBO’s marketing team are not the same.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
Wait, I don’t get it. Does that mean there’s no tagline this year?
Pointy EndQuote Reply
wow uh, that is a pretty pathetic poster
RichasaurusQuote Reply
I….kind of like it?
None of the posters for this show have been the sort where I go ‘OMG I must have this on my wall’ but this doesn’t seem any better or worse than the norm. I dunno. It’s cool.
ZackQuote Reply
With just a tiny amount of effort the poster could have been so much better…
I just combined the Date Tease poster and the idea of the Dragon silhouette and did this in about 10 minutes. I woul think HBO could have done muh better in just an hour or two!
https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/439/5111/original.jpg
Oh well, I still think posters are unimportant for the most part as far as marketing goes. I wlll be annoyed if that lame dragon silhouette is on my Season 3 Blu Rays though…… The fact this has no tagline on it makes me wonder if there will be another official keyart poster with the Season 3 tagline released soon.
Bring on the Kimmel!
DarquemodeQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Exactly. It’s one thing to not like it, a perfectly understandable opinion. Even disappointment is a little strong, but to each his own. I’m confused why so many are pissed off or outraged. Could it be better? Of course, but contrary to popular belief around here HBO does in fact want the most possible people watching when the show starts, they aren’t purposely spitting in the audience’s face or something.
DaveQuote Reply
Import grunge texture onto a white background in photoshop, cs2 will do. set opacity to about 20%. import an image of the dragon from season 3, or have a child draw one. draw around this dragon and fill with gray. now gaussian blur, say 5 pixels. okay you’re done !
this whole seasons marketing and imagery has been sadly lacking. i kept wanting to like it, but its just so bloody cheap and nasty. hoping the trailer knocks my socks off.
Aegon LibrarianQuote Reply
I’m usually pretty forgiving. Even gave the raven teaser a pass. But sorry, this is not good. While I like the idea of the shadow of a dragon, they didn’t pull it off here. Maybe if there was the shadow of the other wing, or sharper definition of the silhouette. Definitely need to go back to the drawing board for this one.
ETA Just saw Darquemode’s post above. Yep. Much better!
bgapQuote Reply
I am a fan of the ‘less is more’ sometimes, but this is just all less.
Aegon LibrarianQuote Reply
Darquemode,
That is actually quite a bit better and makes the real one look like a rough outline.
ZackQuote Reply
Of Course, but i was talking about the thing in mereen, where drogon kills that kid of the farmer and they call him the dark or black shadow
because its a shadow on the poster ;)
Roger KönigQuote Reply
I’m in disbelief…
LexQuote Reply
I’m seriously scratching my head… I can’t figure it out. Did they fire their entire marketing department to save money? The teasers, and this poster, have been amateur and bland at best…
LexQuote Reply
Uh ….
Hahahahaha Oh man, that’s dreadful.
KGQuote Reply
I expected swords for a S3 Poster… I hope it’s not too late for them to change it, since the Dragons don’t have a big part yet…
LexyvilQuote Reply
I see a lot of people projecting their hate towards Daenerys into the poster. Not so sure about that. But I have to agree with the other reason for the dislikes: the lack of color and the blurry shadow. They did a good thing, Dany is a popular character – and I have to say that, so far, she’s the most popular one – and using her as a marketing strategy is pretty clever. But the poster is boring and very poor.
Although I do find it funny how some people in the comments are so sure of the fact that people will grow to hate Daenerys over the course of the series/books and the show should be aware of that. I’ve read all of the five books and still love her. I know a bunch of people who love her too. So don’t be so sure about the fact that a few fanforums, Westeros.org (and a bunch of sexist fanboys) and YOUR opinion reflect on the rest of the audience. The opinions are much more divided than it seems. So yeah, I do think that using Dany was a good idea. Still, terrible poster.
BiiaCXQuote Reply
i really liked the poster for season 2, it perfectly showed the whole symbolism of the war of kings. i dont like this poster at all, it makes the show seem all about the dragons, and danys story line… which is isnt. With season 1 it was good to have ned as he was the main character. But now there isnt really one ‘main’ character. Also is there a quote or something? like from s2 “war is coming”
xFire and BloodxQuote Reply
Darquemode,
WOW!
That’s so much better looking. If this was the original poster, then I’d be very delighted. Really, really loving it.
Honestly, the marketing department efforts have been half-baked at best.
Valdred DethstormQuote Reply
Darquemode,
That definately pops more, but it is no longer a shadow. It’s more like a batman type silhouette. HBO was clearly going for a dragon’s shadow on the ground. I just wish they would have given more detail to the ground so that it looks like red dirt/bricks. I would slightly darken the shadow, but not by that much.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
qwerty,
The only people that think that season 2 was messy are book fans. Non book readers loved season 2. And many book readers as well.
Like WiC said, some of what you said is your opinion but everything else just isn’t true.
