THE DARK TOWER VOL. 2: THE LONG ROAD HOME

This second volume in the epic Dark Tower graphic novel adaptation picks up immediately after the events on the first volume, which happen to be the final events of the Wizard and Glass flashback story. The comics are now treading into material that are not included in the original novels, aside from general mentions. We find Alain and Cuthbert on the run back to Gilead, trying to stay one step ahead of the Hambry posse as they try to make it home in one piece, all the while struggling to keep Roland from going crazy as he's being hypnotized by Maerlyn's Grapefruit.

The material here is still immensely wordy, especially in it's blabbermouthed narrator. It also feels as if there is a lot more telling than showing, which is bad news in any visual medium but especially in a comic book. One of my gripes with both this one and the first volume is that they sort of ruin the mystery of the villains. By showing so much of the Crimson King and the Man in Black, it lessens the impact that their omnipotent presence had over Stephen King's novels. And to top it off, not a whole lot happens in this one. It's pretty forgettable. Hurry up guys, let's get to the good stuff!

GRADE: C-