Dark Tower: The Long Road Home

by Peter David, Robin Furth Richard Isanove

book data

233 ratings, 4.06 average rating, 41 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		35%
4		36%
3		23%
2		5%
1		0%

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published

October 7th 2008 by Marvel Books

binding

Hardcover, 160 pages

isbn

0785135715 (isbn13: 9780785135715)

description

It's the return of the best-selling comic book series, inspired by Stephen King's epic The Dark Tower! Gunslinger Roland Deschain has seen the death o...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 355)

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12/15/08

Nicholas Merlin Karpuk rated it:

(review of isbn 0785127097)

Read in December, 2008

This is the graphic novel I've been waiting for in regards to the Dark Tower series. It's the first book to delve into the events that happen between "Wizards and Glass" and "The Gunslinger" chronologically speaking.

The good news is that the dialogue is worlds improved in this installment. What amazed me about the first graphic novel was how ham-fisted King's folksy Mid-World dialogue sounded when it was left by itself in little bubbles. Now that Peter David is wr...more

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10/09/08

Fizzgig76 rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels-and-trade-paperbacks

Read in October, 2008

Reprints Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1-5. Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain flee Hambry after the murder of Susan and Roland is sucked into the Pink Grapefruit to face the Crimson King. This is the follow-up to The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born. Unlike the first story, this book seems like filler. The confrontation with the Crimson King and the transformation of Sheemie seem to be the biggest things that occur but it took 5 issues to get there. The art however is great and the series does hav...more

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05/03/09

Katie rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

bookshelves: 2009, age-adult, fantasy, graphic-novels

Read in May, 2009

I wasn't as blown away by the artwork in this volume as I was by the first, but it was still a good story. I don't really remember any of this happening in the books at all (or if I do it's very vague). Because the graphic novels are in chronological order as opposed to the order of the original novels, I was a little perplexed in the middle of this volume when the young Roland meets himself as the grown Gunslinger and the billy-bumbler Oy. I knew these characters from the books, but someone ...more

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12/10/08

Trudi rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

bookshelves: 2008, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, fantasy, graphic-novel, series, stephen-king

Read in December, 2008

So this is the second collection in Marvel's graphic novel adaptation of King's Dark Tower series. While I LOVE reading about Roland again, and the art work is gorgeous (hence the four stars), I'm deeply conflicted as well. There's something here that isn't quite working for me, that seems off. I think the problem is that I'm comparing it to the source material too much, when I should be enjoying the work as its own unique experience (like a film adaptation).

This is meant to be a pr...more So this is the second collection in Marvel's graphic novel adaptation of King's Dark Tower series. While I LOVE reading about Roland again, and the art work is gorgeous (hence the four stars), I'm deeply conflicted as well. There's something here that isn't quite working for me, that seems off. I think the problem is that I'm comparing it to the source material too much, when I should be enjoying the work as its own unique experience (like a film adaptation).

This is meant to be a prequel after all, consisting of original material, NOT a retelling of King's seven books. And I guess that's what's troubling me; Roland young is interesting, but Roland old is a literary legend. I long for the mature, wise, mean Roland, merciless and calculating Roland, courageous and flawed, cool and temperamental. Oh how I miss him.

The young, impetuous, impulsive, rebellious Roland is starting to be kind of a letdown by comparison. I remember feeling this way when I got to Book 4 Wizard and Glass; I enjoyed it immensely once I reconciled myself to the fact that we were going way back in the story to young Roland, but that doesn't mean I wasn't chomping at the bit to return to the "real" Roland. So the creators have decided to tell young Roland's story instead of mature, grizzled Roland. I would never have thought this could matter so much, but it does, it really does.

One more thing: when you read the novels, there is so much you DON'T know for a long time. It's like a puzzle, a really addictive puzzle. King metes out answers morsel by morsel and it's not until the last book and thousands of pages on that the full picture emerges (likely because King himself didn't know how it was all going to finally come together). But here's the thing: the graphic novels have already let so much out of the bag already...about Roland's origins, his destiny, even the Crimson King and his intentions, and what the Dark Tower is and why it's so important. It's too much too soon. I realize that the authors are working on a smaller canvas but where's the mystery? So far the story is very straightforward with uber-heroes vs. uber-villains.

