“The man in black fled across the desert 
and the gunslinger followed.” is the opening line from The Gunslinger, a novella by Stephen King. Even though I read The Gunslinger in high school I can still remember that opening line, even after all these years. The story of the Gunslinger was a mix of fantasy and science fiction and set in a world so intriguing there had to be more to it than just one book. Stephen King knew that and eventually the story became a series of books known as The Dark Tower series. Those books eventually became a movie.
The movie for The Dark Tower was very different from the books, as many movie adaptations tend to be, so it wasn’t embraced by fans. There is one area that I am sure everyone can agree on, and that is: the figures that were produced by Diamond Select for The Dark Tower are beautiful. Diamond Select produced figures for the two main characters, Roland Deschain and The Man in Black (aka-Walter).
The first figure we are going to talk about is Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger. Standing approximately 7 inches tall Roland has multiple points of articulation and they are:
• Head
• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Wrists
• Chest
• Hips
• Thighs
• Knee (Double Jointing on knees)
• Ankles
• Feet
The figure was sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios and it is a good likeness of Idris Elba. Roland comes with a diorama base, artwork for the bulletin board, 3 extra hands, two pistols and the horn of Eld. On a side note regarding the hands… when switching the hands out it takes a bit of effort and makes a “POP” noise. When you are attaching hands know that once you hear a click noise the hand is attached all the way.
Next we have to talk about the Man in Black (Walter). This mysterious sorcerer is the object of Roland’s quest and the Gunslinger has vowed to find and kill him. Among the reasons behind Roland’s quest is Walter is responsible for the deaths of all of Roland’s fellow gunslingers as well as the murder of Roland’s father. These are not the only crimes Walter is guilty of; he also wants to destroy the mythical Tower that holds reality together.
Like the Gunslinger, the Man in Black figure was sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios and they managed to capture the look of Matthew McConaughey from the film. The Man in Black stands approximately 7 inches tall and has multiple points of articulation. These points are:
• Head
• Neck
• Shoulders
• Elbows
• Wrists
• Chest
• Hips
• Thighs
• Knees (Double Jointing on knees
• Ankles
• Feet
The Man in Black comes with a base and a crystal ball accessory.
Both figures would be great for the Stephen King fan in your life. I really liked these figures with the Roland figure being my favorite of the two. The biggest problem I had was with the Man in Black figure. There was nothing that makes this figure stand out. This is not a reflection on Diamond as much as designers on the film. He is very nondescript and a bit boring. On the bright side not standing out would make him perfect if you need a background figure for a diorama.
The Diamond Select Dark Tower figures retail for $24.99 and can be picked up at the DST shop website or your local comic shop. Also if you are at NYCC later this week drop into the Diamond Select booth and maybe pick up a set while you check out everything they have to offer. Diamond Select Toys, in my opinion, never disappoints.
