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View Full Version : How much involvement does King have on the new Dark Tower comics?



CyberGhostface
09-24-2008, 02:49 PM
The more I read the more I get the impression that it's Robin Furth and Peter David doing most of the work. How much involvement does he have? Is he just overseeing it and going "Yep, looks good" or is he doing the plots?

Daghain
09-24-2008, 04:49 PM
I think they write it, and then run it by him for his approval.

Brice
09-24-2008, 07:59 PM
Yup, that's the impression I get too. I'm sure if he felt something were drastcally off he'd veto it, but I think otherwise he's given them free reign.

Letti
09-25-2008, 01:50 AM
Is he just overseeing it and going "Yep, looks good"?

I think yes, he is.

turtlex
09-25-2008, 02:56 AM
I think he has the proverbial "Final Cut" kind of deal. Nothing goes unless he gives it the okay. He's not writing them, no, but he's involved.

Check out the Marvel Website.

CyberGhostface
09-25-2008, 03:41 AM
That's kind've disappointing. It's like if someone else were to be writing a prequel about Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. At the same time, I've been enjoying the original content quite a bit.

turtlex
09-25-2008, 04:37 AM
But these are not new stories, they're Sai King's stories, told in comic form. They take all his characters and info from the books.

ManOfWesternesse
09-25-2008, 04:54 AM
I've only read Gunslinger Born so far (H/C compilation - hard to get the comics here), and have the 2nd H/C on order. I have read spoliers of course... unavoidable.
I think King has basically no involvement other than some oversight on them before publication, and I seriously wonder if he applies himself much to that. He's given them the keys and thay can pretty much go where they want.
The comics are reasonably ok, but they are not 'King'.
Ah, if he'd only given us 1 book to bridge the gap, they could keep all their comics.... but he'll never write it now.

Daghain
09-25-2008, 07:27 AM
If you read the back material in the first Treachery comic, it explains some of this.

jayson
09-25-2008, 07:34 AM
But these are not new stories, they're Sai King's stories, told in comic form. They take all his characters and info from the books.

But much of it is new story as it covers territory which King did not (ex: the return from Mejis to Gilead). Additionally, each installment of the comics has supplemental material at the end which covers all manner of things which King never addressed fully in the books. It is this material, which I admit I enjoyed at first, that is ultimately making me dislike the comics.

CyberGhostface
09-25-2008, 08:12 AM
But these are not new stories, they're Sai King's stories, told in comic form. They take all his characters and info from the books.

But very little of the backstory between Mejis and Jericho Hill was explained in the actual books, and most was only hinted at. For example, we know next to nothing about Rhea's actual fate besides an implication that Roland may have killed her.

So far the biggest example (and I haven't read Treachery yet but I'm getting it today) is Roland battling the Crimson King in the Wizard's Rainbow. Nothing indicated that occurred in the books.

Brainslinger
09-25-2008, 08:29 AM
So far the biggest example (and I haven't read Treachery yet but I'm getting it today) is Roland battling the Crimson King in the Wizard's Rainbow. Nothing indicated that occurred in the books.

I know what you mean. In an article Robin Furth did mention talking to King about that, and the suggestion was that other stuff happened in the glass that Roland forgot afterward.

I wasn't too happy when the Crimson King made yet another appearance in Treachery, for that reason. It just felt repetitive for the sake of it. And takes away some of the Red King's mistique as someone mentioned in another thread. (Not that he has much when you get to know him. He's quite 2 dimensional really, but the very fact we know so little hides that. If that makes sense.)

Besides, I don't think Roland actually journeyed in the glass at that particular point (remember how you can see things in it or actually go in and get the 360 degree sight and sound, like going todash. Except pink instead of black. ;) )

ManOfWesternesse
10-22-2008, 05:54 AM
Finally got my hardcover of Long Road Home last weekend and read it.
It's pretty poor stuff, to be honest about it. A pile of blown fishguts to be more honest about it.
I doubt I'll bother with any more of it.

Wuducynn
10-22-2008, 05:59 AM
Finally got my hardcover of Long Road Home last weekend and read it.
It's pretty poor stuff, to be honest about it. A pile of blown fishguts to be more honest about it.
I doubt I'll bother with any more of it.

Come on now. Be honest with us.

ManOfWesternesse
10-22-2008, 06:08 AM
:lol: - OK I'll come right out and say it!....... "i didn't like it a lot" :lol:

Naw, I was bitterly dissapointed in it.

jayson
10-22-2008, 06:19 AM
You are not the only one Brian. While I still think the artwork is amazing, I fell out of love with the comic series while reading The Long Road Home arc. I don't know how much or little King has to do with it, but it's not at all satisfying to me anymore. I haven't even bought any of Treachery and probably won't. At this point, I am far more interested in The Stand comic series.

Matt
10-22-2008, 06:22 AM
From what I understand, he is very much involved in approving the direction.

I thought the Long Road Home had some amazing moments and enjoyed it overall. The interaction between Cuthbert and Alain really made their relationship deeper for me.

Deeper than the books I mean.

Wuducynn
10-22-2008, 06:24 AM
While I enjoyed The Long Road Home quite a bit, I was not impressed with most of the portrayel of the CK. Too much cliche' "big bad villain" stuff. There needed to have been more imagination behind his portrayel. *I* could have done quite a bit better with stuff off the top of my head.

jayson
10-22-2008, 06:33 AM
While I enjoyed The Long Road Home quite a bit, I was not impressed with most of the portrayel of the CK. Too much cliche' "big bad villain" stuff. There needed to have been more imagination behind his portrayel. *I* could have done quite a bit better with stuff off the top of my head.

