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by CBR News Team, Editor
Posted: October 1, 2007 —
Official Press Release
NEW YORK – On November 7, the year’s biggest comic book event will be chronicled in graphic novel format for the first time as Marvel Comics launches an epic, 240-page hard cover edition of Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born, adapted from the master of modern horror Stephen King’s magnum opus. The graphic novel will bring together the complete, initial 7-issue story arc of the comic book series that ranks as one of the year’s biggest sellers and generated huge media attention and significant acclaim. The graphic novel will be available for a suggested retail price of $24.99.
Under the direction and guidance of King himself, collaborating with the all-star creative team of Dark Tower expert Robin Furth (Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: A Complete Concordance), The New York Times-bestselling author Peter David, and Eisner Award-winning artist Jae Lee and fan-favorite Richard Isanove, Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born expands the saga of King’s epic hero, Roland Deschain, whose quest to save the Dark Tower is captured in seven best-selling novels published over the course of twenty-five years. King’s unparalleled storytelling power presents new tales that delve into the life and times of the young Roland, revealing the trials and conflicts that lead to the burden of destiny he must assume as a man, the last Gunslinger from a world that has moved on. The graphic novel works in conjunction with the actual novels, further supplementing and defining the saga’s mythology.
In addition to presenting the complete initial story arc, Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born will also present fans with exciting bonus material. Leading the way is a series of all-new illustrations from Lee. Additional added-value features will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
“As a lifelong fan of Marvel comic books, and as an adult reader who’s seen comics ‘come of age’ and take their rightful place in the world of fantasy and science fiction, I’m excited to be a part of Roland’s new incarnation,” said Stephen King earlier this year when announcing the actual comic book series.
Dan Buckley, President and Publisher of Marvel Entertainment, Publishing, added, “The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born initial comic book series far exceeded even our huge expectations. We knew that the series could be an industry-defining event, but the level of excitement it actually generated is astounding. We are honored to now be able to present this instant comic book classic in a graphic novel format that will enable an even wider spread audience to experience the memorizing stories of the gunslinger in a captivating format.”
Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, released the last three novels in the Dark Tower series (Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower) in 2006. Available in paperback from Scribner is a two-volume concordance to the novels compiled by Robin Furth, who is also contributing to the Marvel comic project. Two new Stephen King novels were also released by Scribner in 2006—CELL (with a protagonist who just happens to be a comic book artist) in January, and LISEY’S STORY in October. Having written over 40 novels, Stephen King is one of the most popular writers of all time, and is undoubtedly the world’s leading horror writer. His books have been translated into 33 languages and published in over 35 countries. Currently, more than 300 million copies of his novels are in print.
Marvel Comics is a division of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the
from Publishers Weekly
Lilja
www.Liljas-Library.com
Lilja
-justin
Lilja
Written by New York Times best-selling author Peter David and Dark Tower expert Robin Furth, visualized stunningly by Jae Lee & Richard Isanove and overseen by the watchful eyes of Stephen King---this graphic novel is a must-have for Dark Tower fans new and old! Readers will peer into the explosively thrilling world of Stephen King's Dark Tower-filled with action, intrigue, adventure, and suspense!
John
No one publisher or creator dominates this year’s nominations, which were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges. DC Comics, which has traditionally been at the top of the list, has 11 nods (+ 6 shared) for such titles as Brian K. Vaughan’s Y the Last Man (Continuing Series, Penciller/Inker, Writer) and Darwyn Cooke’s The Spirit (Continuing Series, Coloring, Lettering). Dark Horse has 12 nominations (+ 4), spearheaded by Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 (Continuing Series, New Series, Writer, Coloring) and Umbrella Academy (Limited Series, Cover Artist, Coloring). Also right up there is Marvel Comics, with 11 nominations (+ 2), with Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born garnering 4 of those (Limited Series, Penciller/Inker, Cover Artist, Coloring). Close behind is alt-comics publisher Fantagraphics, with 11 nominations, including 4 for the quarterly anthology Mome (two in Short Story, Anthology, Lettering) and 2 for the retro Fletcher Hanks collection I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!
Five creators have 4 nominations each: writer/artists Fred Chao and Jimmy Gownley, and writers James Sturm (3 of them for Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow), Brian K. Vaughan (for both Buffy and Y the Last Man), and Joss Whedon (for Buffy, Astonishing X-Men, and the online Sugarshock!). Only three other creators have more than 2 nominations: artist Jae Lee (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born), writer/artist Shaun Tan (The Arrival), and writer/artist/editor Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library #18; Best American Comics 2007).
Ballots will be going out in late April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable pdf of the ballot will also be available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting. Voting is already under way at Eisnervote.com for one category, Hall of Fame, for which the judges chose the nominees in March. The deadline for voting in this category is April 18. The results in all categories will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 25 at Comic-Con International.
The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms. primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture. Jackie Estrada has been administrator of the Awards since 1990. She can be reached at jackiee@mindspring.com.
Best Limited Series
Atomic Robo, by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegender (Red 5 Comics)
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, by Peter David, Robin Furth, and Jae Lee (Marvel)
Nightly News, by Jonathan Hickman (Image)
Parade (with Fireworks), by Michael Cavallaro (Shadowline/Image)
The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá (Dark Horse)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Steve Epting/Butch Guice/Mike Perkins, Captain America (Marvel)
Pia Guerra/Jose Marzan, Jr., Y: The Last Man (Vertical/DC)
Jae Lee, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
Takeshi Obata, Death Note, Hikaru No Go (Viz)
Ethan Van Sciver, Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps (DC)
Best Cover Artist
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Process Recess 2; Superior Showcase 2 (AdHouse)
J. G. Jones, 52 (DC)
Jae Lee, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
Jim Lee, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (DC); World of Warcraft (WildStorm/DC)
Best Coloring
Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! (Renaissance)
Steve Hamaker, Bone, vols. 5 and 6 (Scholastic); Shazam: Monster Society of Evil (DC)
Richard Isanove, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel)
Ronda Pattison, Atomic Robo (Red 5 Comics)
Dave Stewart, BPRD, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cut, Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); The Spirit (DC)
Alex Wald, Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)
>>> Full press release
I must say, I'm impressed. I'm only 3 issues in, but already I'm hooked. The style is a little strange, but somehow compelling. You never really see the characters' faces clearly, which I think adds to their mystery. The story is (unavoidably) greatly compressed, but I think they did a good job in keeping the number of characters down to a manageable number, and including the most critical scenes.
I also think it was a good decision to base the first story arc on Wizard and Glass. The graphic novel form is *very* different from a novel, and I think having a completely new story in such a different form would have been too unfamiliar to DT fans. With The Gunslinger Born, the familiarity of the story makes the format less alien, and we can get used to graphic novel storytelling.
Anyway, I'll continue reading this arc's issues, and move on to the others as they come out in hardcover.
HBJ
I've given up on buying The Stand series because there's no value added. It's simply a literal retelling of something we've already read and know. I'll probably pass on The Talisman this fall, too.
However, I do like the Dark Tower series, partly because the graphic part expands on the story, giving us new elements of the tale, but mostly because of the extra prose material at the back of the books. That's my favorite part of the "adaptation."
Your point on the DT series is an excellent one. Unfortunately, the extra material is not being included in the book versions - or at least not so with the first collection.