The Dark Tower Companion

by Bev Vincent

  Though a passing familiarity with the Dark Tower books will no doubt enhance a reader’s enjoyment of these graphic novels, the creators intended for them to stand by themselves and to be accessible to people who have never read the books or, for that matter, comics.

  A press release from Diamond stated, “King is directly involved in the creative aspects of this project, supervising all editorial and visual content. Robin Furth…is outlining the Dark Tower comic book series, providing scene-by-scene plotting and maintaining the continuity and consistency of each story arc.” In other words, as executive editor and creative director of the series, King didn’t write the scripts from which the graphic novels are created, but the stories have his stamp of approval.

  Should the incidents within them be treated as part of the Dark Tower canon? There is some debate among Dark Tower fans on this matter. Many consider this, like Discordia, to be part of an expanded universe and thus not canon. Since this visual medium is different from prose, the creators have taken some liberty with the known “facts” and there are times when the graphic novels contradict King’s books. King said that he wanted to give a lot of creative control to other imaginations that he had come to respect. See also his comments about the graphic novels in his interview in this book.

  In addition to the story arcs, Marvel ordered a number of single-issue references (Gunslinger’s Guidebook, Guide to Gilead and End-World Almanac), along with some single-or two-issue stories: The Sorcerer and Sheemie’s Tale, for example.

  Robin Furth also writes essays in each issue that elaborate on the Dark Tower mythology, covering such diverse topics as the geography of Mid-World, the Guardians of the Beam and the magic number nineteen. She often seeks King’s input and approval when writing these essays, but they are her own creations and not King’s.

  Marvel promoted the series heavily, producing a trailer, screensavers, a free promotional volume that was given out at comic book stores a few months before the launch date and midnight launches for the different series with artists and writers on hand. Collectible issues with variant covers by noted comic book artists were released. The issues were among the most popular titles from Marvel throughout their five-year run.

  THE GUNSLINGER BORN

  Original release dates: February 2007 through August 2007 (7 issues)

  Credits:

  • Creative Director and Executive Director: Stephen King

  • Plotting and Consultation: Robin Furth

  • Script: Peter David

  • Art: Jae Lee and Richard Isanove

  • Lettering: Chris Eliopoulos

  As with The Gunslinger, issue one of The Gunslinger Born introduces the man in black before Roland and delivers the iconic opening sentence of the first novel among some rather chaotic visuals. Then Roland is introduced in all his glory in a two-page spread that also drops in the concepts of ka and the Dark Tower.

  Turning the page, readers see a new image of Roland in a similar stance. His face, which aligns neatly with the one on the previous page, is younger. Fourteen-year-old Roland has his hawk on his outstretched arm and his fellow gunslingers-in-training are with him. In rapid succession, readers are introduced to Roland Deschain, Cuthbert Allgood, Alain Johns, Thomas Whitman (mentioned only in passing in The Gunslinger) and their fighting instructor, Cort.

  The story picks up with Marten Broadcloak exposing Roland to his mother’s infidelity, which goads him into his test of manhood, presumably before he’s ready. The story of Roland using his hawk, David, against Cort follows the tale Roland told Jake Chambers in The Gunslinger, except for a scene that shows Marten’s reaction to Roland’s victory.

  While Roland’s father is chastising him for acting rashly and allowing Marten to manipulate him so easily, Marten shifts into the guise of Walter o’Dim and communes with his master, the Crimson King, at his infernal castle via Black Thirteen, which isn’t introduced in King’s novels until Wolves of the Calla.

  This scene introduces the pink orb from the Wizard’s Rainbow that will play an important part in Roland’s adventure in Mejis, The appearance of the Crimson King here is also unique, in that the Lord of the Spiders is offstage for most of the Dark Tower series, appearing in person only at the end of The Dark Tower. They discuss John Farson’s planned ambush at the Shavéd Mountains, which Roland learns about only near the end of his stay in Mejis.

  The Crimson King knows of a prophecy that says Roland will one day be the end of him and his minions. Steven sends men to arrest Marten, but the wizard turns them into dogs and vanishes through a magic door that he draws on the wall with chalk.

