THE DARK TOWER: THE LONG ROAD HOME #1 DUAL REVIEW

[Blake Petit]

Review by: Blake M. Petit Blake@comixtreme.com; Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Very Good; Very Good
Rating: Parental Advisory

As Roland and his Ka-Tet ride from Hambry, Farson’s men begin their pursuit.

Creative Director: Stephen King
Plotting and Consultation: Robin Furth
Script: Peter David
Art: Jae Lee & Richard Isanove
Letters: Chris Eiliopoulos
Editor: Nicole Boose
Cover Art: Jae Lee & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Blake:Adam and I approached the first Dark Tower series from polar opposite directions – he was a brand-new reader, while I was reading an adaptation of something I was very familiar with. With this series, he and I are closer to even ground – although some of these events have been mentioned before, the story was never fully told before. We pick up just moments after the end of The Gunslinger Born. Susan is dead, Roland and his Ka-Tet have captured the mystical sphere called “Maerlyn’s Grapefruit,” and they’re fleeing from Farson’s men.

Adam:This issue really throws you into the action, as Roland and his friends speed away from an oncoming party that intends to do them harm, with his love Susan having fallen. At first, it was a tad disorienting, to be honest, as the first series ended a while ago and it took me a moment to try and catch up. But once I did, I really liked what I read. Now, remember, of course, that I have never ever read The Dark Tower prior to the first mini-series, and as such have no concept of these characters or their world save for what Peter David has served up in the previous series. But even with my limited knowledge, this was actually a very enjoyable, riveting issue. Whereas the last series had some necessary set-up, this issue dispenses with set-up and delves right into the action, by putting the lead in mortal peril, dispensing with his great love, and putting the burden on his two best friends to take him and their prize to safety.

Blake:This is actually something I really hope we see played up in this series. Alain and Cuthbert became real favorites among fans of this series, despite having relatively little “screen time,” so the promise of a tale that really focuses on the three of them together is very appealing to me.

Adam:I'm already quite excited about where this mini-series will go, at least as far as it concerns the main lead character, Roland, becoming entranced. It really looks like it’s going to be quite the journey, and I'm excited to see where David goes with it and what he is able to do with the opportunity, as far as writing the mindscape, etc, is concerned. His script really works well here, as he gets into a particular voice for his narration, and I really enjoyed it personally. It really captures a certain flavor and essence, which makes the series much more singular in its telling.

The art by Jae Lee is phenomenal here. Now, as is the custom of these issues, they try to pack in some extra material for your reading pleasure, and in this case they also include some pencilled work by Lee prior to Isanove's colors, and you can tell two things- first, that Lee is really working hard on making this series unique in terms of his artistic representation of characters and faces, compared to some of his other work, and you can also tell just how much detail Isanove later puts into the backgrounds, to make it all come to life, and animating Lee's characters with his amazing colors. Isanove is one of the premiere colorists currently in the comics business for a reason, because he brings such richness to the page with his palette of colors. Just beautiful work, and you know you're reading something special when it’s colored by Isanove.

Blake:I’m particularly impressed by the scene with the transformation of the “Grapefruit” into something particularly nasty. Stephen King is infamously influenced by the classic EC horror comics, and I don’t think that’s been more evident than in this scene. What’s more, it’s the sort of scene that would be almost impossible to do in a live-action movie without it just looking silly or going overboard on the CGI. More than ever, I find myself quite convinced that the comic book medium is the superior form for adapting much of King’s work.

As far as the back-up features go, the artwork is great, but I was more intrigued by the first part of “Welcome to the Dogan.” This story really seems to be delving into the past of Arthur Eld and of Mid-World’s relationship to some of the other worlds in its metaphorical orbit. I’m still a little burnt at Marvel for not including all the great supplemental stuff from The Gunslinger born in the collected edition of that book (no doubt they’re saving it for a “special edition” down the line), and I really hope they don’t do the same thing here.

Adam:A good start, I'm definitely intrigued, and really enjoying the book thus far. Excellent art, excellent scripting, and I'm excited to see just where this book is going and what will come next. Highly Recommended (even if you're not a Stephen King or Dark Tower fan per se)!

Blake:Well Adam, I’m a fan of both, so I can recommend it even if you are.

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Adam’s Rating:
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Buy Dark Tower: The Long Road Home products from X-World and save!

[chrismozer]

Big fan of the books. Loved the 1st series and 2nd is just as sweet but was a really quick read. Love that Jae Lee art. Jae has come a long way from his Hellshock days.

Glad that Blake pointed out the abscence of material in the hard cover.
I, too, was not happy about it.

Looking forward more new material. Thankee Sai.

[gregorv]

damn...I really wanted to buy this book...but I had to leave it in the store due to budget issues...I might pick the Hardcover up tho...

[Gabriel Diaz]

See the issue with the HC is that they didn't put in the written material done by Robin Furth...that was awesome stuff.

This has been one of the BEST works about a SK book EVER...that's saying ALOT.

If you can go out and get the single issues, do so. You'll not regret it.

[chrismozer]

Originally Posted by Gabriel Diaz

See the issue with the HC is that they didn't put in the written material done by Robin Furth...that was awesome stuff.

This has been one of the BEST works about a SK book EVER...that's saying ALOT.

If you can go out and get the single issues, do so. You'll not regret it.

Here, here. The Robin Furth stuff was fantastic. Loved knowing some history of Mid-World.

[gregorv]

I didnt really understand all that was going on in this, but it was a good issue...but the art was gorgeous, Jae Lee + Isanove = AWESOME!

[chrismozer]

Originally Posted by gregorv

I didnt really understand all that was going on in this, but it was a good issue...but the art was gorgeous, Jae Lee + Isanove = AWESOME!

Can understand you being lost. I had the advantage of reading the 7 books prior to the comic book release. I highly recommend 'em.

[chrismozer]

Where, oh where, is the review for issue #2???

[Blake Petit]

Adam went solo for that one (the same ultra-busy circumstances that kept me from doing an EBI last week), but I think he posted a few days ago. Look around...

[Adam Chapman]

Here it is, Chris:

http://www.comixtreme.com/forums/sho...ght=dark+tower