Buy the Marvel Graphic Novel Series Stephen King's Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born

Stephen King's Dark Tower : Gunslinger Born
Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why a comic book?
Q: What is the story?
Q: Who is creating the comic?
Q: What is Stephen King's Involvement?
Q: How can I get the comic(s) and what will they cost?
Q: How can I be sure to get all of the books?
Q: The books have limited editions. Do the comics?
Q: What other comic-related Dark Tower merchandise is available?
Q: What is the release schedule of the comics?
Q: Will the story be collected?

Q: Why a comic book?
A: Though the answer is not purely given, in a quote by Mr. King he did say, "As a lifelong fan of Marvel comic books, and as an adult reader who's seen comics "come of age" and take their rightful place in the world of fantasy and science fiction, I'm excited to be a part of Roland's new incarnation." (And, perhaps, it is a way to look forward and back at the same time in two different storytelling forms.)


Q: What is the story?
A: The early days of Roland are told -- his loves, his friends, his enemies. What it is that makes this young man into the Gunslinger.


Q: Who is creating the comic?
A: The comic is published by Marvel Comics. It is adapted by long-time Stephen King expert Robin Furth (author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance) and scripted by New York Times Best-seller Peter David. Artwork is by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove with variant covers by Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada.


Q: What is Stephen King's Involvement?
A: Beyond the fact that the characters all belong to Mr. King, he plotted this entire story (and more, hopefully, to come) in a meeting between King, King's Agent, Robin Furth (on the phone) and Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada: "Mr. King just kind of looked up at the ceiling, and off the top of his head, started rattling off stories and stories and stories. He was telling about parts where Roland would go and do this and such, and then meet the villain here, and on and on. Literally, in ten minutes, he rattled off enough stories fill up roughly four or five trade paperbacks. He just did it offhand – the stories just poured out of him, and all of them middle, beginnings and ends. It was amazing to watch, and basically, hear Stephen King tell us original stories that no one, before then had ever heard before.

Of course, on the phone, you could hear Robin typing madly, trying to keep up." -- Joe Quesada in an interview on Newsarama.


Q: How can I get the comic(s) and what will they cost?
A: The comics will be released Specialty Market Only with a suggested retail price of $3.99us. That means they will only be available through specialty market shops like comic book stores. To find a comic book store near you, enter your Zip Code on the Comic Shop Locator Service website. There are also internet sellers but there will be a delay in receiving the books.


Q: How can I be sure to get all of the books?
A: Many stores offer a "pull service" for comic books in which they set aside new books when they are released. Contact a Local Comic Shop (LCS) by using the Comic Shop Locator Service to set up a "pull". Each store's service will have different rules and will potentially require pre-payment.

At Austin Books & Comics, we do not offer a standard "pull service" but will set aside comics for you. First you need to join the AUSTIN BOOKS SHIPPING THIS WEEK EMAIL list. Then follow the directions in each weekly email to have books set aside. We feel that this is a superior method of saving comics with a higher success rate.


Q: The books have limited editions. Do the comics?
A: Yes. Beyond the standard format comics offered for Gunslinger Born, there are also limited-edition, incentive-based Variant Covers. "Incentive-based" means that for every X number of the regular editions produced, there is only one of the limited books. For each issue there will be a color variant by Joe Quesada (1 for every 25 regular books) and a Jae Lee Sketch Variant (1 for every 75, 1 for 50 starting with issue #2). These books can be saved using the same method but will have a higher cost due to the limited nature. The content of the books is the same as the standard version. Only the cover is different.


Q: What other comic-related Dark Tower merchandise is available?
A: The first items released in conjunction with the Gunslinger comic are the Dark Tower Poster by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, the FREE Comic Preview Sketchbook, a preview Postcard and the Previews Magazine & Marvel Previews (only feature cover pictures and solicitation copy). The first comic to be released was the Marvel Spotlight: Dark Tower Comic (shipped 1/31/07) featuring interviews with Stephen King and the other creators along with preview images of the book.


Q: What is the release schedule of the comics?
A: New comic books are released every week on Wednesday (barring a holiday) and most comics are shipped on a monthly basis. The first issue of Gunslinger Born is shipped the week of February 7th, 2007. The second *should* ship March 7th. The third on April 4th and so on. There are a total of seven issues in this series. Production delays may affect the schedule. Know for sure by joining the AUSTIN BOOKS & COMICS SHIPPING THIS WEEK EMAIL list.


Q: Will the story be collected?
A: Yes, definitely. The first collected release will likely be a Marvel Premiere Hardcover to be followed several months later by a softcover (often called a Trade Paperback or TPB). The earliest the HC would be released is the week after the end of the series or roughly September, 2007.





For further questions, contact us at info@austinbooks.com.
You can also learn more at the Official Dark Tower Website and the Official Marvel Comics Dark Tower Website.