Continuing what seems to have been a successful foray into comics adaptations and continuations of established fantasy/sf/horror books, Del Rey will publish a MONTHLY COMIC adaptation of The Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, for late summer/early fall 2009. To our knowledge, this is Del Rey’s first periodical-type comic. Clearly, they have been inspired by Marvel’s success at the Stephen King business. No creative team announced yet.

Originally published in 1984, The Talisman is the story of a young teen named Jack Sawyer, who can save his dying mother only by retrieving a magical talisman. To find it he must cross back and forth between our world and the frightening and dangerous landscape of its “twinner” counterpart. The hardcover edition, published by Viking, spent 12 weeks in the #1 slot on the New York Times list. Both The Talisman and its sequel, Black House, are in print with Ballantine Books. Television rights to The Talisman are under development by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy.

“Illustrating The Talisman in the depth that it deserves will involve at least 24 issues of comics, probably more,” said Del Rey Editor in Chief, Betsy Mitchell, who acquired the project from agent Ralph Vicinanza. “It’s a tremendously visual story, filled with images that burn in memory long after the book has been closed.”

King’s Dark Tower comics consistently inhabit the top of the comic book sales charts, and his recent series, Dark Tower: Long Road Home was the top-selling comic book in North America in March 2008.

1 COMMENT

  1. Coat: THE STAND will be a series of five-to-six issue min-series; IIRC, thirty to thirty five issues in all.