Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
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The Dark Tower #2

The Dark Tower Comic 2

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
Robin Furth , and Peter David
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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ASIN: B000NUQWWC

Product Description

Roland has incurred the wrath of the evil sorcerer Marten, and must flee his home in Gilead with two of his young friends. But arriving in the supposedly friendly town of Hambry may be no safer, for the dreaded agents of Marten are abroad The Coffin Hunters! Though its not all completely bleak as Roland meets the woman who will become the love of his young life the beautiful Susan Delgado. Plus: Learn more about the land of the Dark Tower with exclusive bonus material!

Customer Reviews:

The Dark Tower #2.......2007-09-15

I'm giving the same review to all the comics in this series. It's too bad that King's epoch is so monumental that this comic serialization represents only a miniscule slice but for an abridgement it is excellent and,in my opinion, they've chosen the best segment. The writing is good, the art work alone is worth the purchase of the series. The insightful essays following each segment were enlightening. The down side was the back-slapping, self-gratification-fest that ended each book. If I felt any need to know how talented each of the contributers felt the others in the group were I'd go on the internet and look it up. I'm paying for a book, not an awards dinner. bg

The Dark Tower Comic 2.......2007-04-24

This was such a cool idea, and the artwork is awesome, but I have one problem with it. I kind of feel slighted that these comics are telling the story of the 4th book. I know that the title is Gunslinger Born but I still really want to get more of the story. Maybe it could have discussed what happened between the events of the 4th and the 1st novel. I was hoping there would be more story to the Dark Tower world, and, as a Tower junkie, I was a little let down.

That said, however, the comic book looks awesome and I can't wait to keep reading.

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)

Average customer rating:

The Dark Tower #1
Ka is the wind
amazing
Highly satisfying
Wow

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
PETER DAVID , and ROBIN FURTH
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born No. 3 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Volume #3)
Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #4 (Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
Dark Tower the Gunslinger Born #5 (Stephen King)
Stephen King's Dark Tower the Gunslinger Born #6 (of 7) (The Affiliation)

ASIN: B000N9FJYA

Product Description

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King's Roland -- an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic. Now, in a comic book personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed! Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, 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, this series delves deep into Roland's origins -- the perfect introduction to this incredibly realized world, while long-time fans will thrill to adventures merely hinted at in the novels. Be there for the very beginning of a modern classic of fantasy literature!

Customer Reviews:

The Dark Tower #1.......2007-09-15

Ka is the wind.......2007-09-09

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

Those words opened the first book of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, and they open the chilling, richly-drawn "Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born." This opening comic introduces a younger, less cynical Roland, and the harrowing tale of how he became a true gunslinger.

It opens with the gunslinger and the man in black, endlessly pursuing and pursued across the desert, and introduces us to their timeless natures.

Then the comic takes us back many years, to when Roland of Gilead was a teenage boy learning how to be a warrior. He and a bunch of other boys are being tutored by Cort, a bondsman who knows all the fighting tricks, and is supposed to teach them to be gunslingers -- or be exiled forever.

But during his training, he accidentally stumbles on his mother Gabrielle, naked in the wizard Marten's bed. Enraged, Roland goes to Cort and challenges him, taking the ultimate risk so he can become a gunslinger... but it's a lethal battle that will take a terrible sacrifice to win.

"Gunslinger Born" is basically adapted from the flashbacks from Stephen King's "Wizard and Glass," so fans of the book will probably already be acquainted with the tragic story of Roland's past. But it's almost as striking in comic form as in book form.

Part of that comes from Jae Lee and Richard Isanove. A lot of adaptations fall flat ("Anita Blake", anyone?), but their detailed artwork gives vibrant life to the story -- sun-dried fields, ruined buildings, ominously darkened chambers, and faces that seem to be riddled with shadows. There are moments of beauty (the last pages) and others of pure ugliness like Roland's fight with Cort.

But artwork alone doesn't make a comic book good. Robin Furth and Peter David recrafted King's prose for this -- the dialogue is spare and understated, while the narration has an ironic, regretful quality, as if Roland himself were telling the readers of his story. It's even peppered with the language of this postapocalyptic world ("... set your watch and warrant on it.")

