The Long Road Home Discussion Thread

[Wuducynn]

Oh and I've got to add. The whole "ghost story" theme of the end-story. Man, talk about chilling.

[Girlystevedave]

Just read it.
I loved the transformation of the Grapefruit and the story in the end.
The whole thing was freaking sick.
Can't wait til the next one

[jhanic]

As I said before, I'm waiting until all five issues are published before I start. I'm very carefully avoiding all spoilers, etc., even though it's VERY hard!

John

[Girlystevedave]

I couldn't do that...the suspense would kill me

[The Man With No Name]

Spoilers Ahead!

The grapefruit turning into a mutant eye and attaching to Roland's face.

I agree with all you said about this issue. The artwork is amazing. The end story is great. However the whole grapefruit/mutant eyeball thing I found to be kind of silly. It may have more to do with the format than with anything else to depict the grapefruit as a tentacled mutant eyeball, but I think if they would have kept it as just the grapefruit, they could have found a better way to show Roland's mind being attacked.


As for Sheemie, is this where Sheemie was taken captive and used later as one of the breakers in Thunderclap?

[Wuducynn]

As for Sheemie, is this where Sheemie was taken captive and used later as one of the breakers in Thunderclap?

If it is, then they deviated from the books because remember, Sheemie caught up with them when they reached Gilead.

[aurora]

I made the horrid mistake of getting my copy before class and instead of listening on how to solve a system of partial differential equations I started flipping through and ended up reading the whole thing! I'll pay for it this weekend but man it was worth it!

Plus thanks to those who convinced me to get the individual issues in addition to 'The Gunslinger Born' book compilation. It is SO worth it!

[aurora]

My personal fav was the back story especial the fall of Arthur Eld! I'm still hoping after this series of Arcs is complete they jump back to Marlyn, Arthur Eld and the genesis of the Gunslingers.

What waterfall!?!?!

I love that they are adding more of Sheemie but heres a question is the Dogan he enters the same as the one outside of the Callas or a different one? I'm thinking its a different one.

[Wuducynn]

I'm thinking its a different one.

You're right. Remember he's just outside of Hambry, somewhere probably still in Mejis or near to it. The Calla's are thousands of miles away.

[Wuducynn]

As I said before, I'm waiting until all five issues are published before I start. I'm very carefully avoiding all spoilers, etc., even though it's VERY hard!

John

John, John, John.....*sigh*

[The Man With No Name]

Well, I guess we are going to have to wait until the next issue to see what is to come for Sheemie. Because this is something new that has been added.

[aurora]

I agree but don't forget Sheemie is a teleporter even at this time! Roland even brings that fact up when he meets Sheemie outside Dever Toi, confirming he did teleport back in their Mejis days. Thats the only reason I thought there was a slim possibility this was the Calla's Dogan.

[Wuducynn]

I agree but don't forget Sheemie is a teleporter even at this time! Roland even brings that fact up when he meets Sheemie outside Dever Toi, confirming he did teleport back in their Mejis days. Thats the only reason I thought there was a slim possibility this was the Calla's Dogan.

I hear ya. I thought of that too, but I don't see any evidence of teleportation so far, just him following Alain and Cuthbert. But who knows...we'll just have to see

[aurora]

The other reason I think its a different Dogan is, one the little of the inside we see is different then the description Jake gave and two I can see a lot more advantage making it a new Dogan to us. Oh and then theres the mummy/robot, that should be good!

[MaraJShakespeare]

Last year, from February to August, I had my monthly ritual: I would take the city bus on the 45-block trip to one of Austin's finer comic-book dealers and pick up the colour variant on the day of release, pick up some Long John Silver's and KFC for the house, maybe stopping by the huge Half-Priced Books up there in between. Even though I had a subscription to the regular cover from the Overlook Connection, I had to read it on its release date; I just couldn't wait the extra week or more it took for the O.C. to get them out! Through the above methods (and others I prefer to keep to myself) I wound up getting every cover for every issue, most of them for very good prices. I came to really enjoy my little monthly ritual a great deal, but then- ! It was all over, and there wasn't going to be any more until next February, which was later put off again 'til March! Talk about consternation, frustration, ! And yet, the time passed. S.K. gave us a good book in the interim, as well as plenty of news on future works, and there were two good films made from King stories (one of which, The Mist, I still need to see). So, with the wait over, was it worth waiting for?