  The elder gunslingers send Roland, Cuthbert and Alain to Mejis to count horses, but also to see if the oil fields there can supply Farson with fuel for the machines of the Great Old Ones. This is another way the graphic novels diverge subtly from King’s text. Roland learns of the Citgo field and Farson’s plan only after he arrives in Hambry.

  The Big Coffin Hunters—all of them deputies instead of just Eldred Jonas—are introduced in a scene of wanton violence, and Sheemie Ruiz is left to clean up their mess, though he isn’t named. The young ka-tet’s stopover in Ritzy, which Roy Depape will discover after he backtracks their trail, is shown chronologically. This is where Roland learns that Pat Delgado is dead, which is never explained in the novel.

  The Big Coffin Hunters deliver the grapefruit to Rhea as Susan Delgado arrives for her inspection and she meets Roland (Will Dearborn) in the aftermath. This part of the story is a direct—if abbreviated—translation of the scenes from Wizard and Glass.

  A dramatic difference from the novels, though, is the physical appearance of John Farson, who is never seen directly in King’s text. He is depicted as a grotesque figure, reminiscent of Vlad the Impaler. Walter arrives through his magic door and consults with Farson, which confirms that the two are distinct beings and that Walter appears to be in Farson’s service.

  The welcome dinner at Mayor Thorin’s is much as it is in Wizard and Glass, but the showdown between the Affiliation Brats and the Big Coffin Hunters has a different onset. In the novel, Sheemie simply trips and spills camel piss on Roy Depape. Here, Clay Reynolds kicks a loudmouth drunk, who stumbles into Sheemie, causing the camel piss to spill on Depape. Roland and Susan’s relationship proceeds apace, and he enlists her help to reconnoiter the oil field and the thinny. A new scene shows Walter meeting with Farson’s lieutenant, George Latigo, who is using expendable slow mutants to prepare the oil-refining equipment.

  Roland and Susan consummate their relationship without as much dithering as in the novel, and the comics have less time to spend on Cuthbert’s anger over Roland’s distraction, too, though it does culminate in Cuthbert punching Roland after he intercepts Rhea’s note sent via Sheemie. The rest of The Gunslinger Born plays out as in Wizard and Glass, though in abbreviated form. The seventh and final issue ends with Susan Delgado’s death and Roland’s fascination with the pink Wizard’s Glass.

  Characters (in order of mention): The man in black (Walter o’Dim, Marten Broadcloak), John Farson, Roland Deschain (Will Dearborn), Cuthbert Allgood (Arthur Heath), Alain Johns (Richard Stockworth), Thomas Whitman, Jamie DeCurry, Cort, Gabrielle Deschain, Steven Deschain, the Crimson King, Robert Allgood, Clay Reynolds, Eldred Jonas, Roy Depape, Rhea Dubativo (Rhea of the Cöos), Susan Delgado, Mayor Thorin, Fran Lengyll, Sheriff Avery, Mr. Renfrew, Olive Thorin, Coral Thorin, Sheemie Ruiz, George Latigo, Maria Tomas, Deputy Dave Hollis, Cordelia Delgado.

  Places: The Mohaine Desert, Gilead (New Canaan, In-World), Le Casse Roi Russe (End-World), Hambry, the Citgo oil patch, Eyebolt Canyon, Indrie (Cressia).

  Things: Black 13, the Pink One (the grapefruit), thinny, slow mutants.

  EXTRA FEATURES:

  ISSUE 1: _______________________________________________

  MAP OF THE BARONY OF NEW CANAAN

  In this map, the walled city of Gilead is shown at the center of New Canaan, with the Baby Forest to the west, the larger Blosswood For
est to the east, and orchards and fields outside the northern and southern walls. There are Baronies in all directions, and the easterly direction leads to Mejis and the Outer Arc. Other towns in the Barony include Kingstown to the northeast, beyond the Blosswood Forest, Hemphill to the north, Taunton and Debaria to the southwest (in The Wind Through the Keyhole, it is more westerly and distant) and Pennilton to the southeast. The Shavéd Mountains lie to the west; the Barony Forest forms an arc from the southeast to the east. Beyond this forest, farther south, is the desert. Lake Saroni occupies most of the northeastern sector.

