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The Dark Man: o Homem que Habita a Escuridão
A primeira aparição do Homem de Preto aconteceu na Universidade do Maine, em meados dos anos 1960, quando Stephen King imaginou um sujeito sem rosto com botas de caubói, calça e jaqueta jeans, sempre pelas estradas. Mais tarde, esse homem sombrio viria a ser conhecido em todo o mundo como um dos maiores vilões do escritor, Randall Flagg. Na época, porém, King só pensava em perguntas simples: Para onde esse homem vai? Quais coisas terríveis ele viu? E, sobretudo, o que ele fez...?
The Dark Man: O Homem que Habita a Escuridão é um poema narrativo do mestre do terror — com um toque quase biográfico e premonitório para os leitores mais atentos — sobre um andarilho que habita as sombras da estrada, do mesmo modo que essas sombras o habitam. Acompanham os versos de King as ilustrações detalhistas de Glenn Chadbourne, hachuras que criam contornos e revelam expressões, lembranças e seres que espreitam na escuridão e aguardam em silêncio o momento para o bote perfeito, a hora de revelar sua verdadeira natureza. A publicação é uma parceria com a editora norte-americana Cemetery Dance, criada por Richard Chizmar, ele também autor da DarkSide® Books.
“Randall Flagg surgiu quando escrevi um poema chamado ‘The Dark Man’, ainda na faculdade. Surgiu para mim do nada, esse cara de botas de caubói pelas estradas, quase sempre pedindo carona à noite, sempre de jaqueta e calça jeans surrados. Escrevi o poema no refeitório da faculdade, no verso de um jogo de mesa, e ele nunca saiu da minha cabeça”, afirma King sobre a origem do personagem.
Nesta edição especial e exclusiva da DarkSide® Books, em capa dura e projeto gráfico inédito, aprovado especialmente pelo autor, vamos conhecer um pouco mais sobre o personagem que se tornaria recorrente e fundamental na obra do mestre do terror. Um pouco dele e de todos nós.
The Dark Man: O Homem que Habita a Escuridão é um poema narrativo do mestre do terror — com um toque quase biográfico e premonitório para os leitores mais atentos — sobre um andarilho que habita as sombras da estrada, do mesmo modo que essas sombras o habitam. Acompanham os versos de King as ilustrações detalhistas de Glenn Chadbourne, hachuras que criam contornos e revelam expressões, lembranças e seres que espreitam na escuridão e aguardam em silêncio o momento para o bote perfeito, a hora de revelar sua verdadeira natureza. A publicação é uma parceria com a editora norte-americana Cemetery Dance, criada por Richard Chizmar, ele também autor da DarkSide® Books.
“Randall Flagg surgiu quando escrevi um poema chamado ‘The Dark Man’, ainda na faculdade. Surgiu para mim do nada, esse cara de botas de caubói pelas estradas, quase sempre pedindo carona à noite, sempre de jaqueta e calça jeans surrados. Escrevi o poema no refeitório da faculdade, no verso de um jogo de mesa, e ele nunca saiu da minha cabeça”, afirma King sobre a origem do personagem.
Nesta edição especial e exclusiva da DarkSide® Books, em capa dura e projeto gráfico inédito, aprovado especialmente pelo autor, vamos conhecer um pouco mais sobre o personagem que se tornaria recorrente e fundamental na obra do mestre do terror. Um pouco dele e de todos nós.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
7 people are currently reading
4571 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,614 books886k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
April 10, 2020
This short poem refers to a name- and faceless character you don't want to meet up with. The concept is quite interesting. In those few lines the character comes alive and gets ready for further development in other King novels. Groundbreaking poem for a character like Randall Flagg in The Stand. Recommended for real King fans!
June 13, 2014
This is a must for Constant Readers (otherwise known as those rabid Stephen King fans). It is an "origin story" of sorts capturing King's first glimpse with his author's eye of that notorious (and perhaps greatest of all villains) -- Randall Flagg, who has about a thousand faces and many names including the Walkin' Dude or if it please ya: the man in black who fled across the desert.