And we get to see Roland back when he was a brash young teenager, very different from the grizzled gunslinger at the start. He's strong, brave and honorable, but also very young and impatient. And we get to see other characters from his past -- his careworn father, the malignant Marten, his childhood friends, and his junkieish mother.

The first part of the "Gunslinger Born" comic series is a dark, ominous experience, and a haunting look at this classic anti-hero's past.

amazing.......2007-08-28

the artwork in this comic is amazing. I am really impressed and plan to buy all of them for a collection.

Highly satisfying.......2007-08-23

Any fan of the DARK TOWER epic should add these wonderfully written and illustrated comics to their collection. I can't wait for the next release....

Wow.......2007-06-13

I collected comics as a teenager, and ten years later the reason I am back into it is because of this series! I read the Dark Tower books last year and LOVED it. If you haven't read the 7 novel series, do it! Now!
This comic is EXTREMELY well done. It's obvious those involved really care about this story. The artwork is beautiful. While I do appreciate the background and art sketches they give towards the end of each comic, I would definitely enjoy having more pages devoted to the actual story while keeping all the additional material. If you like the Dark Tower and comics, this is something you will love.

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born No. 3 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Volume #3)

Average customer rating:

King's Tower #3
The Gunslinger Born 3

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born No. 3 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Volume #3)
Robin Furth , and Peter David
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #4 (Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
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Dark Tower the Gunslinger Born #5 (Stephen King)
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ASIN: B000P1A3N8

Product Description

Young Roland Deschain and friends have fled for the city of Hambry, as their home in Gilead is now too dangerous. But, once there, Roland learns to his horror that he is no safer. Hambry's leaders have switched allegiance and the assassins known as the Big Coffin Hunters have marked Roland and company for death! Plus articles and bonus features galore! In this comic book series, personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed! Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, 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, this series delves deep into Roland's origins -- the perfect introduction to this incredibly realized world, while long-time fans will thrill to adventures merely hinted at in the novels.

Customer Reviews:

King's Tower #3.......2007-09-15

The Gunslinger Born 3.......2007-04-27

Great story
Great art work
Cool conversation with King at the end...get this one if you've got the others.

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born

Average customer rating:

Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
Peter David , Stephen King , and Robin Furth
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born)
Stephen King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born No. 3 (Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Volume #3)
The Darkest Evening of the Year

ASIN: 0785121447
Release Date: 2007-11-07

Book Description

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King's Roland - an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic. Now, in a comic book personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed! Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, 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 bestseller Peter David, this series delves in depth into Roland's origins - the perfect introduction to this incredibly realized world; while long-time fans will thrill to adventures merely hinted at in the novels. Be there for the very beginning of a modern classic of fantasy literature! Collects Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1-7.

Two Brothers (Two novels: The Lawman, The Gunslinger)

Average customer rating:

The Twins
The lawman/gunslinger
Two Sweet Stories...
Great book - but this was a bit easier to put down
Great Stories horrid endings

Two Brothers (Two novels: The Lawman, The Gunslinger)
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Springwater

ASIN: 0743411544
Release Date: 2000-12-26

Amazon.com

In this trade paperback flip book, Linda Lael Miller tells two complete stories, bringing together twin brothers who are separated at birth when their parents die on a wagon train headed for California. In The Lawman, Shay McQuillan, town marshal, teams up with his newly discovered twin, Tristan Saint-Laurent, to track down the elusive stagecoach robbers who stole Tristan's money and murdered Shay's fiancée. Shay is drawn to pretty Aislinn Lethaby, a newcomer to town with limited resources and a generous heart, whose desire to save Shay from danger provokes his exasperation and wins his love. In The Gunslinger, Tristan, a former bounty hunter recently turned cattle rancher, tangles with spirited Emily Starbuck, whose herd of sheep has the locals up in arms, while her innocent sensuality makes Tristan dream of settling down. Miller has a winning way with rascally Western characters and conveys the romantic relationships with down home sweetness. Readers will enjoy the competitive camaraderie between Shay and Tristan, who delight in confounding town folk--by posing as each other! --Ellen Edwards

Book Description

Across the Old West, a rugged pair of twin brothers find each other -- and the ladies of their dreams....

