“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
The first sentence in Stephen King’s The Gunslinger has to be one of the most darkly sublime and poetic openings in modern fiction. In one sentence, King captures our imaginations and sets the tone for his mind-bending fantasy/western/sci fi magnum opus. With its surreal imagery and vivid characters, The Dark Tower series straddles multiple genres and explores almost all of the Kingverse…magical erasers not withstanding.
Here’s a look at which characters we would love to see made into action figures:
1.) Roland Deschain
Source: Marvel Comics
From his eternal drive to reach the elusive Dark Tower to his hilarious pronunciations, Roland is one of the meanest and most bizarrely comedic heroes in fantasy/sci fi literature. He’s as enigmatic as The Man with No Name, and yet equally chivalrous and romantic.
He had us at “Thankee Sai.”
2. Alain Johns
Source: Marvel Comics
A member of Roland’s childhood ka-tet, Alain is pragmatic, sensitive, and often acts as the voice of reason for his friends; he also has a psychic ability known as ‘The Touch.’
3. & 4) Eddie Dean and Odetta Susannah Holmes
One is a former drug addict from New York and other is a double-amputee with a multiple personality disorder. Together, they are the husband and wife gunslingers in Roland’s second and final ka-tet.
5.) Cuthbert Allgood
Source: Marvel.com
Wild, sarcastic and incredibly loyal, Cuthbert is one of Roland’s closest friends and part of Roland’s original ka-tet. Not a gunslinger to suffer fools or back away from a fight, Cuthbert died heroically at the Battle of Jericho Hill in a hail of gunfire and sorcery.
6.) Jake Chambers
Jake is an 11-year-old boy from New York who found himself in Roland’s world. The two traveled together until Roland sacrificed him in his pursuit of the Man in Black. Luckily, Jake survived in an inventive, complicated turn-of-events and became a member of Roland’s second ka-tet.
7.) Aileen Ritter
Source: Marvel Comics
Though no one took her seriously at first, Aileen became the first female Gunslinger by virtue of her skill and discipline.
8.) The Crimson King
Source: Marvel Comics
Evil incarnate, The Crimson King wishes to conquer the Dark Tower and raze it to the ground.
9.) The Man in Black aka Randall Flagg aka Walter O’Dim aka Marten Broadcloak
Source: Marvel Comics
The sower of chaos and destruction, Randall Flagg is one of King’s most persistant antagonists, notably serving as the chief villain in THE STAND. The Man in Black has assumed many different names in many different times and worlds as a demonic sorcerer, deceiver, and lover of Jean-Suits.
10.) Shardik
Source: Dark Tower wiki
There’s something horrifically tragic about a once noble robot bear turned into a relentlessly insane killing machine. A cyborg, Shardik was built by North Central Positronics to serve as one of the twelve Guardians of the Beams. When Roland encounters him, Shardik is several thousand years old, dying and infested with parasites. Driven mad by his illness, he attacks Roland and his ka-tet who are then forced to kill him.
Want to design your own original action figure concepts? Join our community to learn about our upcoming Custom Action Figure Design Contest: http://goo.gl/gSb4F
Tell us what you think!
Just wanted to point out in above pic referenced 3 & 4 that is not Eddie but rather Roland who Susannah is riding piggyback. Its from the scene when Shardik trees Eddie.