My advice: Don't take prequel to mean you should read the graphic novels first!!! Read the books...there's a method to King's madness in how the Dark Tower plot unfolded over the course of three decades and thousands of pages. The reward at the end is indescribable. The graphic novels will steal that experience from you even though that is not the authors' intent. It's clear that the graphic novels are a labour of love and Peter David and Robin Furth have my utmost respect and gratitude for keeping Roland's story going. (less)

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01/03/09

Dan rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2009

Robin Furth and Jae Lee have continued Stephen King's story so well that I get mad when I finish these books. They're so short! And oh so good. Stephen King still advises on the works, but it's really in Furth's hands for the story and Jae Lee's artwork is incredible.

This particular set of stories follows the ka-tet out of Hambry as they attempt to get back to Gilead with Maerlyn's Grapefruit. The scenes with the Crimson King are horrifying and also very enlightening because th...more

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04/14/09

Theresa rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

bookshelves: 2009

Read in April, 2009

From what I understand this story takes place somewhere around the fourth book in the series and details what happens to Roland when he is connected to the pink sphere.

The ka-tet is fleeing through the desert dragging Roland along because he is in a virtually comatose state after mentally connecting with the pink sphere. Most of the story takes place in Roland's mind--I get the impression that what happened to Roland after his connection with the pink sphere was not detailed in the ...more

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11/23/08

Reem Kievit rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

I think I would have loved it like the 1st one if King had written it.

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11/10/08

Nicholas rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Read in November, 2008

Enjoyable because it is set in the world of the Dark Tower (plus the art is phenomenal), but not Stephen King. These comics are a sort of filler of the events narrated in Wizard and Glass and the first Dark Tower book. While Gunslinger Born simply retold the events of Wizard for people new to the series, this volume breaks new ground and picks up immediately afterward, narrating events that we only get glimpses of in Wolves of the Calla when Roland relates the rest of his story describing his ...more Enjoyable because it is set in the world of the Dark Tower (plus the art is phenomenal), but not Stephen King. These comics are a sort of filler of the events narrated in Wizard and Glass and the first Dark Tower book. While Gunslinger Born simply retold the events of Wizard for people new to the series, this volume breaks new ground and picks up immediately afterward, narrating events that we only get glimpses of in Wolves of the Calla when Roland relates the rest of his story describing his formative years.

Peter David's narrative is well scripted and follows King's Mid-World conventions and diction, but the plot itself really just bounces around events that we get hints of throughout King's normal story arc-there's really little that could be called new. One of the newer bits of information, and the best part of the story I believe, concerns what happened to poor Sheemie after the events of Wizard, including the source of his mysterious power. There's a lot of potential here, and I hope future storylines develop it.

This volume also shows Roland's mind during his captivation with Maerlyn's Grapefruit, but in my opinion with far less success than the Sheemie story. There's just too much coincidence for my liking (without going into spoiler specifics), in the same vein that the Star Wars prequels contained far too many coincidences that reek of writer's just trying to do what WAS successful before ALL OVER AGAIN and weaving new plot webs between brilliant plot points that are already there-with far less success.

It is clear from reading King's Dark Tower that Roland has no real clear idea of who, or what exactly, the Crimson King is, or his relationship to him. This volume attempts to explain that relationship further, but does so in a way that involves Roland directly. Unless David is planning on giving Roland a massive case of amnesia by the end of the comic series, this storyline simply won't mesh with King's work.

All in all, the story is enjoyable enough though, especially if you're hungry for more Dark Tower and wish it never ended.(less)

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11/02/08

fbuser651718523 rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Read in November, 2008

recommends it for: fans of Stephen King and the Dark Tower

For Dark Tower fans this book begins to chronicle the missing time in between Susan Delgado's death and Roland's first appearance in The Gunslinger. The editors admit that this story is completely original and much of the plot and dialogue was at best a "best guess" based on King's works, but King himself gave the gold stamp of approval. And the writers did an extremely good job of putting words into the character's mouths - I really think that's what King would have wrote for his ch...more

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07/04/09

D rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

This second installment of The Dark Tower graphic novels is shorter than the first, yet very well done. It tells the story of the ka-tet immediately following the final battle in Mejis and their journey home. While the original Dark Tower series did not develop The Crimson King very well, this book does an excellent job. Roland's first confrontation with The Crimson King, and Sheemie's intervention, tie the later books in the original series together very well.