The Lawman

Marshal Shay McQuillan has a lot on his hands -- stagecoach robbers to track, a murdered fiancÉe to avenge -- and he doesn't need an identical twin brother, who he never knew existed, turning up out of the blue. Then Shay's world is truly shaken by lovely Aislinn Lethaby, a hotel worker who impulsively steps in to rescue him from danger! Is she a sweet distraction from his serious duties -- or the answer to his lonely heart?

The Gunslinger

Now that he has found his twin brother, all Tristan Saint-Laurent wants is to be a peaceful rancher. What he gets is Emily Starbuck, a determined package of trouble from back East. Tristan knows he should tell Emily and her aggravating sheep to move along, but he doesn't have the heart. Suddenly, the gunslinger is dreaming of married bliss. But his past may yet come between him and the woman he has come to loveŠ.

Customer Reviews:

The Twins.......2007-09-08

Lnda Lael Miller has a grip of the western world..Placed in the past it brings to light the roughness of life for Women of the West.

The lawman/gunslinger.......2005-09-29

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I do all of her books. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I save those for the McKettrick Series. They are by far my favorite. But, this is definitely worth the read. ENJOY.

Two Sweet Stories..........2003-05-23

Two more sweet stories from Linda Laehl Miller that didn't disappoint me. As in most of her books, these two stories grab you in the beginning and hold you tight until you finish the last pages. These books were definitely not as "steamy" as other Miller books, but were sweet enough that it didn't matter. Wonderful stories that had me anticipating re-opening them to finish reading.

Great book - but this was a bit easier to put down.......2001-03-30

This book was good, but it lacked the "I can't put it down until I've finished it" quality. Shay and Tristen's story was well written. The first part of the book and the story about Shay and Asilin was very good. It also introduced the major characters in the story. The second part of the book about Tristen and Emily was a bit more slow moving. The constant bickering about the sheep and her claim to the land got tiring. It would have gone quicker if something would have happened to those stupid sheep.

Great Stories horrid endings.......2001-01-27

I absolutely loved both stories but I have to say that I hated the way the stories end. Each story ends with the characters' first love scene and then it jumps to an epilogue that takes place one year later. The stories need just a brief, maybe one page transition from that love scene before it jumps to the epilogue and it would flow a lot better. It shows the sign of a great writer to get the reader so emotionaly involved that you don't want the book to end but we still need to end the book without feeling cheated from a great ending.

Average customer rating:

Superb
Must Read Series
Great Start
If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
great beginning to an incredible epic

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1)

Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0451210840
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Amazon.com

Thirty-three years, a horrific and life-altering accident, and thousands of desperately rabid fans in the making, Stephen King's quest to complete his magnum opus rivals the quest of Roland and his band of gunslingers who inhabit the Dark Tower series. Loyal DT fans and new readers alike will appreciate this revised edition of The Gunslinger, which breathes new life into Roland of Gilead, and offers readers a "clearer start and slightly easier entry into Roland's world."

King writes both a new introduction and foreword to this revised edition, and the ever-patient, ever-loyal "constant reader" is rewarded with secrets to the series's inception. That a "magic" ream of green paper and a Robert Browning poem, came together to reveal to King his "ka" is no real surprise (this is King after all), but who would have thought that the squinty-eyed trio of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach would set the author on his true path to the Tower? While King credits Tolkien for inspiring the "quest and magic" that pervades the series, it was Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly that helped create the epic proportions and "almost absurdly majestic western backdrop" of Roland's world.

To King, The Gunslinger demanded revision because once the series was complete it became obvious that "the beginning was out of sync with the ending." While the revision adds only 35 pages, Dark Tower purists will notice the changes to Allie's fate and Roland's interaction with Cort, Jake, and the Man in Black--all stellar scenes that will reignite the hunger for the rest of the series. Newcomers will appreciate the details and insight into Roland's life. The revised Roland of Gilead (nee Deschain) is embodied with more humanity--he loves, he pities, he regrets. What DT fans might miss is the same ambiguity and mystery of the original that gave the original its pulpy underground feel (back when King himself awaited word from Roland's world). --Daphne Durham

Book Description

Stephen King has recently concluded his masterpiece Dark Tower series with The Dark Tower, bringing new readers to this odyssey. This edition of The Gunslinger includes newly-written material and an introduction by the author.

