The Talisman: The Road of Trials #0 cover image

The Talisman is a novel by authors Stephen King (Carrie, Salem’s Lot) and Peter Straub (Ghost Story, Koko) first published in 1984.  The Talisman is the story of Jack Sawyer, a teen boy who can save his dying mother only if he retrieves a magical talisman.  To find it, Jack must cross back and forth between his world and its “twinner,” a counterpart to Jack’s world that is frightening and dangerous.

Now, The Talisman is being adapted into a comic book through a series of miniseries (similar to the manner in which Marvel Comics is publishing its comic book adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand).  This adaptation begins with the first miniseries, The Talisman: The Road of Trials, a series that will also mark the launch of Del Rey Comics, a comics imprint of Del Rey Books.

The Talisman: The Road of Trials #0, ostensibly the first issue of the first miniseries arc, is apparently a never-before-told prequel to The Talisman.  This story focuses on the dual lives of Jack’s father, Philip Sawyer.  Philip lives in the world as we know it with his wife, Lily, and his son, Jack, but he also lives in a land known as the Territories, where he is known as Prince Philip.  At the heart of this prequel story is a conspiracy that launches The Talisman.

THE LOWDOWN:  Not bad, but not particularly special, The Talisman: The Road of Trials #0 may pique your interest for what is to come, which it did for me.  I can definitely say that this series’ writer, Robin Furth (a former assistant to Stephen King) should offer more and better in the issues to come than she does here.  The art by Tony Shasteen is good in storytelling, but the awkward-looking compositions suggest shaky draftsmanship.  The art also doesn’t offer flashiness and fanciness in terms of style; this is not eye candy art.  The coloring and color effects are… of noticeably poor quality.

Still, I’m curious to see where this goes, mainly because Del Rey’s venture with Dabel Brothers has yielded some interesting graphic novels.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers of all things Stephen King will want The Talisman: The Road of Trials #0.

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