"The Dark Man" is a poem which King penned while in college and it shouldn't surprise me that a character who would come to such prominence in King's later writing began manifesting himself like a not-to-be ignored spectral presence very early on.
i have stridden the fuming way / of sun-hammered tracks and / smashed cinders; / i have ridden rails / and burned sterno in the gantry silence of hobo jungles: / i am a dark manKing has said his first visions of Flagg were of a faceless man dressed in cowboy boots, jeans, and a denim jacket forever walking the roads an exile, an outsider, but a malevolent presence nevertheless. "The Dark Man" is a peek into that evil, a poem that is a confession of murder and rape.
The poem itself is an eerie melange of images, sounds and smells. Swampy and decayed. A world that has moved on even. Coupled with Chadbourne's artwork, the result is a moving and unsettling collaboration that can be poured over many times uncovering details and nuances previously missed.
Well worth the purchase price and killing a tree to own this one.
January 17, 2018
"Let Us Go Then, You And I...." T. S. Eliot.
Just a short work of DARK poetry by Stephen King, but WOW!....the DARK... the DESOLATE....the CREEPY-CRAWLING artwork by Glenn Chadbourne is totally awesome and makes the poem come to life. The DARK faceless man bookmark that was part of my purchase is pretty cool too!
Found out here that King first envisioned and wrote about THE DARK MAN in college (1969 copyright) and now Randall Flagg is one of his greatest DARK villains. Good ole EVIL RF!
I know I will enjoy viewing this one many times over. Great Collectible!
June 17, 2013
What? Me? A Stephen King fangirl?
Oh, all right - I guess I'll own that.
Imagine what you're about to read is punctuated by squees and sighs at the end of each sentence, and you'll have an idea of what it was like in my house while I was reading the upcoming The Dark Man (July 30th, Cemetery Dance), a poem Stephen King wrote more than 40 years ago about a character that would later become quite possibly my favourite villain of all time.
If you haven't yet figured it out (or haven't been reading my blog long enough to remember this post; or don't follow IB, so didn't see this post) I'm talking about The Walkin' Dude, Mr Randall "They Definitely Don't Habla Fucking Español" Flagg.
I can already hear people crying out in protest. "POETRY?! WTF?!"
To those people I say "Shut it. This is awesome."
Not even so much for the poem, which is super short (only ~40 lines), but for the illustrations.
Glenn Chadbourne fucking NAILS IT. No, really.
This is the Flagg I grew up half-in-love with. This is the Flagg that haunts your nightmares, but still somehow causes you to turn West. This is the Flagg that wasn't [REDACTED] by the events toward the end of the Dark Tower.
This is Randall Fucking Flagg, and that's why you should read this book.
What, you need more?
Fine.
The Dark Man has 70 line illustrations that tell more of a story than the poem does. The first time I read it, I didn't even pay much attention to the words because I was so absorbed in the drawings. There's faded graffiti on the sides of old rail cars that you'll be struggling to read, on the off chance that maybe Bango Skank was once there. There are ripped and faded dollies in fields whose broken button eyes you'll be lost in. The trees, the spiders, the tracks...all of it. There is so much detail on each page that I feel I could stare at it for years and still not see everything Chadbourne has hidden from me.
Get it. Seriously.
(Thanks so much to Cemetery Dance for the chance to read and review this early. <3)
Originally posted here.
Oh, all right - I guess I'll own that.
Imagine what you're about to read is punctuated by squees and sighs at the end of each sentence, and you'll have an idea of what it was like in my house while I was reading the upcoming The Dark Man (July 30th, Cemetery Dance), a poem Stephen King wrote more than 40 years ago about a character that would later become quite possibly my favourite villain of all time.
