The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger Born - Issue 6

Summary - In the sixth issue of the Dark Tower series, Eldred Jonas learns the secret of the ka-tet, and hatches a plot to frame them for the murder of Mayor Thorin, the man who Susan Delgado is supposed to marry. But the three young gunslingers have their own plan to take care of the evil John Farson and his confederates..

Story - The story details how Eldred Jonas goes about framing Roland and his friends for the murder of Mayor Thorin, They are captured, but then set free by Susan Delgado, who shoots two lawmen and is now being hunted as fiercely as the ka-tet. A new character is also introduced, Sheemie, a young man with the intelligence of a child. Cuthbert suspects that Roland and Susan are causing their downfall, but Roland’s apology sets everything right. They plan to destroy the oil fields where a refinery is producing oil to fuel war machines that will destroy the Affiliation led by Roland’s father. They are unaware however, that the witch with the seeing crystal knows of the connection between Roland and Susan, and now Eldred Jonas knows as well.

Art - The art for the sixth issue of the Dark Tower is up to the fantastic level of the first five issues. Dark blues and greys mix with an almost lavender tone on the pages. There’s amazing detail on every page, and the feelings of the characters are clear on their faces, which are exquisitely penciled and painted by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove. The book sets a very high standard for those that will come after it. It will be interesting to see if the next series will keep to the same level as these ones have.

Extras - Several extras. The first is an essay on a dark tradition in Mid-World, the Charyou Tree, a place of human sacrifice that became all too common in the world’s early eras. There is also an essay on the Gunslinger’s guns, which has some wonderful paintings along with the text. At the end of the book, there’s a Gunslinger’s Litany as well as a page with pencil drawings from the book.

The Details - 24 pages of story. 17 pages of extras. 6 ad pages

Story - Excellent story but heading in a sad direction. 4 stars
Art - The art is spectacular. Jae Lee is one of the finest comic book artists today. 5 stars
Extras - Great extras, especially if you’re into the history of the Dark Tower world. 4 stars
Overall - A great leadup to the concluding volume. 5 stars