Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born HC (Marvel – King / David / Furth / Lee / Isanove) – Okay, first I want to give a disclaimer on why I didn’t read this when this first came out in single issues. It’s quite simple, I have a thing about Stephen King… he is masterful storyteller and no one can beat his descriptions… it just, well, his endings. I don’t know if he has some sort of random ending generator, or he gives up in the last thirty pages or if asks his pets to finish… I’m not quite sure what it is, but his endings are usually not up to snuff with the rest of his story. It’s just the way it is. So, I have yet to pick up the Dark Tower book series and I looked the other way when The Gunslinger Born was getting non-comic book Stephen King fans into the stores to buy this seven part series.
I read the hardcover in two sittings, and it was an outstanding book. Comic legend Peter David interprets King’s books into the comic format. Obviously he has to leave out some of the book’s details, much like when they make a good book into a movie (except with those the movie sucks in comparison to the book). If the book is better than the comic translation, then I definitely have to put the Dark Tower on my Christmas list! Mr. David does a superb job of channeling the narrative of Mr. King. Jae Lee and Richard Isanove produce some haunting and beautiful pages throughout the entire series, as we learn the origins of Roland Deschain, he who will become the Gunslinger. Because of what I perceive to be missing details, there were a few plot holes for me, but I still enjoyed and bet you will to. The $24.99 price tag on the hard cover does make me think some will way for the soft cover trade to appear. But as bonuses in this edition you get maps, a letter form Ralph Macchio, a letter from Stephen King, Richard Isanove’s painted process, maps of Mid-World and a portfolio of all the variant covers and sketches.
Grade: A-