If you haven't yet figured it out (or haven't been reading my blog long enough to remember this post; or don't follow IB, so didn't see this post) I'm talking about The Walkin' Dude, Mr Randall "They Definitely Don't Habla Fucking Español" Flagg.
I can already hear people crying out in protest. "POETRY?! WTF?!"
To those people I say "Shut it. This is awesome."
Not even so much for the poem, which is super short (only ~40 lines), but for the illustrations.
Glenn Chadbourne fucking NAILS IT. No, really.
This is the Flagg I grew up half-in-love with. This is the Flagg that haunts your nightmares, but still somehow causes you to turn West. This is the Flagg that wasn't [REDACTED] by the events toward the end of the Dark Tower.
This is Randall Fucking Flagg, and that's why you should read this book.
What, you need more?
Fine.
The Dark Man has 70 line illustrations that tell more of a story than the poem does. The first time I read it, I didn't even pay much attention to the words because I was so absorbed in the drawings. There's faded graffiti on the sides of old rail cars that you'll be struggling to read, on the off chance that maybe Bango Skank was once there. There are ripped and faded dollies in fields whose broken button eyes you'll be lost in. The trees, the spiders, the tracks...all of it. There is so much detail on each page that I feel I could stare at it for years and still not see everything Chadbourne has hidden from me.
Get it. Seriously.
(Thanks so much to Cemetery Dance for the chance to read and review this early. <3)
Originally posted here.
September 19, 2016
4 stars....
These stars are not so much for the poem on it's own (I have no idea what I'd give that), but for the pictures, which are incredibly dark, yet beautifully done, depicting this villain far better than the words themselves. The poem is obviously written by someone pretty young, yet it is so interesting to see just how long the Walkin' Dude AKA Randall Flagg from The Stand was brewing in the King's mind before he wrote those books. This character has lived inside King a very long time...
The words, which he hastily wrote down on the back of a placemat 40 years ago are finally brought to breathtaking life combined with the brilliant artwork--which can be stared at for a long period, drinking in the visual subtext of the words through the intricate black and white drawings. They deserve close observation for elements of King's different works hidden inside. If you love King, Love "graphic poetry" (This could never fall under graphic novel in my opinion, but check it out to see just where it falls for you), Love great drawings with a glimmer of King's first (and greatest) villain, this is the perfect book for your coffee table....out where you can pour over it again and again.
I love the way the Dark Man never has a face....perfect. And I must say that this would make a lovely gift for any King fan....or a newbie, wrapped together with The Stand....
One final note: I'm so glad King didn't stick with poetry......no one can touch his novels and short stories.
September 29, 2017
What do you expect, I’m a fanboy...
January 16, 2019
This wasn't great.......but the art is pretty sick(in a good way).
June 14, 2013
This review is based on an ARC of The Dark Man I won in a contest from Cemetery Dance.
The Dark Man isn't a long poem, a mere 41 lines long. What makes this book special are the 70+ illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne that accompany and illuminate King's words.
Read this aloud in the most sinster and dark voice you can muster; take in Chadbourne's evocations of King's verse and let them soak in. Linger on each illustration, and the effect is simply magnificent.
This will be a book to treasure. I guarantee you.
The Dark Man isn't a long poem, a mere 41 lines long. What makes this book special are the 70+ illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne that accompany and illuminate King's words.
Read this aloud in the most sinster and dark voice you can muster; take in Chadbourne's evocations of King's verse and let them soak in. Linger on each illustration, and the effect is simply magnificent.
This will be a book to treasure. I guarantee you.
October 4, 2023
Just in time for Halloween...a kind of horrific version of Stanley Milgram's familiar stranger - a person who is on the periphery of our consciousness but with whom we never communicate. The homeless man who stands outside the lobby of our workplace everyday asking for change...'seeing' him without seeing him.
