Tag: stephenking

literature

I've Got A Fever And The Doctor Ordered More Dark Tower

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Stephen King’s site today informed me that Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1 will be arriving in stores at 12:01 AM, March 5th, 2008 (at participating comic stores). The writing crew of Robin Furth & Peter David and artists Jae Lee & Richard Isanove will be joined by special guest variant cover artist (and Marvel Editor-In-Chief) Joe Quesada to create the second limited series inspired by Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower series.
Just like the first one, The Gunslinger Born, this limited series will be overseen by Stephen King himself. Just like the first one, Dark Tower: The Long Road Home explores a chapter in Roland’s life only hinted at in the novels. Just like the first one, I expect it to be friggin sweet, kick total ass and to be just what the doctor ordered. One can never get enough of the Dark Tower mythos – not me at least.
Is it March yet?

ramblings

My Return to 19

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While I made this declaration to myself on 4/1, it is anything but a joke. It is a simple pledge to try and “return to 19.” When I was 19, I was 10 pounds lighter, in much better physical shape and definitely more, as the kids put it, ripped. Stephen King wrote a great essay called “On Being 19” that can be found in a number of his books, such as the re-release Dark Tower books. It’s about how we crystalize our view of ourselves at 19 and that we forever view ourselves as being in a sense 19. So, if you played sports then but haven’t since, you always consider yourself an athlete even if you are 100 lbs overweight and a total couch potato. I have been guilty of thinking that I am now what I used to be and am hoping to break this routine. I want to get back to being the person that I think I am.
While I have started and stopped many previous attempts to recapture my former glory, I have decided to use my blog a forum to publically declare my intentions to “Return to 19.” I figure, if I put it out there, I’ll have to be accountable. My goals are pretty simple and attainable:
* I will no longer eat after 10 pm during the week, period.
* I will do at least 50 push-ups a day at first which will eventually get up to 100 a day.
* I will eventually will run both a 5K and 10K race (I have never done the latter) this year.
* I will bike 60 miles (not 30 like I’ve done the past few years because I haven’t been in good enough shape) in October in the MS Bike Tour.
* I will increase my metabolism (I’m buying Ultrametabolism tonight) by modifying my habits. This includes having breakfast (something I never do) each day to kick start my digestive engine.
* I will reduce the amount of coffee I drink and increase in the amount of water.
* I will get a journal so that I can keep track of what I’m supposed to do and will give myself gold stars as rewards. In case you didn’t know it, gold stars rock. If it was good enough to help me learn how to go on a potty like a big boy all those years ago, it’ll work now.
That’s about it. Exercise more. Eat less. Fix my metabolism. Get ripped. Sounds easy enough, right? Wish me luck. Change is hard but simply putting my goals in writing is a huge step for me. Sometimes the first step is the hardest. Good bye perpetual fall – I’m ready for this new leaf to stick…

literature

King and Marvel Join Forces To Launch Dark Tower Comic

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Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Stephen King breaks new ground at Marvel with original comic series based on his epic “The Dark Tower.” Marvel Comics to launch first issue in April 2006. Premium hard cover collection of the first six issues to be released in Holiday 2006.

The following copy is a combination from Marvel.com’s release:

New Comic Series Exploring the Origin of the Notorious Gunslinger Character Marks First Time Stephen King Has Produced Original Content for the Comic Book Format.

NEW YORK: World Fantasy Award-winning writer Stephen King, long acknowledged as the master of modern horror, and Marvel Comics join forces this spring to launch a ground-breaking new comic book series adapted from King’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower.

The comic series will mark the first time Stephen King has produced original content for an ongoing comic book project. The series will expand the saga of King’s epic hero, Roland Deschain, whose quest to save the Dark Tower is captured in seven best-selling novels published over the course of twenty-five years. King’s unparalleled storytelling power will inform new stories that delve into the life and times of the young Roland, revealing the trials and conflicts that lead to the burden of destiny he must assume as a man, the last Gunslinger from a world that has moved on. The comics will work in conjunction with the novels, further supplementing and defining the saga’s mythology under the direction of the acclaimed author himself.

“As a lifelong fan of Marvel comic books, and as an adult reader who’s seen comics “come of age” and take their rightful place in the world of fantasy and science fiction, I’m excited to be a part of Roland’s new incarnation,” said Stephen King.

The series will be illustrated by Eisner-award winning artist Jae Lee.

King continued, “I love Jae Lee’s work, and I think this is going to be a dynamite partnership. Frankly, I can’t wait.”

The first issue is scheduled to debut in April, 2006 with a hard cover collection of the first 6 issues released Holiday, 2006. Fans will start seeing promotional items, which feature more info in the series, beginning this December. Watch for more info as it becomes available at www.marvel.com/king.
Um, is it April 2006 yet?! I can’t wait!

literature

The King in NY!

