The remastered edition of Sleeping Beauties is adapted from Stephen and Owen King's best-selling novel

New Stephen King Graphic Novel Has Arrived - Check Out All Of The Horror Legend's Comics

The remastered edition of Sleeping Beauties is adapted from Stephen and Owen King's best-selling novel

Originally released as a two-volume series in 2021-22, IDW Publishing compiled both parts into one premium 280-page hardcover that's loaded with extra content detailing the process of turning Stephen and Owen King's mammoth manuscript into a graphic novel. It includes a gallery of cover art, character design concepts, and commentary and annotations discussing the choices the team behind the graphic novel made when adapting the book.

Stephen and Owen King's names are prominently featured on the cover, but to be clear, the father-son duo didn't write or illustrate the graphic novel. A team of three creators--Rio Youers, Alison Sampson, and Triona Farrell--handled the adaptation.

Sleeping Beauties centers around a pandemic of sorts called Aurora, which leads to never-ending sleep (basically a coma). Naturally, this causes worldwide panic, chaos, and lawlessness. Against this horrifying backdrop, the story hones in on a woman named Eve, who seemingly appears out of thin air. Eve is the only woman known to have immunity to the illness. Why?

It's worth noting you can still buy new copies of both volumes individually, too. At Amazon, the hardcover edition of Volume 1 is $14.69 (was $20), and Volume 2 is $14.49 (was $20). You'll save a few bucks going this route, but you will miss out on the extra content as a result.

PSA: You should read the original novel, too

The graphic novel does an admirable job of adapting the lengthy novel into a digestible 280-page story. That's a fairly high page count for a graphic novel, but the creators were tasked with turning a 720-page novel into a two-volume series. As a result, the graphic novel understandably cuts a lot from the original novel.

If you decide to read the graphic novel first, it'd still be well-worth your time to dive into the prose novel after you're done. The hardcover edition of Stephen and Owen King's Sleeping Beauties is available for only $17 (was $32.50) at Amazon. That's actually cheaper than the paperback edition, which is going for $20.63 at the moment. It's also available in audiobook format for $21, or Audible Premium Plus subscribers can use their monthly credit to get the novel, which is wonderfully performed by Marin Ireland and has a runtime of roughly 25 hours.

Stephen King's and Joe Hill's Road Rage

Sleeping Beauties was King's first and only collaboration with his son Owen, the author of the novels Double Feature and The Curator. King has also collaborated with his eldest son, Joe Hill (pseudonym for Joseph Hillström King), on a pretty awesome homage to Richard Matheson's made-for-TV film Duel, which kickstarted the directorial career of Steven Spielberg in 1971. Their novella Throttle was originally released as an audiobook alongside Matheson's short story before being published as a standalone short.

Joe Hill's story collection Full Throttle includes the tribute to Matheson and the novella he co-wrote with his father, In the Tall Grass, which Netflix turned into a (much worse) movie in 2019. Matheson's Duel and Throttle were adapted as Road Rage, a four-issue comic limited series in 2012 by IDW Publishing. You can get a hardcover edition of Road Rage for $20 at Amazon. It's also available as an ebook for $8--Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read it for free--and as an audiobook for around $7.

• Road Rage by Stephen King and Joe Hill (Hardcover Graphic Novel) -- $20 ($25)
• Road Rage Audible Audiobook -- $7 ($10.79)
• Full Throttle by Joe Hill (Paperback Collection) -- $17 ($19)
• Duel by Richard Matheson (Paperback Collection) -- $18 ($20)

The Dark Tower Omnibus

King's solo work has been adapted into movies and TV shows many, many times, but not only a small selection of his 65-plus novels and hundreds of short stories have been converted into comic books or graphic novels. And, sadly, some of the most notable examples are currently out of print.