September 24, 2023
** The Stephen King Goodreads Discussion Group is doing a re-read of his works from the beginning to the end. It’s been a long time since I have really immersed myself in Uncle Stevie’s world, but a rate of a book a month, I am all in. My goal is to read and review each one with as much honesty and reflection that I can give. **
Background – “The Dark Man” is an early poem by King written while he was in college. It was published in the literary journals “Ubris” in 1969 and “Moth” in 1970. Later, in 2004 Cemetery Dance reprinted it in “The Devil's Wine”, a collection of poems. Finally, Cemetery Dance published an illustrated book edition of the poem with illustrations from Glenn Chadbourne in July 2013.
Length-wise - my small hardcover does not list a page count and there is no Kindle version.
Plotline – This is a dark poem in which King describes a dark faceless man in cowboy boots and jeans walking down various roads and fields of a burned out, apocalyptic world. Where is he coming from and going to? What has seen and what is looking for? And what dark things has he done? Enhancing the words of the poem are black and white illustrations that paint stark and vivid images of the dark man and the world around him.
Thoughts and Reflections – A poem by Stephen King? Really? It seems like there is not a medium that he cannot write in. This poem is only 41 lines long, but gets the book treatment (or more like a graphic novel) with over 70 illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne that really help strengthen and elevate the dark images and themes.
My first impression is that the poem is extremely dark and disturbing; although, that is probably what King was trying for. I should also add that I am NO expert on poetry. I have dabbled in it, mostly in high school and college, but those tastes have quickly moved to song lyrics and have stayed there for the past thirty years or more. Truth be said I am a rocker at heart. Give me some Bruce, Elton, Billy, or Jimmy any day, but that’s another story.
Anyway, it feels like there are two ways that you can read this poem.
The first is not knowing anything about who the Dark Man really is and just read it straight-up without that knowledge or background. From this view, it’s evident that the mysterious Dark Man is not someone you want to meet nor talk with. He seems like a psychopath and serial killer in a fallen world. The illustrations are dark, full of despair, and unsettling images that are tough to look at for more than a few seconds. Part of me almost felt better off not knowing anything more about this unnamed evil person and remove him from my memory.
The second way to read this poem is as a Stephen King fan knowing that it’s about King’s famous villain Randall Flagg, who was in several of his books, including “The Stand”, “The Eyes of the Dragon”, and “The Dark Tower” series. For me, knowing it’s about Randall Flagg makes a big difference in interpreting and understanding the poem. Knowing this is an early version of Flagg, one of the most evil and disturbed fictional villains ever created, helps take away some of the mystery and fill in some of the blanks of who the Dark Man really is and the evil that fills him. Having read “The Stand” provides a great background to better understanding of what this poem is really about, as well as why all of the illustrations involve a fallen apocalyptic world of destruction. This is the better way, in my humble opinion, to read this poem. It is a more effective reading experience. Maybe that old saying – better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know – is appropriate in this case.
Other Notes – King wrote the poem on the back of a placemat in a college restaurant and stated the idea for the poem came out of nowhere. He also added that this mysterious dark man eventually developed into his classic character of Randall Flagg, villain from “The Stand” and other books.
This poem also appears in of King's own essay "Five to One, One in Five" as featured in his book “Hearts in Suspension” published in 2016.
Overall – This is a uniquely dark poem, especially combined with the equally disturbing illustrations. I am hesitant and a bit uncomfortable in trying to rate it, so I will give it a passing mark and move on to the next book in Uncle Stevie’s group re-read. That’s probably my best move.
Background – “The Dark Man” is an early poem by King written while he was in college. It was published in the literary journals “Ubris” in 1969 and “Moth” in 1970. Later, in 2004 Cemetery Dance reprinted it in “The Devil's Wine”, a collection of poems. Finally, Cemetery Dance published an illustrated book edition of the poem with illustrations from Glenn Chadbourne in July 2013.
Length-wise - my small hardcover does not list a page count and there is no Kindle version.