Download Description

Filled with ominous landscapes and macabre menace, Stephen King's latest mass market novel features The Gunslinger, a haunting figure in combat with The Man in Black in an epic battle of good versus evil. A spellbinding tale that is both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike

Customer Reviews:

Superb.......2007-10-10

Definitely one of King's better works. Very imaginative, and the protagonist is one of the finest knights I have encountered in any work. This is not a work of horror, but is instead an introduction to an entirely new universe, one that ends up tying together many disparate works by King, including "It", "The Stand", "Salem's Lot", and others.

Reading this will not move you to take on a new philosophy, but you will be transported to a place that is enchanting, whole, and intriguing. This book showed to me that King can be quite a bit broader in his writing than I had previously assumed.

Must Read Series.......2007-10-09

Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on," and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams -- mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.

This series was mostly inspired by the epic poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning, the full text of which was included in an appendix to the final volume. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, the Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character as one of the major inspirations for Roland. King's style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own, are also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's work.

The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements. King has described the series as his magnum opus; beside the seven novels that comprise the series proper, many of his other books are related to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses.

Great Start.......2007-09-30

This book is a great start to an excellent series. If you're a horror, fantasy or scifi fan this series will appeal to you.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it..........2007-09-26

Most of the people on here read this book and assumed it was 'the first' Dark Tower book. However, this is a re-write of the original 'Gunslinger', expanded and adapted to accommodate the gargantuan bulk of the following novels in the series.

The original Gunslinger was vastly different in terms of writing style, tone, and overall content. While basic elements remain the same, Stephen King has attempted to 'flesh out' this first installment in the series in order to help blend it with the rest.

This is a shame, because the original book had a mystic, surreal tone to it and, as one review suggests, more of a concentration on the quest itself rather than the 'big fireworks ending' that the series itself eventually builds up to.

Go buy the original Gunslinger, and read it for itself. Then, if you read the rest of the series, read this version of the Gunslinger after you finish The Dark Tower and decide you liked the stylistics of the post-Gunslinger Dark Tower stories.

great beginning to an incredible epic.......2007-09-14

Wonderful beginning to an epic fantasy series. As a note to fans of fantasy, this not like any other fantasy series, at least none that I am aware of. The hero is not Aragorn. The hero is a man warped by his quest. Warped into committing acts or allowing acts to take place that we would find reprehinsible. In summary this is a fantasy epic with the dark tint that you would expect from Stephen King.

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

A Must Read Series
More Characters!
The Highest Tier of King's Dark Tower
King should have rewritten this one too...
I'll never look at a lobster the same again.

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2)
Stephen King
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0451210859
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Book Description

Beginning with a short story appearing in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, the publication of Stephen King's epic work of fantasy-what he considers to be a single long novel and his magnum opus-has spanned a quarter of a century.

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is King's most visionary feat of storytelling, a magical mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that may well be his crowning achievement. In November 2003, the fifth installment, Wolves of the Calla, will be published under the imprint of Donald M. Grant, with distribution and major promotion provided by Scribner. Song of Susannah, Book VI, and The Dark Tower, Book VII, will follow under the same arrangement in 2004. With these last three volumes finally on the horizon, readers-countless King readers who have yet to delve into The Dark Tower and a multitude of new and old fantasy fans-can now look forward to reading the series straight through to its stunning conclusion. Viking's elegant reissue of the first four books ensures that for the first time The Dark Tower will be widely available in hardcover editions for this eager readership.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read Series.......2007-10-09

More Characters!.......2007-09-30

The Drawing of the Three is another excellent book in the series. I appreciate that King adds more characters to the story instead of just sticking with the gunslinger. Each character is very well done.

The Highest Tier of King's Dark Tower.......2007-08-24

You'll never look at a plate of crab legs the same way again ...

