Graphic Novel Review – The Journey Begins (The Dark Tower Graphic Novel series, Book 6) by Stephen King, Robin Furth, Peter David, Sean Phillips, Richard Isanove (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Length: 136 pages
Publisher: Marvel
Release Date: January 26, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0785147091
Stand Alone or Series: 6th book in the Dark Tower Graphic Novel series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the 6th book in the Dark Tower Graphic Novel series. I was super excited to read this installment in this series because it starts the story of Roland and his journey as the lone Gunslinger. It ended up being a well done story but jumps around quite a bit.

The story starts with Roland as an older Gunslinger, many years after the Battle of Jericho Hill. Then the story promptly jumps back to the events immediately following Jericho Hill. We also get to jump way back into the past when Roland was a young boy, this happens when older Roland stumbles upon an old man in a deserted hut and tells him some stories from his youth.

This book is the start of the long, lean, and ugly Gunslinger we are all familiar with from the Dark Tower series. We get to see him search the vast wastelands as he follows The Black Man in hopes of finally reaching The Tower. I was hoping we would see more of Roland as the aged Gunslinger in this book. However, we see more of flashbacks into his past than anything else.

The book was interesting and made me excited to see what future books hold for our grizzled old Gunslinger.

The illustration throughout was very well done; it’s full color, incredibly detailed, beautiful, and easy to follow. I enjoyed the illustration a lot.

The story continues to have a very dark and hopeless tone to it and is set in a desolate world. I would recommend for older young adults or adults.

Overall this was a well done installment in the Dark Tower graphic novel series. I continue to enjoy the beautiful illustration and was excited to see Roland as the old grizzled Gunslinger who is on his eternal quest for the Dark Tower. I was a bit disappointed by how much the story jumps around…however it was nice to get some resolution around the battle of Jericho Hill and get some brief glimpses into a very young Roland’s life. I will definitely continue reading this series and recommend it to those who enjoy dark and gritty fantasy graphic novels.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge