Portraits of the Lord Commander as a Young Man: Jon Snow Gets Illustrated [Spoilers]

The Game of Thrones season finale delivered another dagger between the ribs to fans of the HBO mega-hit series based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. As Kit Harington’s unfocused gaze faded, blood pooling beneath him, fans raged, wailed, and wondered, Is this really the end for Jon Snow?<

Whether brooding, teaming up with his direwolf Ghost, fighting white walkers, getting it on with wildling Ygritte in a hot spring, or… brooding, Jon Snow was a fan favorite and, for some, the last hope for Westeros. Among his many devotees are talented comics artists and illustrators, and Harington’s Jon Snow certainly provides an exceptional subject. His all-black Night’s Watch uniform against an icy white landscape and his dark curls tumbling over his furrowed brow, his soulful eyes brimming with hurts and sorrows left unspoken, his lips in a perpetual pout...

Excuse me.

Jon Snow is outsider --- a bastard who pledges his life and service to the Night’s Watch, vowing: I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post.

In these illustrations, top comics artists Becky Cloonan and Jock capture Jon Snow’s determination, Alon Boroda and Noelle Stevenson find sweetness and romance, comic strips by Andre Gregoire and Trillian Spencer manage to find humor in Jon Snow’s relentlessly serious story, and of course many artists depict him with his loyal direwolf, Ghost. We've collected together what we think is some of the best Jon Snow fan art ever.