THE DRAWING OF THE THREE triumphantly continues a tale that began a bit slow one book ago, following Roland just ... a ... little ... closer to his destiny at The Dark Tower. In this second, and brilliant, chapter, Roland finds that the three cards (ergo the title) drawn in the last installment represent people: a junkie, a killer, and a cripple with multiple personality disorder. Which begs the question--if this is the army with which he's supposed to storm the battlements, isn't it kind of hard to yell "charge"? Complicating matters, Roland's gun hand is mangled and infected by vicious lobster critters early in the book, effectively incapacitating our anti-hero.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When King is on form, he's well-deserving of every accolade and dollar he's earned over the years, whatever the academics and intellectuals might say. In DRAWING, King works his magic in the details--the horrible, excruciating details--such as the aftermath of the lobster battle. He's also quite good in small delights, such as Roland's first taste of good ole American soda pop.

This is better than its predecessor precisely because it all came from an author in his creative prime. Somewhere between the earnest, flawed writing of "Gunslinger" and "Drawing", Stephen King became a master of his craft.

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire novel "Teeth: A Horror Fantasy.")

King should have rewritten this one too..........2007-07-27

I have been intrigued by King's Dark Tower series since I was a kid, when I got a copy of the trade paperback edition of The Gunslinger (book 1) with Michael Whelan's Roland staring off into the distance on the cover. The story inside may have been a bit far-out and disjointed, but it was still thrilling to me. I read all the way up to Wizard and Glass after that, and then fell, like the rest of his readers, into the great time gap between book 4 and book 5 (Wolves of the Calla), and I gave up on watching intently for the arrival of the next volume.

But when King finally got the series rolling again and finished it, I decided it was time revisit the series. I read the rewritten version of The Gunslinger and thought it was a great thing that King did, making the book so much better and having it jive with the later books. I feel that King should have done the same for The Drawing of the Three.

King said in the revised Gunslinger that book 1, in its original form, was far removed from the rest of the books in style, and he seems to have the opinion that his series found its true voice by the second book. But I tend to disagree. Drawing of the Three could stand a bit of revamping as well. For one thing, Roland just seems too shocked by modern contrivances in the book (I will concede that maybe a plane would be alien to him, and cars as well. But he seemed to have some knowledge of his own world's technological past in The Gunslinger, and shouldn't have been as put out by the sights of New York).

On another note, Roland's native tongue and all it's quirky expressions should have gotten some more attention in this book. He says "Thankee sai" (no comma between the words) to someone in the book ONCE, and it sounds like it means something besides addressing someone with an honorific (Thankee, sai... that comma between the two words makes all the difference). It's a lot of little details like that (and not to mention no "Yar" or "Say thank ya" in the book either as far as I can recall) that take you out of the reading experience in such a jarring way.

There are also some editing mistakes (I think he refers to Roland's guns as having ironwood grips instead of sandalwood, etc.) and just an overall strangeness of the tone that seem to create a disconnect between books 1 and 3 now that The Gunslinger has been rewritten. King inserted so much that will be found in the later books (thinnys, taheens, more on the Manni, etc.) into his revised Gunslinger that the absence of these little flourishes in Drawing of the Three are greatly missed.

Stephen, I think your series really truly found its voice in book 3...consider a revised Drawing of the Three.

As for the story itself, I tend to think it is a great, headlong rush of gripping events, which would be made much better if it were rewritten with all the little touches that would tie it into the rest of the series. As it stands now, the missing pieces as I see them bring this book down to the level of "read it just to get the details and head on to the greener pastures of the later books, which are much more consistent with each other...not to mention the revised Gunslinger."

I'll never look at a lobster the same again........2007-07-05

Stephen King's second book in the Dark Tower Series grabs you so fast you will not be able to put it down. Right off the bat, our hero gets seriously hurt by freaky lobsters who continue to wreak havoc throughout the story. Roland somehow pulls himself together long enough to go through a door which is like a time warp and find Eddie Dean. Eddie is the prisoner that was on one of the tarot cards that the man in black foretold of. King was brilliant with the whole Eddie Dean story and the way he worked Roland into Eddies's time and place. Roland will go through two more doors for the drawing of the three and you will find that this gunslinger does have a heart. This is King at his best.

Average customer rating:

HENRIETTA GO GET YOUR GUN
Noir, Bitter, Hopeful
Unique, intelligent and gripping
Great Art and a Great Story
Great artwork, good action, but too many objections

Gunslinger Girl, Volume 1
Yu Aida
Manufacturer: ADV Manga
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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Gunslinger Girl, Volume 4
Gunslinger Girl, Volume 5
Gunslinger Girl, Volume 6

ASIN: 1413900208

Book Description

Innocence Lost.... Henrietta barely survived a brutal attack that killed her family. "Rescued" by the Social Welfare Agency, her injuries were repaired with robotic components and she was brainwashed - lost with the memory of her family's death was almost every trace of her own humanity. Today she is an extraordinarily lethal cyborg assassin, obediently working with her handler Giuseppe to carry out her deadly tasks. Despite her conditioning and programming, Henrietta still has the heart of a young girl; she has not completely forgotten how to love. Yet the very emotion is contrary to her training and programming. Can the Gunslinger Girl survive? Can she find peace in a struggle against her very nature?

Customer Reviews:

HENRIETTA GO GET YOUR GUN.......2005-04-12

The Social Welfare Agency in Italy is a government organization directly accountable to the prime minister that takes care of physically challenged children, ostensibly to give them a second chance at a normal life. Well, that's at least the cover for its true purpose. In actuality, they take these unfortunate children and turn them into cyborg assassins that do covert work for the government. Their memories are wiped clean and they are given doses of "medication" to make them more pliable to the control of their partners, adult agents. Together, they are known as "fratello".

This first volume tries to show the different types of relationships between partner and cyborg and the different levels of dehumanization that they bring about. For example, Giuseppe and Henrietta are almost a father daughter combo, with Giuseppe doing what he can, feeble though it is, to let her experience a modicum of normality. On the other hand some "handlers" see their cyborg partners as merely tools to be used and discarded. Neither option seems particularly wholesome to me. And therein lies the disturbing subtext of this manga. No matter how strong the love a person feels for you, it can never be genuine if they're brainwashed into it. The girls here know they have been programmed, but they're ok with it. One second they're having girltalk between each other, and then on the next page, they're killing someone. At least there are a few characters in here that feel guilty about the whole situation.

The art is above standard and the story here is for mature readers, with scenes of graphic violence.

Noir, Bitter, Hopeful.......2005-03-05

Orphaned, sick, or physically deeply damaged, the 10-12 year old girls of "Gunslinger Girl" are rescued by the Social Welfare Agency and turned into chemically and emotionally brainwashed, cyborg political assassins. They bond deeply with their older male handlers, and obey these men implicitly. And love them too - and therein lies the tense inner workings of these bitterly noir, nearly surreal stories. --- If you expect a shoot-`em-up with cute sexy little Lolita nymphets, forget it. The style is Italian film noir realism (the story is set in Italy) and everything centers on the *relationships* among the girls and between them and their handlers - quiet, withdrawn Henrietta and the genuinely loving Giuseppe, or Elsa de Sica, whose handler does *not* love her, as we find out in a grim two-part story. --- How do people fall in love? If we are all killers (one of the undertexts of "Gunslinger Girl"), then why do we even think that love is possible? These girls live in a Gulag created by nameless adults. Against the brainwashing, conditioning, chemicals, and loss of memory, how can anyone act with even a shred of humanity, let alone personality or rebellion? Against the radical and totalizing power of drugs, manipulations, and emotional pain, the girls simply don't give up. They're very proud of their abilities to assassinate terrorists and of the police services they provide. Dubious means; desirable end: and they become human, in poignant and very moving stories of endurance, resilience, and revenge. And if you say that *their* Gulag is not so different from *our* consensus reality, well, then you've got the point.

Unique, intelligent and gripping.......2005-03-02

Reading descriptions of Gunslinger Girl might make it sound like a grim action series along the same lines as Noir, but in reality, it ends up being something much different. That's not to say that there aren't beautifully animated action scenes and impressive gun fights, but this is not really an action series. At its core, this manga is about the relationship between characters and questions the essence of humanity.

