Introduction

Fans of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series were lured to comic book stores across the nation to purchase the first issue of "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born" Tuesday night at midnight. We were in attendance at a gathering of comic book and King fans.

Midnight Sale banner in the doorway

"There was murder, there was rape, there were unspeakable practices, and all of them were for the good, the bloody good, the bloody myth, for the grail, for the Tower." Perhaps that's a slight exaggeration of the midnight sale for Marvel's "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born"; a seven-part comic set in the universe of Stephen King's fantasy western setting, but there were cookies, soda, M&Ms, and raffle prizes. Marvel's announcement that they were organizing midnight sales at 150 comic stores across the country came as a surprise to me. This was the first midnight sale for a comic ever, yet both Marvel and DC have had much bigger events affecting all the characters in their respective universes. "The Gunslinger Born" is a crossover title in that it has appeal to both comic fans and fans of The Dark Tower series (which are known to be particularly rabid, and of which I count myself a mildly rabid member), and the midnight sale is a cultural phenomenon and celebration of fandom that is a common thread in circles where fanaticism finds firm footing.

A shot of the front of the store