The Dark Tower (comics)
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The Dark Tower, first published in 2007, is a series of comic books (originally published by Marvel Comics and later republished by Gallery 13) based on Stephen King's The Dark Tower series of novels. Overall, it is plotted by Robin Furth and scripted by Peter David. Stephen King serves as Creative and Executive Director of the project.
Overview
[edit]The Dark Tower: Beginnings
[edit]The first chapter run of the series, originally entitled simply The Dark Tower, launched February 7, 2007, and consisted of 30 issues that made up five volumes illustrated primarily by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove. The first volume, The Gunslinger Born, was based mostly on flashbacks from The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger and The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass; the remaining volumes (The Long Road Home, Treachery, Fall of Gilead, and Battle of Jericho Hill) contained mostly new/original content which expanded upon details and events more briefly referenced throughout the novels. In addition to the five primary story arcs, the chapter run also included the one-shot, The Sorcerer. As stated by Peter David's afterword to The Long Road Home, the chapter run detailed Roland Deschain's "progress from callow youth to gunslinger," starting with his adventures in Mejis from Wizard and Glass and ending with the Battle of Jericho Hill (as detailed in The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla and The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower). This series was re-titled by Papa Arpit The Dark Tower: Beginnings to clarify its prequel status when Gallery 13 took over as publisher.[1]
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
[edit]The second chapter run, under the title of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, began May 9, 2010. It consisted of another 30 issues across five additional volumes written by Furth and David. Following Lee's departure from the series, this chapter run featured Isanove teaming with a different artist for each story arc. The first volume, The Journey Begins, took place 12 years after the Battle of Jericho Hill and mostly detailed events which occurred between the time of the battle and the start of the novel The Gunslinger. The second volume, The Little Sisters of Eluria, was based mostly upon the short story of the same name. The remaining volumes were largely adaptations of the novellas within The Gunslinger. The third, The Battle of Tull, was based mostly upon content from "The Gunslinger". The fourth, The Way Station, was based mostly upon "The Way Station" and "The Oracle and the Mountains". The fifth, The Man in Black, was based mostly upon "The Slow Mutants" and "The Gunslinger and the Dark Man". In addition to the five primary story arcs, two limited series (Sheemie's Tale and Evil Ground) and another one-shot (So Fell Lord Perth) were released as part of this chapter run.
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three
[edit]The Dark Tower comics were planned to be finished after the August 7, 2013, release of So Fell Lord Perth.[2] However, on April 25, 2014, a third chapter run, The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three, was announced.[3] This chapter run, based primarily on the novel The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three, began September 17, 2014. The series continued to be written by Furth and David but featured, for the first time, new, rotating artistic teams that did not feature Isanove. The volumes in this chapter run focused on the newly gathered (or 'drawn') members of Roland's ka-tet, as divided in the novel into sections based on the mysterious doors through which Roland must travel. The first and second volumes (The Prisoner and House of Cards) focused on Eddie Dean, who was introduced in the section of the novel also named "The Prisoner". The third and fourth volumes (Lady of Shadows and Bitter Medicine) focused on Odetta Holmes, who was introduced in the section of the novel named "The Lady of Shadows". The fifth volume (The Sailor) focused on Jake Chambers, who survived his original fate thanks to a change in the timeline (as shown in the section of the novel named "The Pusher") and resultantly struggled to find a way to return to Mid-World (as depicted in the first half of The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands). This chapter run was the last to be published by Marvel Comics.
Collected editions and end of Marvel publication
[edit]On November 7, 2007, Marvel began publishing collections for each story arc, and on September 21, 2011, it began publishing hardcover omnibus editions collecting each chapter run, with bonus materials not contained in the original releases. However, only the first two chapter runs received the omnibus treatment; Marvel's publication of the series ended before an omnibus edition of The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three was released.
Gallery 13 republication
[edit]In 2018, Gallery 13 took over publication of the Dark Tower comics,[1] beginning in August by republishing the collected graphic novels from the original chapter run of the series (rebranded as Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings), with the collected graphic novels from The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger chapter run set to be republished beginning spring 2019.[4] Since the announcement of the rights acquisition specifically indicated only the first 11 volumes,[5] there is currently neither any information whether the republication ultimately will include The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three nor any information whether any new content will be produced.