Each of the story's young assassins is paired up with an older man who serves as her supervisor and guardian. These pairs are referred to as 'fratello' or 'siblings'. Instead of having any true plot to connect all the episodes, each installment focuses on a single fratello and explores the dynamic between the girl and her supervisor. These relationships vary greatly; some supervisors act as loving parents while others only use the girls as tools to get the job done. The manga does a commendable job developing the character relationships and showing how it affects each of the girls. It comes across with a depressing realism that adds to the emotional impact of the series and raises some interesting and thought-provoking questions about what makes a person human.

All in all, this is a unique, intelligent and gripping work that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Note: A persistent and inaccurate myth that has grown like moss on the Gunslinger Girl series is that Rico could not have cared less about her brief and tragic crossing of paths with Emilio at the Hotel Villa Gatti. This misconception persists despite being in contradiciton with the facts recorded in Episode Two of the series, which documents the incident in full.

After returning from her survey of the target area, during which Rico met Emilio for the first time, our heroine requested violin lessons from Henrietta. This action would be meaningless if she had not harboured the hope of somehow seeing her newfound friend again and fulfilling his wish for her to play him a song.

In the wake of her mission and her final, fateful brush with Emilio, Rico could clearly be seen shdding tears. It has been widely assumed that Rico's weeping was a result of her nightly subconscious reflecting over her bleak early years, our heroine being deathly afraid that she would rouse from her slumber to find that her new, healthy exisistence was but a dream. However, a proper examination of the episode clearly indicats that crying was never a part of Rico's reminicising, thus telling us that she was, in fact, greiving over something else, namly choosing duty over affection and losing a friend by doing so.

In the final analysis, Rico did feel something for Emilio and was traumatised ovr her awful deed, but attempted to bury her sadness and guilt by telling herself that performing her duty as an assassin was the least she could do to repay the SWA / Section 2, who had given her the fit, strong body she always dreamed of possessing. Whether or not she will continue to repress her feelings in this way we may never know.

Great Art and a Great Story.......2004-11-16

This is simply a well put together piece of work.

Gunslinger Girl tells a very interesting story in typical anime fashion and the drawings in this manga are extremely good. The pages have a good layout and the action sequences are some of the best I have seen.

My main objection with this series would be that at times I was a little confused by who was speaking or thinking in a particular square of comic but I found it easier as I kept reading.

I am looking forward to continuing to read the series. This one is for people who not only like good writing but good art.

Great artwork, good action, but too many objections.......2004-08-20

I cannot endorse this manga. To be honest, I feel guilty after buying (and enjoying) the first volume. The art is a cut above the rest and the action sequences are good.
However, this is too much of a disturbing fantasy, especially for the target adolescent audience. These ~14 year old young women are conditioned to have unswerving loyalty and love (or close to it) for their adult male handlers.
These handlers train, condition, and control the lives of the young women. I have read some reviews of some dating sims and seen a highly disturbing episode of Boogiepop Phantom, and the idea of becoming a girl's mentor is a theme in the genre. Worse yet, the book states that there is an element of heroism in bearing the burden of this unconditional interest. This caters too much to an audience of boys who find it difficult enough to approach females.

Average customer rating:

BLESS THE KILLERS

Gunslinger Girl, Volume 2
Yu Aida
Manufacturer: ADV Manga
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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Gunslinger Girl, Volume 3
Gunslinger Girl, Volume 1
Gunslinger Girl, Volume 4
Gunslinger Girl, Volume 5
Gunslinger Girl, Volume 6

ASIN: 1413902332

Book Description

In Italy, select teenage girls have been transformed into cyborgs and subjected to a brainwashing process known as "Conditioning." These girls are then paired with fully human supervisors, called Handlers, and are made to carry out assassinations on behalf of a shadowy government agency. The girls are fiercely loyal to their Handlers and would do anything to protect them.

