Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born

I ordered paperback books only. The books were sent to a prison where only paperbacks are permitted. The order was returned. Please correct the bill and the order.

I should state right away that I have not read Stephen King's book series "Dark Tower", nor the individual magazines that I believed this hardcover graphic novel was a compilation of, yet. I do intend to buy the 7 books, but I'm also very fond of this variant of books (graphic novels), so I did not hesitate to buy this. The book is split into seven chapters, which I assume correspond to the individual 7 magazines. I notice that a lot of people are dissatisfied with this hardcover edition due to it having left out material, but since this is my first encounter with the Dark Tower-series, I can only recognize their grievances as probably valid, but not really concerning myself at this time. That they publish high-quality hard-covers is uncommon enough as it is, in this market of cheap paperbacks and low-quality publishing. This excellent graphic novel contains the story of Roland Deschain's and his friends youth and eventual growth into gunslingers, a kind of medieval knight with the exoteric form of a gun wielding ranger. The story is quite the epic with its brooding heroes, evil forces, beautiful but troubled women, horrible creatures and all the various vicissitudes of life. The drawings themselves are simply breathtaking, and contain such amazing colouring, shading, drawing and storytelling that I instantly decided to buy the rest of the series published so far. Roland is the main protagonist, and is among other things fighting a man aptly named "The Good Man". The main story in this book is their gradual confrontation, and eventual fight at the end. All in all, epic storytelling for adults that I found appealing in every way and without the negative sides that I find King to sometimes espouse in some of his writing; a kind of soft-core horror that I can't really imagine thrill anyone but the occasional housewife of the 80's. If you ever liked the type of graphic novel represented for example by "300", "Sin City" and so on, I think I can guarantee you'll find this to be enjoyable too. I read it in one sitting, if that is anything to go by. 5 stars.

This is a very good adaptation of the best part of "The Gunslinger" and the entire "Wizard & Glass." I read the single issue first, but unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I did not miss the extra background material that has been cut out. It is not as good as some classic graphic novels (like "The Watchmen"); however, it is still an excellent telling of a classic story. This is fine work by both King and Marvel. I would recommend it to any fan of King, Marvel, or graphic novels in general.

This book is very good, and the story is really interesting, Jae Lee's art is awesome and strong, well this book tells the beggining of the gunslinger Roland, the only thing is that the story has not end, and of course I can't wait to read the next collection, I never read any Stephen King's novel, but this is good, it mixes cowboys and magic, well I think if you love adult graphic novels then this is a must have, and of course if you love Stephen King's novel then I am sure you will enjoy this adaptation.

To compare this graphic novel to its paperback predecessor would be unfair. Similar to books that are translated to movies, certain elements won't or simply cannot translate. As someone who has an afinity for reading comics, graphic novels and books I can say I highly recommend this book. When this medium does a good job it sucks you in to its world. From the first turn of the page you will be engrossed in and become part of the world of the gunslinger born. The writing and artwok are amazing. I was never a huge fan of Peter David's writing but his work here is astounding. I have been a huge fan of Jae Lee's artwork since his early days on Namor. This is by far his best work. Richard Isanove completes this story with his beautiful coloring. This is a great coming of age story with interesting characters, politics and action to spare. You will not be dissappointed with this book.

Shortly after graduating high school (too many years ago to admit to), I read my second Stephen King novel. I decided to take on King's 800+ page epic called The Stand (updated in the 90s to 1100+ pages!)...this after finishing his awesome story about young Ms. Charlie McGee called Firestarter. After those two novels I was hooked on anything King...couldn't wait for his next release. In 1982 King brought back the main antagonist (albeit under a different name) of The Stand for the beginning of what turned into an awesome seven-part series called The Dark Tower. Flash-forward to 2007 and here we are with a new beginning to The Dark Tower series, a prequel, a graphic novel called The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born. King worked closely with Marvel, his personal assistant of several years (Robin Furth) and an experienced comic book writer (Peter David) in order to deliver this inaugural graphic novel adaptation of his work. Jae Lee (another experienced comic booker) did the amazing artwork. And the result?...the beginning of what will hopefully go on for many years...a neverending adaptation to a neverending story one can only hope. Unlike a King novel that takes a guy like me days (sometimes weeks) to finish, The Gunslinger Born takes about an hour. And readers are rewarded with King's signature prose and stunning images to accompany every word. The story starts with Roland Deschain's Gunslinger School "graduation test" (rest assured this ain't no written test), then follows Roland and friends as they embark on their fisrt assignment by the elders. Another chapter in the series titled Dark Tower: The Long Road Home is slated for release in October 2008, and I'm pretty excited about it. But I can say that I'd look forward much more to taking The Dark Tower novels and converting them with this writing/artistic crew into graphic novels for an amazing, refreshing re-read. After all...it's been 25 years since I read the first Dark Tower novel, and the way my memory has been working lately, a graphic novel adaptation would be like reading it for the first time. Regardless, whether you've ever read a comic book, graphic novel, Dark Tower or Stephen King story for that matter, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born is a great place to escape into a world that goes on forever. Do ya kennit? Add it to your cart.