Plotline – This is a dark poem in which King describes a dark faceless man in cowboy boots and jeans walking down various roads and fields of a burned out, apocalyptic world. Where is he coming from and going to? What has seen and what is looking for? And what dark things has he done? Enhancing the words of the poem are black and white illustrations that paint stark and vivid images of the dark man and the world around him.
Thoughts and Reflections – A poem by Stephen King? Really? It seems like there is not a medium that he cannot write in. This poem is only 41 lines long, but gets the book treatment (or more like a graphic novel) with over 70 illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne that really help strengthen and elevate the dark images and themes.
My first impression is that the poem is extremely dark and disturbing; although, that is probably what King was trying for. I should also add that I am NO expert on poetry. I have dabbled in it, mostly in high school and college, but those tastes have quickly moved to song lyrics and have stayed there for the past thirty years or more. Truth be said I am a rocker at heart. Give me some Bruce, Elton, Billy, or Jimmy any day, but that’s another story.
Anyway, it feels like there are two ways that you can read this poem.
The first is not knowing anything about who the Dark Man really is and just read it straight-up without that knowledge or background. From this view, it’s evident that the mysterious Dark Man is not someone you want to meet nor talk with. He seems like a psychopath and serial killer in a fallen world. The illustrations are dark, full of despair, and unsettling images that are tough to look at for more than a few seconds. Part of me almost felt better off not knowing anything more about this unnamed evil person and remove him from my memory.
The second way to read this poem is as a Stephen King fan knowing that it’s about King’s famous villain Randall Flagg, who was in several of his books, including “The Stand”, “The Eyes of the Dragon”, and “The Dark Tower” series. For me, knowing it’s about Randall Flagg makes a big difference in interpreting and understanding the poem. Knowing this is an early version of Flagg, one of the most evil and disturbed fictional villains ever created, helps take away some of the mystery and fill in some of the blanks of who the Dark Man really is and the evil that fills him. Having read “The Stand” provides a great background to better understanding of what this poem is really about, as well as why all of the illustrations involve a fallen apocalyptic world of destruction. This is the better way, in my humble opinion, to read this poem. It is a more effective reading experience. Maybe that old saying – better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know – is appropriate in this case.
Other Notes – King wrote the poem on the back of a placemat in a college restaurant and stated the idea for the poem came out of nowhere. He also added that this mysterious dark man eventually developed into his classic character of Randall Flagg, villain from “The Stand” and other books.
This poem also appears in of King's own essay "Five to One, One in Five" as featured in his book “Hearts in Suspension” published in 2016.
Overall – This is a uniquely dark poem, especially combined with the equally disturbing illustrations. I am hesitant and a bit uncomfortable in trying to rate it, so I will give it a passing mark and move on to the next book in Uncle Stevie’s group re-read. That’s probably my best move.
August 2, 2020
This is an ebook file only, just the poem. I would like to read a copy of the Illustrated edition sometime. I think that may raise the star rating.
January 2, 2015
This is a short poem written by King and published in 1969.
I don't particularly enjoy poetry but I read it because it became the inception of Randall Flagg, one of my favourite King villains.
Probably a must for most Constant Readers, but I didn't feel I really gained anything by reading it.
August 9, 2013
I will be the first to tell you that I'm not a poetry fan. I'm just not. I don't like reading verse, I don't like trying to figure out line breaks, I don't like what is, to me, awkward rhythms and cadence of the words.
But Stephen King's poetry is somehow the exception to the rule. Well, two of them, anyway. This is probably because I have a higher tolerance for dark and disturbing content in verse format... it just seems to fit inside my brain better than other kinds of verse. And it could be that I don't mind these poems as much partially due to the unconventional formats I've enjoyed them in which are how I will likely always think of them - not straight up poem verse (though I have read them both that way), but in more unique mediums.
Paranoid, A Chant I first read in Skeleton Crew, years ago. I enjoyed it, but it didn't really make an impact until I saw the Dollar Baby adaptation of it, which is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pMwSqqc9Ws Fantastic stuff, and the Dollar Baby film fits it perfectly.