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11/25/08

Melissa rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Wow, this was disappointing. I've been waiting a year for this to come out, and this was as far along in the story as they could get? I guess in November 2009 I'll finally get to see Roland shoot his mom, even though I read all about that in Wizard & Glass, and maybe in November 2010 I'll finally get to read some really new story. But the artwork, although a lot darker than the previous book, is still pretty sly.

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06/30/09

SKCircles rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Read in January, 2009

Toujours aussi emballée par la qualité des graphismes, et celle de ce "collector" sur papier glacé, qui regroupe les numéros 8 à 12 de cette série de comics. Sans parler du plaisir retrouvé de pouvoir visualiser les aventures de Roland et son jeune ka-tet, on apprend des choses ! Un complément fort intéressant à la lecture des bouquins, que je ne saurais trop conseillé à tous les fans de La Tour Sombre. Un must !

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01/15/09

Mark rated it:

Read in January, 2009

recommends it for: people who read and enjoyed the first volume

Unlike the first volume of this series, The Long Road Home is not actually based on King's writing, but rather fills in the gaps in between Dark Tower novels. It went well. The art is, again, totally amazing and impressive. My complaint, as with most "comics," is that I can read it in one sitting and then need to wait a while for more. It's a disappointing process that makes me feel like a consumer/tool, but I'll probably keep reading the series.

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05/28/09

Aaron rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Read in May, 2009

recommends it for: Graphic novel fans

One of my favorite fiction series looks excellent on the page, thanks to a fabulous creative team and a vetting process which includes the Eye of King. Jae Lee is an exceptional graphic artist.

You'd think knowing the entire story would kill the suspense, but not so. The Marvel folks have taken the bones of this part of the Dark Tower and added some very flavorful meat.

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01/18/09

Devowasright rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

bookshelves: graphicnovelcomics

Read in January, 2009

i wish i could give stars for both the story and the art, because the artwork is gorgeous. the story itself is pretty good, i just cringe a bit at the writing here and there.
this is the second comic arc, ut the first to be outside of the books themselves. it is definitely worth reading if you are a dark tower fan, and the back pages have a lot of great info on midworld history and mythology. good, but not great.

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03/19/09

David rated it:

(review of isbn 0785127097)

Read in March, 2009

This continues the fantastic first few issues. The artwork is amazingly detailed, and the story is well adapted. Each place they come upon makes me want to know all of the details and history behind them... the Citgo fields, the psychic enhancer, Maerlyn's orbs... I can't wait to read the next installment!

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02/14/09

Ned rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Read in February, 2009

Ok, i will give the authors a little credit, they had to live inside Steven Kings mind and fill in some blanks. Pretty good for a first attempt. I hope they can do a little better if they continue the series. It is tough to have to fill in blanks without adding anything substantively new.

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03/01/09

Poindextra rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

bookshelves: dark-tower

Read in March, 2009

All during reading this, I was thinking, "Gee, I really don't remember any of this from the novels - is my retention that bad?" And then, I read the end-notes where it's revealed that much of the story line here is interpolated by the comic's author - Whew!

Looking forward to part 3 ...

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03/25/09

Justinthunderliger rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

Read in March, 2009

You either love it or hate it. I love it. I love Jae Lee's art, especially with the tone of the story. Not as heart-wrenching as the end to Gunslinger and very much a transition book. Still, a very clever story I look forward to the next book.

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03/13/09

Aaron rated it:

(review of isbn 1892950928)

bookshelves: comics

Read in March, 2009

After "Gunslinger Born," it was very interesting to see some original material come out of the Dark Tower comics. The art has really grown on me, and the tale rings true. I can't wait to see what stories they plan on telling in the future.

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