  THE SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF MID-WORLD

  In this vignette, Abel Vannay, the gunslingers’ philosophy tutor, takes Roland, Alain and Cuthbert on a field trip, during which he explains to them the fundamental geography of Mid-World: the Dark Tower at the center of six intersecting Beams, one of which passes through Gilead’s Great Hall. With Vannay’s prompting, the boys name the twelve Guardians and explain the nature of the Tower as a manifestation of Gan. The portals are not only the source of the Beams that support the Tower, but they are also doorways to other worlds. Vannay tells them about how the Manni perfected another method of traveling between worlds using a form of magic. Ultimately, Vannay explains why people were forbidden from entering the Tower.

  ISSUE 2: _______________________________________________

  MAP OF THE BARONY OF MEJIS

  This map shows Hambry, the seat of the Barony of Mejis, located at the edge of the Clean Sea. Mejis is east of New Canaan; farther to the east is the Barony of Tepachi. The Vi Castis Mountains form a boundary to the west, and Eyebolt Canyon, site of a thinny, lies to the north, beyond which is the desert. The towns of Oakley and Tavares are to the northeast. There is a Dogan to the west, near Xay River. The Clean Sea surrounds the Barony on the southern side.

  MAERLYN’S RAINBOW

  This essay tells of Maerlyn’s rise from the Prim, his desire to wreak havoc on Mid-World for his own amusement, and how he created thirteen magical orbs to present to Arthur Eld upon his coronation. Each orb contained a different kind of magic, and one of them entranced Arthur during the debauchery that followed his coronation. He was seduced by one of the Great Ones who attended the festivities in the guise of a Crimson Queen, and this union gave rise to a creature that was half man, half spider, who would become the Crimson King. Though Arthur Eld tried to have the orbs destroyed, they were beyond his power to unmake, so they were buried. However, their magic summoned thieves, and the components of Maerlyn’s Rainbow found their way back into the world again.

  AN OPEN LETTER FROM STEPHEN KING

  King talks about how the Dark Tower project ended up with Marvel. He mentions other ideas for graphic novel adaptations featuring zombies and witches, including one that is the basis for his 2011 novel 11/22/63.

  ISSUE 3: _______________________________________________

  THE GUNS OF DESCHAIN

  This essay covers Arthur Eld’s rise to power and how he used his two pistols to defeat his enemies, along with his sword, Excalibur. Jealous of his advantage, he refused to allow others to inspect or replicate his weapons. However, during his battle with the monster serpent Saita, the guns were damaged and many of his knights were lost because they had inferior weapons. In the aftermath, Arthur Eld allowed his court wizard to forge new guns from the blade of Excalibur and to use Mid-World steel to create new guns for his knights.

  STEPHEN KING PANEL, PART 1

  A transcript of the New York Comic Con panel held on February 24, 2007, featuring Joe Quesada, Jae Lee, Robin Furth, Peter David, Ralph Macchio, Richard Isanove, Chris Eliopoulos, and Stephen King. Panelists respond to answers from the audience about the Dark Tower series.

  ISSUE 4: _______________________________________________

  THE LAUGHING MIRROR, PART I

  The story of how Maerlyn captured drops of Gan’s creative water and turned them into a mirror, the backing of which came from gobs of Maerlyn’s spit in layers of accusation, vanity and self-deception. He used the mirror to claim his place as king over the other demons from the Outer Dark. Though its original intent, which was to fool Gan through its distortion, failed and the mirror was destroyed, its shards penetrated the Tower, spreading corruption throughout the multiverse.

  MAKING A PAGE

  A four-page illustrated feature explaining how a page of the graphic novel is created, starting from Robin Furth’s outline. Jae Lee breaks the plot down into pages and panels and pencils the pages, which he scans and sends to the editorial team, who forward it to Peter David. Peter reviews the pages, Robin’s outline and any notes from Jae Lee before writing the script. He indicates the location of word balloons on the pencil art printouts. At the same time, Richard Isanove formats the scanned pencil art to the right size. Chris Eliopoulos uses the script and the placement notes to do the lettering. The pages go to the editors and back to Jae Lee, who sometimes revises his illustrations to strengthen the storytelling. Finally, Richard Isanove paints the page and the final PDFs are assembled with ads and special features, inside and outside covers and sent to the printer.

  STEPHEN KING PANEL, PART 2

  More of the transcript of the New York Comic Con panel held on February 24, 2007.