That has a lot to do with what began to turn me off. The CK was represented much more as if he were "The Devil" than any previous understanding I had of his character. There was other stuff, but that was a major factor in my dissatisfaction.

ManOfWesternesse
10-22-2008, 06:43 AM
I found a lot of it annoying - some characterisation - & that damn fool 'narrator'....

...and some of the basic stupid mistakes:-

In #4 I think it was, on one page we see Alain & Cuthbert + their 2 remaining horses. Then next page Cuthbert hears the screams of "... their last remaining horse...." , then next page we see there's still one left!

Alain fighting with the mutant wolf, then next frame .. isn't that 'Bert rolling around fighting it, then suddenly it's Alain again!

How can editing of something so short be so poor?

jayson
10-22-2008, 06:52 AM
The narrator pissed me off from the first issue of the first arc. It reminded me of the more heavy-handed revisions in the revised Gunslinger (which we all know I despise).:shoot:

ManOfWesternesse
10-22-2008, 07:04 AM
The narrator pissed me off from the first issue of the first arc....
Yeah, the whole tone of the narrator is totally wrong, not in keeping with my conception of DT at all.
I'm surprised Furth in particular hasn't done better with this stuff.
And (in some ways & not in others) surprised that King hasn't told them that they might put in just a little more effort in a project where he's basically given them the keys to the vault.

Brainslinger
10-22-2008, 05:08 PM
I think King tends to step back and let people do what they will (to an extent anyway) with adaptions of his work. Look at the various films and TV films as way of example.

As for Long Road Home, bear in mind it is mainly a bridge series connecting main parts of the overall story together, so I shouldn't yet it put you off of all the comics just yet.

Overall I quite liked Long Road Home myself, but the start bugs me somewhat. The book states clearly, he became comatose after seeing Susan's fate in the glass, and he gradually found himself on the way home. They should have stuck with that. By all means, include all the extra stuff with Sheemie and the big Coffin hunters and Roland's experiences in End-World with Walter and the Crimson King, but none of that early stuff with the eyeball monster and Susan's corpse.

I tend to get round that by arguing it's an exaggeration on the part of a narrator who wasn't actually there. You know, how stories grow as they're passed from person to person.

Ruthful
10-22-2008, 05:55 PM
The narrator pissed me off from the first issue of the first arc....
Yeah, the whole tone of the narrator is totally wrong, not in keeping with my conception of DT at all.
I'm surprised Furth in particular hasn't done better with this stuff.
And (in some ways & not in others) surprised that King hasn't told them that they might put in just a little more effort in a project where he's basically given them the keys to the vault.

I have to agree with Brian, the third person narration is probably the worst aspect of this adaptation. I enjoy the add-ons at the end of each issue, but the narrative voice drives me up a wall for the most part.

LadyHitchhiker
10-22-2008, 09:25 PM
I thought it was just Robin Furth's involvement to make it stay true to the characters?

Maybe I'm wrong...

Daghain
10-22-2008, 09:27 PM
Nope, everything is supposedly passed by King. However, we do not know how HARD he looks. :lol:

He is a comic book fan, though, so I would imagine he's given a lot of leeway to this project.

LadyHitchhiker
10-22-2008, 09:28 PM
I would love to see SK's comic book collection :drools:

Daghain
10-22-2008, 09:35 PM
I wonder if he kept them all, or, if like my baseball card collection, they went to the rummage sale. :lol:

LadyHitchhiker
10-22-2008, 09:38 PM
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm... I don't know... We'll have to ask him next time we see him ;)

Daghain
10-22-2008, 09:41 PM
I'm guessing they're gone, or he'd have used them to support his family when he was just starting out. :D

wizardsrainbow
10-23-2008, 09:27 AM
When we were all in Vegas this past weekend, Jae Lee specifically said that he has been told the story line. He then creates the panels, THEN the narrative is added once they see what he has drawn. I was a little surprised by this. I figured Jae drew to the narrative not the other way around.

Matt
10-23-2008, 09:28 AM
I was also surprised David, that was the one piece of information that really got me.

Its cool and interesting at the same time.

Sam
10-23-2008, 09:22 PM
I'm guessing they're gone, or he'd have used them to support his family when he was just starting out. :D

He may still have the books. Remember that comics weren't really worth that much when he was starting out. They didn't really become valuable (relatively) until the mid 80's ish.

Daghain
10-23-2008, 09:23 PM
True. You never know. :D

ManOfWesternesse
10-24-2008, 01:03 AM
When we were all in Vegas this past weekend, Jae Lee specifically said that he has been told the story line. He then creates the panels, THEN the narrative is added once they see what he has drawn. I was a little surprised by this. I figured Jae drew to the narrative not the other way around.

Now that may explain some things!
Personally, I have to say it sounds like a crazy way to go about the project.:nope:

Brainslinger
10-24-2008, 05:56 AM
When we were all in Vegas this past weekend, Jae Lee specifically said that he has been told the story line. He then creates the panels, THEN the narrative is added once they see what he has drawn. I was a little surprised by this. I figured Jae drew to the narrative not the other way around.

Comics usually start with a script that's true. This is certainly a strange way of doing things.

Then again this series is 3 part in production, story-line, graphics and script, rather than the story going straight to script as is the case with most comics.