List of original Marvel Comics chapter runs and story arcs
[edit]| Arc # | Title | Issue(s) | Release date(s) | Plot | Script | Interior Art | Cover(s)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dark Tower: Beginnings | |||||||
1
|
The Gunslinger Born | 7 | February 7 - August 1, 2007 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove |
2
|
The Long Road Home | 5 | March 5 - July 2, 2008 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove |
3
|
Treachery | 6 | September 10, 2008 - February 25, 2009 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove |
-
|
The Sorcerer | 1 | April 15, 2009 | Robin Furth | Robin Furth | Richard Isanove | Richard Isanove |
4
|
Fall of Gilead | 6 | May 13 - November 25, 2009 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Richard Isanove, Dean White | Richard Isanove, Jae Lee |
5
|
Battle of Jericho Hill | 5 | December 3, 2009 - April 21, 2010 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove | Jae Lee & Richard Isanove |
| The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | |||||||
6
|
The Journey Begins | 5 | May 19 - September 22, 2010 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Sean Phillips & Richard Isanove | Sean Phillips & Richard Isanove |
7
|
The Little Sisters of Eluria | 5 | December 8, 2010 - April 13, 2011 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Luke Ross & Richard Isanove | Luke Ross & Richard Isanove |
8
|
The Battle of Tull | 5 | June 1 - October 5, 2011 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Richard Isanove | Michael Lark & Richard Isanove |
9
|
The Way Station | 5 | December 14, 2011 - April 25, 2012 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Laurence Campbell & Richard Isanove | Laurence Campbell & Richard Isanove |
10
|
The Man in Black | 5 | June 20 - October 17, 2012 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Alex Maleev & Richard Isanove | Alex Maleev |
-
|
Sheemie's Tale | 2 | January 9 - February 13, 2013 | Robin Furth | Robin Furth | Richard Isanove | Richard Isanove |
-
|
Evil Ground | 2 | April 3 - June 5, 2013 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Richard Isanove, Dean White | Richard Isanove |
-
|
So Fell Lord Perth | 1 | August 7, 2013 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Richard Isanove | Richard Isanove |
| The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three | |||||||
11
|
The Prisoner | 5 | September 3 - November 30, 2014 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Piotr Kowalski & Nick Filardi | Julian Totino Tedesco |
12
|
House of Cards | 5 | March 25 - July 15, 2015 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Piotr Kowalski & Nick Filardi | Julian Totino Tedesco |
13
|
Lady of Shadows | 5 | September 2, 2015 - January 20, 2016 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Jonathan Marks & Lee Loughridge | Nimit Malavia |
14
|
Bitter Medicine | 5 | April 20 - August 31, 2016 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Jonathan Marks & Lee Loughridge | Nimit Malavia |
15
|
The Sailor | 5 | October 12, 2016 - February 8, 2017 | Robin Furth | Peter David | Juanan Ramirez, Cory Hamscher, Jesus Aburtov, Federico Blee | Jay Anacleto & Romulo Fajardo Jr. |
- Notes
- Cover artists listed are for primary first-printing cover art, not additional printings and/or variant covers.
List of original Marvel Comics companion releases
[edit]| Vol # | Title | Issue(s) | Release date(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
-
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born Sketchbook | 1 | December 13, 2006 |
-
|
Marvel Spotlight: The Dark Tower | 1 | January 31, 2007 |
-
|
The Dark Tower: Gunslinger's Guidebook | 1 | August 1, 2007 |
-
|
The Dark Tower: End-World Almanac | 1 | July 2, 2008 |
-
|
The Dark Tower: Guide to Gilead | 1 | April 8, 2009 |
-
|
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three / Revenge Sampler | 1 | July 30, 2014 |
List of original Marvel Comics collected editions
[edit]Story arc collections
[edit]| Vol # | Title | Format | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dark Tower: Beginnings | |||||
1
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born | Hardcover | 0785121447 | November 7, 2007 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1-7 |
| Paperback | 0785121455 | May 19, 2010 | |||
2
|
The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home | Hardcover | 0785127097 | October 7, 2008 | The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785127798 | October 20, 2010 | |||
3
|
The Dark Tower: Treachery | Hardcover | 078513574X | April 21, 2009 | The Dark Tower: Treachery #1-6 |
| Paperback | 0785135758 | March 16, 2011 | |||
4
|
The Dark Tower: Fall of Gilead | Hardcover | 0785129510 | February 23, 2010 | The Dark Tower: The Sorcerer #1 and Fall of Gilead #1-6 |
| Paperback | 0785129529 | November 2, 2011 | |||
5
|
The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill | Hardcover | 0785129537 | August 18, 2010 | The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785129545 | May 9, 2012 | |||
| The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | |||||
6
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins | Hardcover | 0785147098 | January 25, 2011 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785147101 | November 14, 2012 | |||
7
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Little Sisters of Eluria | Hardcover | 0785149317 | June 22, 2011 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Little Sisters of Eluria #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785149325 | January 29, 2013 | |||
8
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Battle of Tull | Hardcover | 0785149333 | January 25, 2012 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Battle of Tull #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785149341 | May 7, 2013 | |||
9
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Way Station | Hardcover | 078514935X | June 27, 2012 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Way Station #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785149368 | July 30, 2013 | |||
10
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Man in Black | Hardcover | 0785149376 | January 15, 2013 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Man in Black #1-5 |
| Paperback | 0785149384 | October 29, 2013 | |||
11
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - Last Shots | Paperback* | 0785149414 | October 8, 2013 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - Sheemie's Tale #1-2, Evil Ground #1-2, and So Fell Lord Perth #1 |
| The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three | |||||
12
|
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Prisoner | Paperback | 0785191577 | March 10, 2015 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Prisoner #1-5 |
13
|
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - House of Cards | Paperback | 0785192816 | September 22, 2015 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - House of Cards #1-5 |
14
|
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Lady of Shadows | Paperback | 0785192824 | March 29, 2016 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Lady of Shadows #1-5 |
15
|
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Bitter Medicine | Paperback | 0785192808 | October 18, 2016 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Bitter Medicine #1-5 |
16
|
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Sailor | Paperback | 0785192840 | May 9, 2017 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Sailor #1-5 |
- Notes
- Story arc collections 1-10 originally were made available in both hardcover and softcover (paperback) formats. Beginning with collection 11, the only printed edition released was a paperback format (this did not apply to the omnibus editions, which continued to be released solely in hardcover).