  ISSUE 5: _______________________________________________

  THE LAUGHING MIRROR, PART II: THE SEDUCTION OF RHEA

  The story tells about a clever and spiteful little girl named Rhea, from the southern edge of the Barony of Delain, who terrorized her community and grew into an arrogant and selfish young woman. One day, while pretending to hand out punishments in her self-appointed role as princess of the world, she was struck in the eye by a sliver from the shattered mirror fashioned by Maerlyn, an object concocted from concentrated evil and cruelty. In Rhea, it increased her awareness of magic, but because of her nature, it was corrupt. The spells she provided as a service always had unexpected and unpleasant repercussions. She was forced to wander from village to village to ply her trade as her reputation soured. Her physical being was also corrupted by her evil magic. In return for longer life, she pledged her service to the Outer Dark. The demon who granted her request sent her to Hambry, where she was to await the arrival of a descendant of Arthur Eld. It was her task to prevent that young man from fathering any children.

  STEPHEN KING PANEL, PART 3

  Last installment of the transcript of the New York Comic Con panel held on February 24, 2007.

  THE LAUGHING MIRROR, PART III: THE CORRUPTION OF JONAS

  The story of Eldred Jonas, a yeoman’s son and failed gunslinger from Gilead. He was not a descendant of the knights of Eld, but Fardo Andrus saw potential in him and adopted him as a son, alongside Cort. While wrestling with Cort, he stepped on a sliver of Maerlyn’s evil mirror. When Eldred recovered from the infection, he was a changed boy—impatient, brash, cruel and willing to lie or cheat to win. Given one last chance to rehabilitate his behavior, Eldred instead challenged Fardo to the all-or-nothing battle to become a gunslinger. Eldred’s laziness and inexperience revealed itself during the battle. Fardo dealt him a blow to the leg that left him with a permanent limp. Eldred was exiled from that moment forward, but he vowed vengeance against the gunslingers and promised to align himself with the enemies of Gilead.

  ISSUE 6: _______________________________________________

  CHARYOU TREE, PART I: THE HISTORY OF THE CHARYOU TREE

  Even though Arthur Eld had unified All-World, many people suffered from the mutations, famine and lack of fertility that followed the Great Poisoning. One group who lived in Brockest, in the toxic borderlands near the shores of the Prim, gave up worshipping Gan and gathered to discuss their need for a new religion. Maerlyn saw this as an opportunity to foment the seeds of discontent among these forgotten and forsaken people. He demanded a blood sacrifice in return for relief from their misery. At first the people refused, continuing their animal sacrifices to the traditional deities, to no avail. After four years, they accepted Maerlyn’s offer. The
y planted a dying ghostwood tree in the middle of the village and turned it into a funeral pyre: the first charyou tree. They selected a boy as their sacrifice and discovered in the spring that their tribute had worked. The tradition spread throughout the kingdom and continued for many years.

  A GUNSLINGER’S GUNS

  This pictorial essay describes the three basic types of guns in Gilead’s armory: the old and slightly awkward practice weapons used by apprentices that remain locked in the armory between training sessions, the somewhat better ironwood-handled nickel-plated guns used by yearling novices and the heavy sandalwood-handled six-shooters used by full-fledged gunslingers, heirlooms passed down from father to son for generations, which take bullets similar to those of a Winchester .45.

  ISSUE 7: _______________________________________________

  CHARYOU TREE, PART II: COME REAP

  The story of how Arthur Eld attempted to stop the annual human sacrifices across Mid-World but was unable to do so. His solution was to institute a lottery system where one random person would be selected for sacrifice in a public celebration in Gilead. However, agents of the Prim capitalized on Queen Rowena’s jealousy over the fact that Emmanuelle Deschain had given birth to Arthur’s only male heir, manipulating her into surrendering her soul in exchange for having Emmanuelle selected as the sacrifice and the promise of becoming pregnant by Arthur. Instead, her pregnancy was like that of Susannah Dean’s (or Mia’s), and the child that she ultimately gives birth to is a creature similar to Mordred Deschain. The palace guards kill the monster after it sucks the life from Queen Rowena. Enraged, Arthur thrusts the carcass into the crowd waiting below and uses this abomination to put an end to the Reaptide tradition of the charyou tree.