Thankfully, the adaptation of King's largest work, The Dark Tower, returned to print last year after publisher Gallery 13 acquired the rights to the Marvel comics series. Gallery 13 released three massive omnibus editions of The Dark Tower comics, which King worked on as the creative supervisor. These beautiful hardcovers adapt and expand on King's eight-book dark fantasy epic in interesting ways. The Dark Tower: Beginnings Omnibus is an 800-page monster of a book that goes into protagonist Roland Deschain's backstory. It's essentially a coming-of-age tale, and it contains the most new information of the three. The Gunslinger Omnibus adapts the first book in the series into a 736-book graphic novel, and The Drawing of the Three Omnibus takes on the second novel in 464 pages.

You'll enjoy the comics more if you read King's fascinating and ambitious novel series first--a box set of King's eight original novels is available for $90 at Amazon. Plus, Marvel canceled the series before it reached its proper conclusion, so you need to read the novels if you want to see how the complete story unfolds.

• The Dark Tower: Beginnings Omnibus (Hardcover) -- $56 ($100)
• The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Omnibus (Hardcover) -- $56 ($100)
• The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three Omnibus (Hardcover) -- $55 ($100)
• The Dark Tower Complete Series (8-Novel Paperback Box Set) -- $90 ($161)

The Stand's Comic Book Adaptation

King's longest single novel, The Stand, also received a comic book series. Unlike The Dark Tower, Marvel finished the unabridged version of King's novel in six story arcs spread across 31 issues. Unfortunately, The Stand has been out of print for many years, with the last release coming in 2013. Most volumes and the omnibus edition are difficult to find for remotely reasonable prices. But hey, there's a seller on Amazon willing to part with the omnibus and the series companion book with bonus materials in "acceptable" condition for only $3,686.31 (plus $4 shipping). At the very least, you can pick up the first three volumes for actually reasonable prices from resellers at Amazon. We've specified used books, and some of the prices are rather ridiculous after Volume 3.

• The Stand Vol. 1: Captain Trips (Paperback) -- $15
• The Stand Vol. 1: Captain Trips (Hardcover) -- $25
• The Stand Vol. 2: American Nightmares (Paperback) -- $23
• The Stand Vol. 2: American Nightmares (Hardcover) -- $26
• The Stand Vol. 3: Soul Survivors (Paperback) -- Preowned from $15 and up
• The Stand Vol. 3: Soul Survivors (Hardcover) -- Preowned for $5.49 and up
• The Stand Vol. 4: Hardcases (Paperback) -- Preowned for $41 and up
• The Stand Vol. 4: Hardcases (Hardcover) -- Preowned for $59, New for $70
• The Stand Vol. 5: No Man's Land (Paperback) -- $34
• The Stand Vol. 5: No Man's Land (Hardcover) -- Preowned for $33 and up
• The Stand Vol. 6: The Night Has Come (Paperback) -- Preowned for $60 and up
• The Stand (Novel, Hardcover) -- $31 ($55)
• The Stand (Novel, Paperback) -- $14 ($22)
• The Stand 2-Series Collection (Blu-ray) -- $35 ($45)

The Stand is one of King's novels that has been adapted for TV twice: in 1994 and again in 2020, both times as a miniseries. A Blu-ray collection featuring both adaptations of The Stand is available for $35 (was $45) at Amazon.

The Stand is widely regarded as one of King's best novels. If you're a fan of apocalyptic fiction, the Complete and Uncut Edition is absolutely worth the time it takes to read King's 1,100-plus page opus. The paperback edition is only $14 at Amazon, and the hardcover (with an awesome dust jacket) is available for $31.

The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub

Outside of the long-running adaptations of The Dark Tower and The Stand, the world of Stephen King comics and graphic novels is small. The only other full-length King novel to receive a comic book adaptation was The Talisman, the first book in a duology he co-authored with the late horror legend Peter Straub. The adaptation received six issues from 2009-10, including a Comic-Con-exclusive Issue 0, and was collected as The Talisman: The Road of Trials, which is still available directly from Amazon for around $16. Publisher Del Rey canceled the planned follow-up, A Collision of Worlds, which is a shame because The Talisman and its sequel, Black House, are superb novels.

