Stephen King has published over 60 novels in his 50-year career as the most recognizable name in horror. Most of King’s books are standalone works, though he has penned a few series, including The Dark Tower. By far King’s longest story, The Dark Tower comprises eight books released over a 30-year stretch starting in 1982. In 2007, Marvel began adapting The Dark Tower into comic books. Although the adaptation was eventually canceled before reaching its proper conclusion, fans of original novels will still find lots to love in what was released. Publisher Gallery 13 recognized this and re-released the comics in hardcover omnibus format late last year. All three of The Dark Tower comic omnibuses are on sale for steep discounts at Amazon.
The Dark Tower Graphic Novel Omnibus Deals
The Dark Tower series features a compelling mix of high fantasy, science fiction, and horror. But at its most basic premise, The Dark Tower is a traditional hero’s journey. Set in the post-apocalyptic Mid-World, the story follows Roland Rechain’s quest for the eponymous tower and the Man in Black, a powerful dark sorcerer. The novels often jump across time periods and different worlds, but the graphic novels, for the most part, are more linear, which gives them a more intimate reading experience that can be interesting to both longtime readers and Dark Tower newcomers.
The Dark Tower: Beginnings Omnibus may be of particular note for longtime fans of the series. Essentially a prequel, this hardcover omnibus contains five graphic novels chronicling Roland Deschain of Gilead’s coming-of-age story that led to him becoming the last gunslinger. It covers and expands upon Roland’s backstory as alluded to in flashbacks and conversations throughout the series. Although King himself didn’t write the comics, he served as the creative supervisor on the project. Clocking in at 800 pages, The Dark Tower: Beginnings Omnibus is only $49. Considering it was still selling for $100 at times earlier this year, this is a pretty awesome deal.
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The other two omnibuses–The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three–are named after the first two books in the series. While they cover the same major plot points as their novel counterparts, the comics also cover new ground that many fans would find interesting, even if you recently read the novels themselves.
The Gunslinger Omnibus is 736 pages, while The Drawing of the Three comes in at 464 pages. All three hardcover volumes contain gorgeous artwork drawn by a team of illustrators.
As mentioned, you would be able to enjoy The Dark Tower graphic novels without prior knowledge of the series. That said, you’ll probably have a more fulfilling experience with these giant tomes if you first made your way through the original novels. It’s quite the undertaking at over 4,000 pages in all, but it is well-worth the time for fantasy and science fiction fans. You don’t have to be a fan of King’s traditional horror novels to have fun with The Dark Tower.
You can get a box set of trade paperback editions of all eight Dark Tower novels for $85 at Amazon from a third-party seller. Buying the set directly from Amazon will cost you $100 (list price is $161).
The Dark Tower features numerous characters you’ll find in other King novels. Fan-favorite characters appearing in seemingly unrelated novels has been a staple of King’s career. In fact, there’s a very interesting parallel between The Dark Tower and The Stand, the 1978 King novel that’s seen by many as his best work. The Stand is a doorstopper in its own right–even by Stephen King standards. It’s the longest standalone novel of King’s career; the current paperback edition, which you can get for $15 at Amazon, is 1,200 pages.
Stephen King’s next book, a collection of short stories titled You Like It Darker, releases on May 21. You can preorder a hardcover copy of You Like It Darker for $19, down from $30, at Amazon.
