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N. The Comic Series Hardcover
Marvel Comics will publish Stephen King's short story "N" in a 112 page hardcover due in stores on October 29th, 2009.
The episodic graphic adaptation that was initially launched online will be collected in a graphic novel that will retail for $24.99.
The interior art is drawn by award-winning comic-book artist Alex Maleev, whose work has appeared on NBC's "Heroes," and colored by famed comic-book colorist José Villarrubia, best known for his collaborations with Alan Moore.
You can pre-order at Amazon.
Details :
Stephen King's N. The Comic Series Premiere HC (Hardcover)
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Marvel Comics (October 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0785134530
ISBN-13: 978-0785134534
The episodic graphic adaptation that was initially launched online will be collected in a graphic novel that will retail for $24.99.
The interior art is drawn by award-winning comic-book artist Alex Maleev, whose work has appeared on NBC's "Heroes," and colored by famed comic-book colorist José Villarrubia, best known for his collaborations with Alan Moore.
You can pre-order at Amazon.
Details :
Stephen King's N. The Comic Series Premiere HC (Hardcover)
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Marvel Comics (October 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0785134530
ISBN-13: 978-0785134534
Comments
Lilja
Lilja
The story in question is called "N." I found it in his short-story collection "Just After Sunset," a collection I will handily admit I did not know existed until it stood out to at me in a small bookstore near Wrigley Field. King's stated influence for the piece is Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan," but to me, it's got "Lost" written all over it. Why?
It deals with curious energy just below the surface of the earth/reality.
The story is structured as a series of journal entries, extending outwards from a man who suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He's convinced that his system is the only thing that's saving the world from utter destruction.
It involves a caged monster.
In "Lost," we have a circle of ash that may or may not be related to the smoke monster. In "N.", we have a circle of rocks in a field that may or may not contain a monster from another universe trying to bust in.
It concerns the inherent (and very real) power of numbers.
The patient, dubbed "N." by one of the story's narrators, relates the power of certain numbers to the doorway between the universes in this otherwise ordinary field. See, at certain times, "N." sees eight stones in the field. But other times? Only seven. This cannot be, and yet it is. Eight stones contain the beast, but seven do not. This knowledge doesn't come from anything more than feeling, an intrinsic link between the power of the universe and a man-made way to describe the physical world around him. His obsession with "good" numbers cripples him, pushing him into ever more obsessive-compulsive actions as a way to systemically ward off the awful creature that will inevitably escape should the wrong number stay in play too long.
As I read "N." and its various descriptions of "good" and "bad" numbers (the number 19, itself at the heart of "The Dark Tower", is still a very, very bad number in this novella), my thoughts turned naturally to Leonard, Hurley, and the Numbers that have haunted "Lost" over the past five years. The Numbers are perhaps the greatest example of The Island's propensity not to promote mind OVER matter, but mind into matter. And that subtle difference matters.
>> Read more!
Marvel is proud to announce Stephen King’s “N.” #1 (of 4), a new graphic fiction adaptation of the bestselling author’s chilling short story in his recently-released collection, Just After Sunset. The blockbuster creative team of Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev, also responsible for the red-hot Stephen King’s “N” Motion Comic, tell the story of something terrifying hidden in Ackerman’s Field. A bizarre arrangement of eight stones keeps a nightmare contained, but when--in the eye of an unfortunate beholder--the eight stones become seven, the fabric of what we think is real begins to shred, and an unbearable doom seizes the mind.
"It's absolutely thrilling for Marvel to be working on 'N.' again and having the honor to publish it as a comic book miniseries," said said Ruwan Jayatilleke, Marvel Senior Vice President, Development & Planning, Print, Animation and Digital Media. "Both as a fan of the story and a producer on the 'N.' motion comic, I am absolutely psyched for the terrifying ride that Marc, Alex, and the editors have planned for readers!"
It’s the graphic fiction adaptation demanded by fans all over the world-- Stephen King’s “N.” begins in March and no horror fan can afford to miss this alarming tale!
STEPHEN KING'S "N." #1 (of 4)
Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
Art & Cover by ALEX MALEEV
Cardstock Cover/Parental Advisory...$3.99
© 2010 Stephen King. All rights reserved.
ON SALE MARCH 2010
One of the more obvious trends in comics over the last few years is the adaptation of successful novels to comic books. Not only are classics getting the comic treatment at Marvel, but current, high-profile authors are turning to comic books as another medium for their prose stories.