• The Talisman: The Road of Trials (Paperback) -- $16.50
• The Talisman (Novel, Paperback) -- $18 ($21)
• Black House (Talisman Sequel, Paperback) -- $17 ($20)

American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Stephen King

It's surprising that all-time King classics like The Shining, It, and Salem's Lot haven't received graphic novel adaptations--though all three have been adapted to TV and film multiple times, including a new 'Salem's Lot feature film coming to Max later this year.

'Salem's Lot may not be available as a comic, but Stephen King did work as a writer on a different vampire story from DC Comics. King wrote the first five issues of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque's American Vampire. Conveniently, DC is re-releasing the first 11 issues of American Vampire as part of its new Compact Comics Edition series on October 1. You can preorder American Vampire: Book One for only $10 at Amazon. King left the series after his five-issue run, but if you're interested in reading more about vampire evolution across American history, massive omnibus editions are available for steep discounts at Amazon: American Vampire Omnibus 1 is $61, and Omnibus 2 is $78.

• American Vampire: Book 1 - DC Compact Comics (Paperback) -- $10 | Releases October 1
• American Vampire Omnibus 1 (Hardcover) -- $61 ($125)
• American Vampire Omnibus 2 (Hardcover) -- $78 ($125)

Stephen King's N. Graphic Novel

King's lesser-known short stories and novellas have been adapted to film and TV so frequently that you've probably watched some movies based on his work without even knowing it. But those stories have not made their way into comics. One of the few exceptions is a novella called N., a 123-page nested narrative about a recently deceased psychiatrist and his patient who suffers from delusions and a serious case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

If N. sounds like a random choice for a graphic novel adaptation, the background story of its creation is even more random. The novella was adapted into a 25-part animated series with 90-second episodes (30 minutes total) before the print version was released in King's 2008 collection Just After Sunset. A limited-edition printing of Just After Sunset included the animated adaptation on DVD. Marvel released a comic book adaptation in 2010, but like all of King's comics published by Marvel, the book collecting all four issues is out of print. New copies are pricey, but you can get a preowned hardcover of N. for around $10 at Amazon.

Creepshow Graphic Novel

All of the Stephen King comics and graphic novels mentioned thus far released within a 15-year span from 2007-2022, but King's first foray into the medium happened way back in 1982 with Creepshow. King wrote the screenplay for the George Romero-directed horror-comedy anthology film. A couple of months after the film premiered, a graphic novel adaptation of King's screenplay--which was based in part on two of King's prose short stories--was published. The Creepshow graphic novel is available for $15 in paperback at Amazon.

The original anthology film has received some cool editions over the years, including a 4K Blu-ray with a steelbook case.

Two Creepshow sequel films were made, though neither were very good. Thankfully, the franchise got back on track with a TV series on Shudder, which is now up to 25 episodes across four seasons. Like the original and the graphic novel, Shudder's show follows the anthology format, with two unrelated horror tales per episode. If you don't have a Shudder subscription, you can check out Shudder's anthology series on Blu-ray.

Shudder's series inspired a comic book series from Image Comics. In a fitting move for the horror anthology franchise, the comics are written and illustrated by a rotating group of guest contributors, including Garth Ennis (The Boys, Punisher, Preacher) and Joe Hill--which is quite cool considering his father wrote the original. King is not involved with the series. Two miniseries and multiple one-shots have been published so far, with a third series set to kick off on September 25.

The first two miniseries are collected in Creepshow Volume 1 and Volume 2, each of which contains five comics. Two one-shots not included in those volumes are available in digital format: Joe Hill's Creepshow comic and Holiday Special 2023. You can buy all 12 issues of Creepshow for Kindle for two bucks each or $25 total.