Absolutely. If anything, The Long Road Home may even be better than The Gunslinger Born. It started with a gruesome bang;

Spoiler:

the images of Susan's remains and the transformation of the grapefruit were

pure, perfect, vintage King horror, in both style and substance. And I love the

Spoiler:

Sheemie

subplot and how it seems to tie in with the history lesson at the end! (That's not a spoiler, is it? I don't think so, but perhaps I should at least cover the name.) Either way, even though I almost never have the time to make it in here these days, I am so pleased with this new arc's first issue that I had to log on and put my two cents in! We are all so fortunate that King hired Robin Furth eight years or so back to help him with an unrelated project, then kept her on when he returned to the Dark Tower, and that Marvel recruited such a brilliant team to work with her, artists and a writer who really have a deep affinity for the story and the people in it! If there is anything to complain about, it's the same old thing: the brevity of the format. I finished reading the main story even before I got off the bus, saving the 'history lesson' for when I got home (I was in a hurry this time, so I took a cab on the way up and didn't make any other stops). Aside from being too damned short, there is nothing wrong with the debut issue of T.L.R.H. I guess we've all been spoiled over the years by King's generosity; he generally gives us a good, long story to spend our time with- I couldn't be happier with the news that he's writing something roughly the length of The Stand and IT again! But brevity aside, I am very happy with the new arc so far- let's just hope the next break between arcs doesn't begin in July and end some time next spring!

[jayson]

As for Sheemie, is this where Sheemie was taken captive and used later as one of the breakers in Thunderclap?

If it is, then they deviated from the books because remember, Sheemie caught up with them when they reached Gilead.

i agree, from what we knew from the books, sheemie had to have been taken to Thunderclap after the boys get all the way back to Gilead bc Roland knows Sheemie followed them back to Gilead. Doesn't he even say Sheemie hung out with his tet for awhile as a kind of squire? So i am hoping this is not a deviation, just another adventure Sheemie has.

also, the artwork is amazing in this one, even susans' charred corpse. i must say though, the tentacled grapefruit was a bit over-the-top for me. still, i can't wait for the next one to see what specifically happens to Arthur in that Dogan [which I don't believe to be the same Dogan JAke entered in the borderlands].

[aurora]

i agree, from what we knew from the books, sheemie had to have been taken to Thunderclap after the boys get all the way back to Gilead bc Roland knows Sheemie followed them back to Gilead. Doesn't he even say Sheemie hung out with his tet for awhile as a kind of squire? So i am hoping this is not a deviation, just another adventure Sheemie has.

Yes indeed, I totally forgot about that. It still does not mean its not the one near the Calla, just that this is not the point in time in which he was taken into Thunderclap. However I still believe its a different Dogan.

[Wuducynn]

So i am hoping this is not a deviation, just another adventure Sheemie has.

I strongly feel that this is true. In fact I think there might be a lot more to Sheemie's story than I was expecting. Its wicked exciting.

[The Man With No Name]

Why should Sheemie warrant a new adventure in a five issue arc? Yes, he is an interesting character and evokes sympathy, but I would like the story involving the actual ka-tet to advance without the tangents.

I know...I know, it's only the first issue and we will see. I really like the comics. But I'll be honest, I am not that interested in Sheemie.

[The Man With No Name]

Sorry about listing a possible spoiler without hiding it. I did not know there was a function where you can do that after a little experimentation.

Spoiler:

I figured it out.

[Wuducynn]

Because it was alluded to and we find out, that Sheemie was important in the whole scheme of things.

[The Man With No Name]

Okay. Like I said, I really like the comic series. This new one was full of surprises. I agree that it is exciting. I trust the writers.

[Wuducynn]

Does anyone else wonder if Sheemie might be taking a trip to Le Casse Roi Russe? Or maybe being visited by Los' directly in some way? The way the last paragraphs pointed towards it.

[jayson]

i think sheemie has something unpleasant in store before he reaches gilead, that's for sure. it would be cool to see the comic artists interpretations of le casse for sure. the art in this one is so damn cool. what i wonder is what is in store for arthur eld. that's the part i keep reading. i can't help but think it has something to do with the wolves and their origins. i could be way off but we shall see.

[Wuducynn]

i think sheemie has something unpleasant in store before he reaches gilead, that's for sure. it would be cool to see the comic artists interpretations of le casse for sure.

I'm hoping for this also. We get a brief glimpse in issue 2 of TGB but thats it.

what i wonder is what is in store for arthur eld. that's the part i keep reading. i can't help but think it has something to do with the wolves and their origins. i could be way off but we shall see.

I don't think you're way off at all. In fact, I think you're right on. Have you looked at the Gunslinger Guidebook's entry on The Crimson King?