DARK TOWER GRAPHIC NOVELS
BOOK REVIEW | Someone told me recently that my wish list for gifts (birthday, etc.) always looks like it was written by a 10-year-old. Why?
No, it's not because of the handwriting... (well, maybe sometimes) it's because it's always full of books and video games.
Since I'm a huge fan of Stephen King's Dark Tower series of books, one of the items on the "10-year-old" wish list was the graphic version of the beginning of that Dark Tower story. I read it last week and can tell you this: I'm not quite sold on the comics/graphic novel thing. But they're growing on me.
PROS: I got to relive the first part of a story I already knew I loved with this graphic novel. The illustrations were dark and fantastic and matched well with the themes of the plot. Great use of color!
CONS: It was initially annoying to look at the illustrations while reading the text (this from a graphic novel newbie)... after reading thousands of pages of the original story (with vivid details), the illustrations kind of short-circuited the images I had made up in my head when I first read the Dark Tower books.
Overall, it was really just a new take on one of my favorite stories. I wouldn't say better or worse, just different. I'll buy the next installment because I like the story... however, I'm not sure how I would approach graphic novels whose stories are new to me. I like to build a visual world in my head when I read, making it my own by basing it on the words on the page. I feel like graphic novels won't let me do that... but I'm willing to give it a try and see how it goes! In my mind, it's always good to mix things up once and awhile.
No, it's not because of the handwriting... (well, maybe sometimes) it's because it's always full of books and video games.Since I'm a huge fan of Stephen King's Dark Tower series of books, one of the items on the "10-year-old" wish list was the graphic version of the beginning of that Dark Tower story. I read it last week and can tell you this: I'm not quite sold on the comics/graphic novel thing. But they're growing on me.
PROS: I got to relive the first part of a story I already knew I loved with this graphic novel. The illustrations were dark and fantastic and matched well with the themes of the plot. Great use of color!
CONS: It was initially annoying to look at the illustrations while reading the text (this from a graphic novel newbie)... after reading thousands of pages of the original story (with vivid details), the illustrations kind of short-circuited the images I had made up in my head when I first read the Dark Tower books.
Overall, it was really just a new take on one of my favorite stories. I wouldn't say better or worse, just different. I'll buy the next installment because I like the story... however, I'm not sure how I would approach graphic novels whose stories are new to me. I like to build a visual world in my head when I read, making it my own by basing it on the words on the page. I feel like graphic novels won't let me do that... but I'm willing to give it a try and see how it goes! In my mind, it's always good to mix things up once and awhile.