Probably leading the charge in comics adaptations is novelist Stephen King, whose first foray into translating his novels to comics was Marvel's adaptation of his The Dark Tower series. That comic attracted King fans by the thousands, and he's since adapted The Stand at Marvel and The Talisman with Peter Straub as a comic at Del Rey.
Now the author is bringing his short story N. to Marvel with a four-issue limited series that starts in March. Adapted by writer Marc Guggenheim with art by Alex Maleev, the N. comic book will actually add to King's original short story, which was recently released in the Just After Sunset collection.
Comic book fans – and King's enthusiasts – will remember that Guggenheim and Maleev already adapted N. as a motion comic that was released by Marvel in 2008 before the story even saw print. But the pair had to re-engineer the story for comic books, expanding the 25 short video episodes into four printed comics, taking the spoken dialogue and making it work in word balloons, and redoing the artwork to tell the story in a sequential format.
Plus, the new format allowed Guggenheim and Maleev to add some brand new elements to N. that have never been explored before.
N. tells the story of a psychiatrist who falls victim of the same mysterious obsession as one of his patients – a man simply labeled as "N." The obsession stems from a visit to a circle of rocks placed in "Ackerman's Field" on the outskirts of town, and it starts to affect more than just one person.
With the release of the series scheduled for March 3rd, Newsarama spoke with Guggenheim to find out more about the adaptation and what the writer was able to add to the story that readers have never been told before.
>>> Read the interview
The horror master brings another story to comic books.
by Andy Bentley
March 3, 2010 - Stephen King has had several successful comic book projects as of late; however, few fall into his most beloved genre of horror/suspense. That type of story is difficult to achieve in comics, where the reader is in charge of the visual pacing and a glance across a panel can ruin a surprise. Luckily, Marvel enlisted top talent for N -- namely, Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev – who offer up an intriguing story filled with both ancient and modern day paranoia.
This book marks the second adaptation of the novella N., the first being a series of webisodes by the same creative team. For the comic, the creators have returned to using character written documents as a form of narrative, which is how King originally told the story. This postmortem way of delivering details immediately gives the story a mysterious feel. Maleev makes these documents as photorealistic as possible, which gives them a sense of weight and genuineness. However, because a comic book full of illustrative documents wouldn't be that exciting, the story quickly segues into sequential art.
As psychiatrist John Bonsaint treats a patient only known as "N.", details such as Ambien, OCD (obsession compulsive disorder), and digital cameras emerge that root the story in modern times. The patient's fear and anxiety, however, stems from an ancient artifact seemingly connected with a murder committed in the 1900's. King deftly interweaves past and modern fears by posing the question "what if the fear felt by OCD victims was truly a guard to protect the world from harm?" It is established that Bonsaint has perished after treating "N." and his wife believes the case led to his suicide. The implication that N's disease could be transmitted like an infection is quite disturbing.
The quintessential scene of the book involves the event that sent N. into an obsessive compulsive state. In a flashback, N. comes upon a series of stones out in Ackerman's field which happens to be close to where Bonsaint grew up. The stones evoke the memory of Stonehenge, an artifact that also has supernatural elements. The reader is only given a brief glimpse of the event which offers more questions than answers. This leaves the reader anxious to learn of their true nature. The book ends on N.'s apocalyptic vision of things to come which allows Maleev to let loose on a two-page panel. His choice of color to invoke mood throughout the issue is superb.
N. shares a lot of elements with the hit television show LOST, which makes sense considering that the writers are huge Stephen King fans. King, via Guggenheim, taps into our nature to seek answers to the unexplained while also exploring our inherent fear of mental illness. Whether you check out the original novel, the webisodes, or this comic adaptation, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
Stephen King's N
Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev, Marvel, $24.99 (112p) ISBN 978-0-7851-3453-4
This horror comic is brilliantly adapted from a Stephen King short story, published in his recent collection, Just After Sunset. King readers will recognize the rural Maine setting, the menacing tone, and the constant threat of evil lurking, just waiting to break into the everyday life of unsuspecting normal folks. In this world, those with OCD behaviors are actually right, the world will fall apart if they don't count and arrange their surroundings to precise specifications, because "the gate in our heads... [the] one that keeps insanity in all of us from flooding our intellects" has been breached. Not only that, but the disease is catching, as one obsessive compulsive passes his or her disorder on to whomever they reveal it to. The storytelling is tight and utterly, creepily effective, while the gritty, detailed drawing style pulls the horror from even the most innocent setting, inky abstraction of nightmare energies rising from the earth contrasting, to horrifying effect, with near photo-realistic drawings of characters' faces. A gripping, masterful story that anyone who doesn't scare easily--and many who do--will relish. (Nov.)