With The Dark Man, I don't recall having read it before this book, though I believe it was collected somewhere. But the illustrated format worked extremely well, and saved me from the tiresome task of having to read verse. With a line or a few words on each page, the words can sink in along with the excellent sketchy artwork.
The imagery, both in the text and art, were fantastic, and I loved how the two worked together and complemented each other.
Highly recommended.
But Stephen King's poetry is somehow the exception to the rule. Well, two of them, anyway. This is probably because I have a higher tolerance for dark and disturbing content in verse format... it just seems to fit inside my brain better than other kinds of verse. And it could be that I don't mind these poems as much partially due to the unconventional formats I've enjoyed them in which are how I will likely always think of them - not straight up poem verse (though I have read them both that way), but in more unique mediums.
Paranoid, A Chant I first read in Skeleton Crew, years ago. I enjoyed it, but it didn't really make an impact until I saw the Dollar Baby adaptation of it, which is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pMwSqqc9Ws Fantastic stuff, and the Dollar Baby film fits it perfectly.
With The Dark Man, I don't recall having read it before this book, though I believe it was collected somewhere. But the illustrated format worked extremely well, and saved me from the tiresome task of having to read verse. With a line or a few words on each page, the words can sink in along with the excellent sketchy artwork.
The imagery, both in the text and art, were fantastic, and I loved how the two worked together and complemented each other.
Highly recommended.
November 26, 2014
And here we meet The Dark Man (Randall Flagg) for the first time. Stephen King wrote this poem while he was in college. It is given new life with this amazing artwork.
January 26, 2022
I'd say that this is most likely only something for hardcore Stephen King fans, but it's a nice collectible and addition to my shelf. It's a poem he wrote in college, about a faceless man in cowboy boots, jeans, and a denim jacket who forever walks and hitchhikes the roads—an idea that supposedly came to him out of nowhere (the poem was hastily jotted down on the back of a placemat at a restaurant) and never left his mind, later becoming his greatest villain, Randall Flagg, the Walkin' Dude, the Dark Man.
The detailed line-art by Glenn Chadbourne complements it well (there are 71 illustrations to the 42 lines of the poem)—it's all in black and white, incredibly rich in details, and just desolate; it often tells more of a story than the words itself, and it's the combination of the two that really brings the rather mediocre poem to full life.
Since this limited illustrated edition has gone out of print, it'll likely cost you a fortune (if you even manage to track it down), so if you're only interested in reading the poem that started it all, I'll save you some money:
The detailed line-art by Glenn Chadbourne complements it well (there are 71 illustrations to the 42 lines of the poem)—it's all in black and white, incredibly rich in details, and just desolate; it often tells more of a story than the words itself, and it's the combination of the two that really brings the rather mediocre poem to full life.
Since this limited illustrated edition has gone out of print, it'll likely cost you a fortune (if you even manage to track it down), so if you're only interested in reading the poem that started it all, I'll save you some money:
I have stridden the fuming way
of sun-hammered tracks and
smashed cinders;
I have ridden rails
and burned sterno in the
gantry silence of hob jungles:
I am a dark man.
I have ridden rails
and passed the smuggery
of desperate houses with counterfeit chimneys
and heard from the outside
the inside clink of cocktail ice
while closed doors broke the world—
and over it all a savage sickle moon
that bummed my eyes with bones of light.
I have slept in glaring swamps
where musk-reek rose
to mix with the sex smell of rotting cypress stumps
where witch fire clung in sunken
psycho spheres of baptism—
and heard the suck of shadows
where a gutted columned house
leeched with vines
speaks to an overhung mushroom sky
I have fed dimes to cold machines
in all night filling stations
while traffic in a mad and flowing flame
streaked red in six lanes of darkness,
and breathed the cleaver hitchhike wind
within the breakdown lane with thumb levelled
and saw shadowed faces made complacent
with heaters behind safety glass
faces that rose like complacent moons
in riven monster orbits.
and in a sudden jugular flash
cold as the center of a sun
I forced a girl in a field of wheat
and left her sprawled with the virgin bread
a savage sacrifice
and a sign to those who creep in
fixed ways:
I am a dark man.
