Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born is the first chapter in a mini-series based on Stephen King’s seven book series, The Dark Tower. In addition to the seven actual issues of this set, an eighth guide issue, Gunslinger’s Guidebook, was released at the conclusion of this set; Something that Marvel claims will happen after each set in the future, each set having its own guidebook. The series is continued in Dark Tower: The Long Road Home.

While being an incredible story on its own and easily a stand-alone story, meaning that you needn’t have read the books to follow along, it should be noted that this is not an adaptation of the original books. Instead, it is almost a continuation of the original story line in that it covers a time period and events that are only know to readers of the books through a flashback during a story the central character, Roland Deschain, tells to the rest of his traveling party during the forth book in the series, Wizard and Glass.

In the Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, we follow Roland Deschain, Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns as they set off, leaving home for a place by the name of Hambry on a mission to uncover information about John Farson and the Outer Dark. The trio faces trouble when a group of Farson’s men, known as the Big Coffin Hunters, discovers their true identities as gunslingers. With the help of Roland’s lover, Susan Delgado, and the local tavern boy, Sheemie Ruiz, the gunslingers set a trap for the Big Coffin Hunters. Although the gunslingers are successful against the Big Coffin Hunters, Roland is unable to save Susan Delgado and their unborn child from being burned alive on the Reap Night Bonfire. This affects Roland deeply.

Collected in Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born.