STEPHEN KING’S THE DARK TOWER:

THE GUNSLINGER BORN

creative and executive director Stephen King

plotting and consultation Robin Furth

script Peter David

art Jae Lee and Richar Isanove

published by Marvel Comics

ISBN-10: 0785121447

ISBN-13: 978-0785121442

review by Adam Armstrong

11.18.2008

Wait a minute…I already knew that.

Roland Deschain has bested his teacher and become the youngest gunslinger ever known. But this is not a time to celebrate. Roland finds that his mother is cheating with Marten Broadclock. Roland’s father, Steven, confronts Roland about his stupidity for becoming a gunslinger so young and tells Roland that he knows of his wife’s infidelities. Steven is trying to slow the forces of John Farson the Good Man, and he sends Roland and his friends Alain and Cuthbert to Hambry to find out if oil is being produced for the Old Ones war machines. In Hambry, Roland falls in love and forgets the face of his father damning himself in the process.

The Dark Tower is considered by many to be Stephen King’s magnum opus. King joined with Marvel a few years back to tell some stories that weren’t in The Dark Tower books. The first graphic novel, The Gunslinger Born, goes over many of the elements already discussed in Wizard and Glass. While I was disappointed by the lack of new material, I have to confess the artwork blew me away. The action conveyed through some of the drawings is nothing short of amazing. A couple notable renderings are the Crimson King in his true form and John Farson (the latter of which I found to be scary as hell), neither of which I believe were in Wizard and Glass.

For Stephen King/Dark Tower fans a must have. For everyone else it is worth a look.

5 out of 5