Omnibus collections
[edit]| Vol # | Title | Format | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dark Tower: Beginnings | |||||
1
|
The Dark Tower Omnibus | Hardcover | 0785155414 | September 21, 2011 | Story arc collections 1-5 |
| The Dark Tower Omnibus Companion | Bonus material not included in the original individual collections (1-5) | ||||
| The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | |||||
2
|
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Omnibus | Hardcover | 0785188703 | September 3, 2014 | Story arc collections 6-11 |
| The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Omnibus Companion | Bonus material not included in the original individual collections (6-11) |
List of Gallery 13 republished collected editions
[edit]Story arc collections
[edit]| Vol # | Title | Format | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings | |||||
1
|
The Gunslinger Born (Book 1) | Hardcover | 1982108207 | August 28, 2018 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1-7 |
2
|
The Long Road Home (Book 2) | Hardcover | 1982108231 | August 28, 2018 | The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1-5 |
3
|
Treachery (Book 3) | Hardcover | 1982108258 | September 11, 2018 | The Dark Tower: Treachery #1-6 |
4
|
The Fall of Gilead (Book 4) | Hardcover | 1982108274 | September 25, 2018 | The Dark Tower: The Sorcerer #1 and Fall of Gilead #1-6 |
5
|
The Battle of Jericho Hill (Book 5) | Hardcover | 1982108290 | October 9, 2018 | The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill #1-5 |
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | |||||
6
|
The Journey Begins (Book 1) | Hardcover | 198210984X | February 5, 2019 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins #1-5 |
7
|
The Little Sisters of Eluria (Book 2) | Hardcover | 1982109866 | March 5, 2019 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Little Sisters of Eluria #1-5 |
8
|
The Battle of Tull (Book 3) | Hardcover | 1982109882 | April 2, 2019 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Battle of Tull #1-5 |
9
|
The Way Station (Book 4) | Hardcover | 1982109904 | May 7, 2019 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Way Station #1-5 |
10
|
The Man in Black (Book 5) | Hardcover | 1982109920 | June 4, 2019 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Man in Black #1-5 |
11
|
Last Shots (Book 6) | Hardcover | 1982109947 | July 2, 2019 | The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - Sheemie's Tale #1-2, Evil Ground #1-2, and So Fell Lord Perth #1 |
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three | |||||
12
|
The Prisoner (Book 1) | Hardcover | 1982135298 | March 24, 2020 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Prisoner #1-5 |
13
|
House of Cards (Book 2) | Hardcover | 198213531X | April 21, 2020 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - House of Cards #1-5 |
14
|
The Lady of Shadows (Book 3) | Hardcover | 1982135336 | May 19, 2020 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Lady of Shadows #1-5 |
15
|
Bitter Medicine (Book 4) | Hardcover | 1982135352 | June 16, 2020 | The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Bitter Medicine #1-5 |
Boxed set collections
[edit]| Vol # | Title | Format | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings | |||||
1
|
Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings - The Complete Graphic Novel Series | Hardcover | 1982110201 | October 23, 2018 | Story arc collections 1-5 |
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | |||||
2
|
Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Complete Graphic Novel Series | Hardcover | 1982123168 | October 22, 2019 | Story arc collections 6-11 |
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three | |||||
3
|
Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - The Complete Graphic Novel Series | Hardcover | 1982135468 | October 20, 2020 | Story arc collections 12-15 |
Omnibus collections
[edit]| Vol # | Title | Format | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings | |||||
1
|
Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Beginnings Omnibus | Hardcover | 1982108312 | May 1, 2020 | Story arc collections 1-5 + bonus material |
| Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | |||||
2
|
Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Omnibus | Hardcover | 1668021218 | October 24, 2023 | Story arc collections 6-11 + bonus material |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Brian Cronin (21 June 2018). "Stephen King's Dark Tower Comics Leave Marvel For Another Publisher". cbr.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ "Marvel Comics: The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - So Fell Lord Perth". marvel.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ Darren Franich (27 April 2014). "The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three: Marvel creators reveal secrets from the new Stephen King adaptation". ew.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ Christian Holub (19 June 2018). "Stephen King's Dark Tower graphic novels to be republished by Gallery 13". ew.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ Rich Johnston (19 June 2018). "Exclusive: Gallery 13 Grab Stephen King's The Dark Tower Graphic Novel Rights from Marvel". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
External links
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