Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1
© Marvel

Mania Grade: A
Issue: 1
Authors: Peter David, Robin Furth, Jae Lee, Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Buy it now!

Related Links

1

"The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born"

After months of hype, speculation, and delays, Marvel’s Dark Tower prequel miniseries hit comic shops at midnight last Tuesday.  Fans received the series’s announcement some months ago with questions and a touch of controversy.  Marvel artfully obscured Stephen King’s role in the books creation – as Creative Director and Executive Director, rather than writer – before announcing Peter David’s responsibilities in scripting the series.  Thus, David wrote a script from a plot conceived by King and Robin Furth, the author of two companion volumes for the novel series.  Jae Lee has drawn the miniseries beautifully, and provided even stuffy lit-snobs like myself good reason to look at The Gunslinger Born.   

I admit to only reading Stephen King’s work occasionally.  I also admit to avoiding most popular fiction (outside of comics) in favor of the backlog of great work left behind by so many literary giants.  But, I’ve also never read any of The Dark Tower series and likely won’t, based upon a few trusted recommendations.  I don’t hate King, but I find him usually lacking as a writer.  However, I resolved to assess The Gunslinger Born fairly and not let my disinterest in the novels affect my opinion of this first issue.  For those new to The Dark Tower, this first miniseries adapts the flashback sequence showing Roland Deschain’s youth from the novel Wizard and Glass, the fourth in the novel series.  The series takes place in Mid-World, a realm that combines western elements with Tolkien-esque high fantasy.  At the start, we see young Roland training to become a Gunslinger – a sacred order of cowboy knights.  To earn his guns, he must challenge and defeat his instructor, Cort.  Though unusually young, Roland impulsively challenges his instructor after discovering his mother in a compromising position. 

To veteran readers of The Dark Tower novels, the story will likely offer few surprises.  I can’t attest to it faithfulness to the flashback from Wizard and Glass, but I can only imagine that with King and Furth’s involvement it should please fans of the novel.  The impetus for adapting this story as the first miniseries springs from the desire to accommodate new readers unfamiliar with The Dark Tower.  Speaking as one such reader, I can recommend The Gunslinger Born for new readers seeking an introduction to the whole series.  Jae Lee’s art never looks less than amazing, making this easily one of the best looking comics on the shelf this month and likely the rest of the year.  I don’t know how closely Peter David’s script resembles King’s novel, but the latter’s prose usually, in my estimation, hinders his work.  In the case of The Gunslinger Born, Lee’s fantastic art with David’s sparser script highlights the strength of King’s story, seen clearer when removed from the novel and recreated for comics.  This is worth a look.