Customer Reviews:

BLESS THE KILLERS.......2005-06-07

Volume 2 of Gunslinger Girl has less violence and more character development than the first installment. We start off with the backstory of Claes and end with the backstory of the first girl agent, Angelica. The most touching moments of the series are when the girls remember their humanity despite all the "conditioning" they receive to rid them of it. Even some of the adult "handlers" begin to question whether they are on the right side. The middle section of this volume deals with the Agency trying to stop mad bombers and rescuing the money man of an underground organization. But the plot is interspersed with quiet moments such as the girls going out in the dead of night to enjoy a meteor shower, and the tragic story of Angelica, whose own father tried to kill her for insurance money. The same Angelica whose memory is completely shot due to the massive amount of experimentation that was done on her.

The premise of Gunslinger Girl is quite disturbing but it does show how adults corrupt the world of children with no regard to their welfare at times. In a war against terrorists just how far would people be willing to go? What is the difference in sending 18 year olds to fight and die? Are they any less children than the girls we see here? Another poignant thing about it is that all the girls seem to have been unwanted, in some cases, even by their own parents. And that they cling to their handlers and to each other as the only family they have. Yu Aida never exploits the plot. I think the author is trying to show how a blank slate can be turned into a killer if properly trained. But there is something in the souls of the girls that is trying to fight its way out and reject this whole messed up situation. Thought provoking manga!

The Wild, Wild West Of Louis L'amour: The Illustrated Guide To Cowboys, Indians, Gunslingers, Outlaws And Texas Rangers

Average customer rating:

A Must for Western History and Louis L'Amour Fans

The Wild, Wild West Of Louis L'amour: The Illustrated Guide To Cowboys, Indians, Gunslingers, Outlaws And Texas Rangers
Bruce Wexler
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A Trail of Memories: The Quotations Of Louis L'Amour
Smoke From This Altar
The Guns of the Gunfighters: Lawmen, Outlaws & Hollywood Cowboys
The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour, Volume 4 (Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour)
Cowboy Ethics

ASIN: 0762423579
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Book Description

Louis L'Amour, one of America's best-loved and most authentic western writers, penned more than 125 novels in a thirty-year career. His heroes, many of whom appear in various volumes, had strong views about right and wrong, and they also had great respect for the environment and for the rights of the Native American. This is the first full-color companion to L'Amour, enriched with more than 100 specially researched illustrations that bring to life the detailed settings, authentic equipment, and strong moral characters that populate his historically accurate novels, which have been popular with audiences around the globe for more than 50 years.

Customer Reviews:

A Must for Western History and Louis L'Amour Fans.......2005-10-04

This slim but mighty volume serves a number of purposes. First and foremost, it is a worthy companion to the novels of Louis L'Amour, and sheds historical light on his fictional west. While I loved "How The West Was Won" - one of the very first movies besides Clint Walker's "Yellowstone Kelly" that I ever went to see, Mr. Wexler's book brings the Rawlings family, particularly Zeb and Linus into proper historical perspective. He also does the same for the famous Sackett characters, and others like "Utah Blaine" here as well.

Secondly, it is a coffee table book filled with artifacts, paintings and graphic images of those who fought for, settled, and left their mark on the West - the good, the bad, and yep, the ugly too. Wexler might have provided a stronger narrative on the Indian and the Wars for the Plains and the Desert; he did not. Those wonderful sepia toned photos of Cowboys on the plains are also conspiciously lacking; and I'm surprised he was so minimal when it came to discussing Buffalo Bill Cody. There are no discussion nor imagery of the great scout's "Wild West Shows" - but then again, the old Colonel never really passed through Mr. L'Amour's novels.

Wyatt Earp and the dynasty of Western Outlaws, plus women of the west, good and bad, proper and soiled get their due; there are also fine photos of the gambling tables, the scout's gear and acroutments, the ghost towns. If you already have coffee table books on "Western History" then there's not much difference about this one from the others save the homage to Mr. L'Amour...but for the Western History beginner, or for someone who would love a good and new coffee table Western History book, this slim volume makes an purdy awesome book.

"The Wild, Wild West of Louis L'Amour" is also a companion book accompanying the wonderful new "Guns and Gamblers" exhibit at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona.

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