Summary
Throughout Stephen King’s epic fantasy meets science fiction, western, and horror series,The Dark Tower, there are many pivotal moments that are either touched upon or hinted at from Roland’s past. From the moment Roland earned his title as a gunslinger to his tragic love story with Susan Delgado,the Fall of Gilead, and finally the Battle of Jericho Hill, the childhood and transition into adulthood for Roland is marked by one tragedy after another. Yet between the Battle of Jericho Hill and Roland’s hunt for the Man in Black, there are a lot of unknown elements to his story. One question many fans have about Roland’s backstory is how he survived the Battle of Jericho Hill, and what led him to his quest to find the man in black to begin with.
From the moment he and his allies were cut down by the Good Man, John Farson, to the moment the man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed, there is a large gap in Roland Deschain’s history that needs more clarification. There is a story told in Marvel Comics’s adaptation ofThe Dark TowercalledThe Journey Begins, which recounts this lost history, and ifMike Flanagan’s The Dark Toweradaptation is to be made, this is a key part of Roland’s story that shouldn’t be skipped.
The Journey Begins, Explained
After the Battle of Jericho Hill, as Roland’s friends and allies laid all around him, having been slain by John Farson and his army, Roland was thought dead as well, and his body thrown into a pile with his friends. However, Roland survived, rising from the pile and taking out the lone soldiers who had tossed him away, (known as No-Men, or men who could turn invisible). Before leaving the battlefield,Roland discovered Aileen Ritter, the niece of his former teacher Cort, clinging to life next to him. He carefully carried her away from the fight, hoping this was a sign that their people would survive, but she knew her time was coming to an end, and she requested he take her to Gilead.
Eventually, she passed on during a fight with more No-Men, and Roland mourned her loss, knowing that if he were ever to try loving another woman again, it would be her. Sneaking into the ruins of Gilead, he placed Aileen into the coffin bearing her uncle Cort’s sigil, and laid her to rest. Alone with no one other than a billy-bumbler as his traveling companion, Roland searched the ruins of Gilead, coming across ghosts such as Hax the Cook, the first man he ever saw die after reporting him to his father, Steven Deschain,as a spy for John Farson.
As Roland left Gilead,he saw The Man in Black, who said he had a role to play in Roland’s destiny. After failing to strike the villain with his guns, Roland gave chase, beginning his epic struggle against the Man in Black. Roland chases him to a town known as Kingstown, but no one in the town knows of the Man in Black. However, he does see a woman who has a striking resemblance to Susan Delgado.
He sees her again in a pub known as the Traveller’s Rest, and learns she is a doppleganger of Susan Delgado, also named Susan. She is a waitress at the pub, and soon after they talk about Farson, the No-Men, and much more, she is kidnapped by the No-Men. Roland tracks her and another girl down to one of Farson’s strongholds, and fights off a slew of No-Men. The Billy-Bumbler, who has fought alongside Roland since Jericho Hill, is slain in the fight, leaving Roland to mourn the final connection to his past. After saving Susan and spending the night with her, he moves on,and his story picks up from therein The Gunslinger, the first book in the Dark Tower series.
Important Backstory To The Series
While events like The Fall of Gilead, the Battle of Jericho Hill, and the hunt for the Man in Black are crucial events in Roland’s story, the events of the Journey Begins are crucial backstory to exploring how Roland became the last gunslinger of his world. From the time he survived and won his test of manhood and became the youngest gunslinger, he and his family knew he had a destiny, and for him to survive the loss of Susan, his parents, his kingdom, and finally his people through years of war with John Farson, understanding how he was able to live through thatis an important part of Roland’s history.
It also showcases how important his mission to find the Dark Tower is, and why he becomes so obsessedwith finding the Man in Blackas a result. When Mike Flanagan bringsThe Dark Towerto life, it is important to be able to understand both the physical and mental strain that Roland had to suffer through to survive and become the lone survivor of his entire people, which is why bringingThe Journey Beginsto life is critical to a full understanding of who Roland Deschain truly is.