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This is why Erik Neu is part of my ka-tet – he bought me a ticket to this event while I was away on my honeymoon:

Conversations with Charlie Rose: Stephen King. Boo-ya! In my old hood no less – I’m beyond psyched, I need to invent a word to describe how I feel…

Here is some background info provided by the 92nd St Y web site:

The most anticipated book in Stephen King’s career, The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower is the final installment to the best-selling author’s epic series. The end to a saga hailed as a “hypnotic blend of suspense and sentimentality – a sprawling, eventful tale of demons, monsters, narrow escapes, and magic portals” (The New York Times Book Review), The Dark Tower promises to be the most exciting publishing event of the year. Stephen King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

If you’d like to buy tickets, they are unbelievably still available so click here and get some tix!

literature

The Dark Tower V Commala poems

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When Roland danced at the town meeting place in Calla Bryne Sturgis:
Come-come-commala
Rice come a-alla
I-sissa ‘ay a-bralla
Dey come a-folla
Down come a-rivva
Or-i-za we kivva
Rice be a green-o
See all we seen-o
See-o the green-o
Come-come-commala!
Come-come-commala
Rice come a-falla
Deep inna walla
Grass come-commala
Under the sky-o
Grass green n high-o
Girl n her fella
Lie down togetha
They slippy ‘ay slide-o
Under ‘ay sky-o
Come-come-commala
Rice come a-falla!

When Andy was leading the town’s children down the street before the great battle:
ANDY
Commala-come-one!
Mamma hada a son
Dass-a time ‘at Daddy
Had d’mos’ fun!
CHORUS
Commala-come-come!
Daddy had one
Dass-a time ‘at Mommy
Had d’mos’ fun!

ramblings

Jessie's New Boss: Steven King

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This is a funny little story about Jessie’s new uber-boss:

THE SKELETON’S IN STEVE KING’S CLOSET – Don’t expect newly anointed Zenith Optimedia chief Steve King to relocate the media buying giant’s worldwide headquarters to New York any time soon. In keeping with Zenith’s roots, the company will remain in London. But the Riff can’t help wondering if the reason has more to do with a horrible experience King had while working for Zenith in New York, than it does with any other real estate issues. It seems that during the mid-1990s when King served as COO of Zenith North America and was working in its Houston Street offices in Lower Manhattan, he would mistakenly receive mail from another Steve King. “Penguin Books, was in the same building, and at the time they were publishing some of Stephen King’s books,” recalls Zenith’s King. “Most of my mail when I was general manager and COO of Zenith came from strange people sending in the weirdest letters, like, ‘Would you like me to tell you my story about how I butchered my husband and have him buried in my basement?”

literature

Dark Tower Release Dates

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From news@stephenking.com:

“Due to popular demand, the US publication schedule for release of Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower have been moved ahead. The on-sale date for Song of Susannah will now be June 8, 2004 and The Dark Tower will be available September 21, 2004.”

I have only two words – Yeah baby!

literature

Books versus Movies

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My fiance sits on the couch finishing Return of the King as I sit typing at the computer. Having just come from Stephen King’s web site, having just watched a number of DT inspired short films and having made plans to watch The Two Towers on DVD tonight, I feel the need to reaffirm why I love books tremendously more than movies. Mr. King himself said it better than I can, at least right now, so I will lift what he wrote from the FAQ section of his site in response (it was in response to the question “Are you going to make a Dark Tower Movie?”):

“I’ve always resisted that idea because movies have a way of freezing characters and places in the audience’s mind whereas in books everybody has their own different idea of, for instance, how Roland or Susannah looks but if you do it as a movie, immediately that kind of gets frozen in place and you say ‘Oh, Billy Bob Thornton is what Roland Deschain looks like.’ Or you say ‘Brad Pitt, that’s what Eddie Dean looks like.’ You know what I’m saying, or you can say ‘Calla Bryn Sturgis from Wolves of the Calla looks like maybe the Universal back lot’, and I’ve always resisted that.”

‘Nuff said for now…

literature

Long Live The King

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The Tower draws nearer! This past Sunday I read a new introduction to The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three while in a Costco of all places. Stephen King wrote in it about how he wanted to create a Tolkien-like saga in a Sergio Leone movie landscape (think Lord of the Rings set in “The Good, The Bad & the Ugly”) and I immediately and gleefully starting thinking, “Yes! I knew it! I knew it!” He wrote about what motivated him, way back when, to write this series and what is driving him now to finish it. Yes, finish it. Over the next year and a half, expect bold new things from Mr. King!

First things first – Books V, VI and VII of the Dark Tower series have been named and slated for delivery. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla will arrive in stores on November 5th, 2003. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, will arrive in store in the Summer of 2004 and The Dark Tower VII, The Dark Tower, will arrive in November, 2004. It also seems that Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger has been updated to make it more in-line with the other books. Supposedly there is now 10% more content than the previous edition. Speaking of previous editions, new introductions have been written for all the first four books.

Second, at Stephen King’s web site there is a section completely devoted to the Dark Tower. Click here to go check out either a short flash movie or enter the site itself. Overall, it’s a really well done flash site – definitely one deserving to be associated with The Dark Tower.

Third, I learned from George about this book entitled The Dark Tower: A Concordance, Volume 1. It is a comprehensive handbook for all things Mid-World (characters, high speech phrases, etc) from the first four books. Volume 2, published when Dark Tower V comes out this November, will cover the last three books. While my reading load is currently backed up by a couple of books, I will need to buy this ASAP. I think pretty soon I’m going to need a new bookcase.