QuowalaQuote Reply
Tyrion Pimpslap,
There is a lot that could be done with the dragon shadow. So much…
AlI did was use the Date Tease background, darkened the dragon so it showed on the darker background, made the edges glow, and then cut/pasted the air date and the GoT Logo.
I like the idea of it on the ground (or a burned Astapor market), but I did not want to put much time into it honestly. XD
I always liked the idea of different character on the throne for each season. As each season’s main player rises in power they get the throne cover. The first 5 or 6 seasons would have created themselves – Ned, Robb, Joffrey, Stannis, Cersei and then Dany.
I was never a fan of the Season 2 poster honestly, but in the end I did ike the crown part they used on the BD disc set! I have faith that HBO will release something more grande soon… In particular a poster with a tagline for the season.
DarquemodeQuote Reply
Golly, what the fuck is HBO doing this year? That trailer better be murder because aside from releasing a handful of character photo’s their promo campaign has been one massive boner parade.
HunterQuote Reply
I really don’t understand why people are freaking out over a poster. But I am 28 and therefore way way way way too old to get upset about such silly things as a poster for a TV show.
NicoleQuote Reply
A ten year old with photoshop could have done a better job
jonsQuote Reply
hey wheres the slogan???
ACVGQuote Reply
I liked the previous posters. I’ve found every trailer to be pretty good at worst, great at best. I have no problem with this poster being Dany-centric.
I just think it’s ugly.
NousWandererQuote Reply
its not about judging one poster over another at this late stage of the game. the season 3 promo stuff has just been lackluster and awful as the legion of fans complaining about it clearly shows.
Aegon LibrarianQuote Reply
To be honest, I don’t like it : /
JentarioQuote Reply
I far prefer this fan one: http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/32200000/got-game-of-thrones-32287775-480-720.jpg
StannisQuote Reply
Hey…Dany’s children have surely grown! Why is everybody fretting so much, its just a poster?! I am sure there will be more to come. Besides what’s so bad about this one? The dragons do come into play more and more so on that note, I think that it is quite appropiate for what is to come…
loco73Quote Reply
Looks like something I would have done … on a previous Macintosh computer … which was actually the first ever Macintosh computer … back in 1984. You know, before there was color and when 72 PPI was boss.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
No tagline … yet(?) Interesting.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
I hope this is teaser, because it will look awful on DVD bluray disks. It’s black and white, I am not going to say that it’s horrible but it is really really bad for show such as Game of Thrones.
KatherineQuote Reply
Really not a fan of this poster. It just lacks impact, especially compared to the previous two. With all that is coming this season, this just seems really underwhelming. As a designer who sits through crits daily, looking at a wall of designs to pick the best options, I just have to wonder what else was on their wall that lead them to this…
I made a couple posters this morning just to see what I could do in a couple hours (no way they spent more time than that on this)
http://rewind-me.deviantart.com/art/Game-of-Thrones-Season-3-Poster-356007159
http://rewind-me.deviantart.com/art/FlamingSword-Poster-356008283
not saying they are amazing, but I gave it a shot, using some suggestions from around here and from friends.
Jen SnowQuote Reply
I’m… not sure what to say. I mean, maybe this was the product of some sort of weird group-think situation and they all convinced each other this was a good poster (I hope so, it’s upsetting to think it might be laziness). I seriously can’t believe this is Season 3′s poster. If they are that out of ideas, money, time, what-have-you, for the love of all that is good, come to the fans. We may nit-pick and freak out on them and each other, but we love this show and there are people out here who would have loved to put some time and effort into making a poster for this. It’s Game of Thrones. It’s Season 3. C’mon, HBO, you guys are better than this. You proved that Season 1.
AziQuote Reply
Jen Snow,
Wow, I say they are amazing and certainly a lot better than the official one (imho). I especially like the first one, would hang it on my wall in a blink of an eye.
AbyssQuote Reply
Umm has anybody seen the GoT ad in the New York Times yet?
I think HBO DOES know what their doing after all…
http://i.imgur.com/1xvtzEL.jpg
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
while i do find the shadow of the dragon to bland for me, it’s alright. now for the weak promotions for season 3. as a person who is half way into reading the 3rd book, i think i understand why there are many teasers. book 3 is the book where a lot of things happen and a lot of cool twists, violences, emotion shockers, and who’s on who’s side. hopefully you book readers should understand why the promotions are weak now. HBO doesn’t want to spoil or show to much for the TV viewers. the trailer is a minute long and as TV viewers, they probably don’t really understand what WILL happen. people who had read book 3 knows what happened. that’s what i’m believing with the promotions and people please do NOT ruin for the people who hadn’t read the books. There are to many plot twists that will happen and it will ruin the experience for the TV viewers. how would you like if something you love finds major spoilers that you didn’t want to know yet? think about it people.
susanQuote Reply