• Creepshow (Graphic Novel, Paperback) -- $15 ($20)
• Creepshow (1982) Limited-Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray) -- $33 ($40)
• Creepshow (1982) Collector's Edition (4K Blu-ray) -- $26
• Creepshow 2 (Blu-ray) -- $15
• Creepshow 3 (Blu-ray) -- $30
• Creepshow: Season 1 (Blu-ray) -- $25 ($35)
• Creepshow: Season 2 (Blu-ray) -- $20 ($35)
• Creepshow: Season 3 (Blu-ray) -- $14.79
• Creepshow: Season 4 (Blu-ray) -- $15.39
• Creepshow Volume 1 (No. 1-5, Paperback) -- $13.39 ($15) | $8 for Kindle
• Creepshow Volume 2 (No. 1-5, Paperback) -- $15 | $12 for Kindle
• Creepshow: Joe Hill's Wolverton Station (Kindle) -- $3
• Creepshow: Holiday Special 2023 (Kindle) -- $2
• Creepshow Comic Book Series (Kindle, 12 Issues) -- $25

The King of comics in the family

It's a bummer that much of King's work in comics and graphic novels is out of print today, but at least fans can pick up his oldest, Creepshow, and his latest, Sleeping Beauties: Deluxe Remastered Edition.

If you're looking for more comics and graphic novels written by a modern master of horror with the (legal) last name King, you'll have better luck checking out the works from Stephen King's son, Joe Hill.

Just like his father, Hill is a critically acclaimed horror author with several published works to his name, including the novels Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, NOS4A2, and The Fireman, as well as a collection of four novellas called Strange Weather. Horns was adapted into a feature film starring Daniel Radcliffe, while NOS4A2 (Nosferatu) was turned into an AMC series that ran for two seasons. One of Hill's stories from his debut collection 20th Century Ghosts--which was published before the world knew Hill's true identity--was adapted into the unsettling 2021 horror film The Black Phone. However, along with these prose releases, Hill has also penned numerous comic series and graphic novels.

Locke & Key Compendiums & Box Sets

Hill's biggest hit early in his career was the supernatural horror comic series Locke & Key. Written by Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key's initial 2008-13 run included 37 issues. A follow-up limited series titled The Golden Age featured eight issues. A blend of supernatural horror and fantasy, Locke & Key centers around three children who, following their father's murder, moves to his childhood home. Keyhouse, as it's referred to, is a strange place capable of unlocking immense wonders and horrors.

Netflix adapted Locke & Key into a pretty good series that concluded in 2022 after three seasons. But, like so many other adaptations, the source material is better. There are multiple editions of the comic you can buy for discounts at Amazon. Locke & Key: Keyhouse Compendium, which is available for $89 (was $125) at Amazon, is a nearly 1,000-page hardcover omnibus featuring all six volumes. Alternatively, you can buy an older box set with all six volumes tucked inside an eye-catching slipcase for $74 (was $100). The series also has a trio of Master Editions, which are premium hardcovers with list prices of $50 each--but each volume is available for a discount that brings the price down to around $100 overall.

All three editions will get you the complete mainline series as it was originally published, but to be fully up to date, you'll also want Locke & Key: The Golden Age. Collected as a hardcover in 2022 ahead of the final season of the Netflix adaptation, The Golden Age contains standalone stories in the Locke & Key universe, including a new three-issue prequel. There's also a deluxe edition of three one-shots, published as Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth.

• Locke & Key: Keyhouse Compendium (Hardcover) -- $84 ($125)
• Locke & Key: Slipcase Set (Paperback) -- $74 ($100)
• Locke & Key: Master Edition Vol. 1 (Hardcover) -- $27.49 ($50)
• Locke & Key: Master Edition Vol. 2 (Hardcover) -- $33.49 ($50) | Third-party seller
• Locke & Key: Master Edition Vol. 3 (Hardcover) -- $34.39 ($50)
• Locke & Key: The Golden Age (Hardcover) -- $23 ($30)
• Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth (Hardcover) -- $14 ($15)

Joe Hill: The Graphic Novel Collection

If you've already read Locke & Key or aren't interested in reading a story you've already watched, Hill's bibliography includes many other comics horror fans should check out. Joe Hill: The Graphic Novel Collection collects five graphic novels and miniseries, all of which are unrelated to Locke & Key. The 484-page paperback is somewhat rare, as you'll only find it in new condition from resellers for around $50 at Amazon and Walmart. That said, preowned copies in "like new" or "very good" condition are available at the moment for as low as five to 10 bucks (depending on condition) at Amazon and Walmart.

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This story originally appeared on: GameSpot - Author:UK GAG