July 10, 2013
Glenn Chadbourne is an illustrator that i know through his work on THE SECRETARY OF THE DREAMS, also published by Cemetery Dance. The "THE DARK MAN" project is echoing SOTD, as SOTD is a graphic novel adaptation & illustrations of Stephen King stories. Always with the same original graphic style, Glenn bring an amazing attention to details.
What is exceptional in his style, is that we can easily spend long minutes looking closely an illustration, and keep finding, permanently, elements that we didn't notice. And the same goes with the re-reading the book. This is a really impressive graphic style.
This version of THE DARK MAN brings a terrifying & dark history of the Dark Man. Giving the fact that this is an adaptation of a very short poem by Stephen King, the first reading may be relatively quick... but then we feel the need to go back and re-read THE DARK MAN, and pay a lot more attention to the illustrations, and its therefore at this time that we spend a long time on each illustrations and than we realise how hypnotising Glenn's work can be.
Do not expect to be bloomed by Stephen King's text, as it is really short... but, instead, you will find yourself amazed & astonished by the vision & transcription of the text into artwork by Glenn Chadbourne. From a short 45 lines poem to an exceptionnal illustration book.
What is exceptional in his style, is that we can easily spend long minutes looking closely an illustration, and keep finding, permanently, elements that we didn't notice. And the same goes with the re-reading the book. This is a really impressive graphic style.
This version of THE DARK MAN brings a terrifying & dark history of the Dark Man. Giving the fact that this is an adaptation of a very short poem by Stephen King, the first reading may be relatively quick... but then we feel the need to go back and re-read THE DARK MAN, and pay a lot more attention to the illustrations, and its therefore at this time that we spend a long time on each illustrations and than we realise how hypnotising Glenn's work can be.
Do not expect to be bloomed by Stephen King's text, as it is really short... but, instead, you will find yourself amazed & astonished by the vision & transcription of the text into artwork by Glenn Chadbourne. From a short 45 lines poem to an exceptionnal illustration book.
February 9, 2017
Written while he was in college and first published in 1969, Stephen King first conceived the ubiquitous Randall Flagg—the chief malefactor of The Stand, The Eyes of the Dragon, and The Dark Tower series—in the words of this fleeting poem titled "The Dark Man" that follows an unnamed faceless man who rides the rails observing everything around him. Here, the brief narrative is vastly amplified by the graphic, black-and-white inkings of Glenn Chadbourne. The landscape is grimly depicted with decrepit towns, miserable buildings, and dejected vagabonds living amidst roadside ditches.
This slim book can be read in about three minutes, though readers will surely take the time to admire the twisted, evocative imagery packed into each page. Fans of Mr. King’s works will undoubtedly find this a worthwhile read, even if poetry isn’t their cup of tea.
This slim book can be read in about three minutes, though readers will surely take the time to admire the twisted, evocative imagery packed into each page. Fans of Mr. King’s works will undoubtedly find this a worthwhile read, even if poetry isn’t their cup of tea.
June 23, 2015
Artist Glenn Chadbourne illustrates a poem written by King in 1969.
A faceless man in cowboy boots (sound familiar?) wanders a desolate landscape decorated with just about every creepy thing you can think of - abandoned dolls, evil scarecrows, ruined amusement parks and more vermin than you can shake a broom at. My favorite page featured eerie eyeless horses on a decaying carousel.
There are a few nods to King's work - cornfields and trucks, cars that seem to be driving themselves.
The poem is not great - kind of what you'd expect from a college student, which King was at the time - but combined with the unrelenting darkness of the artwork, it makes for a disturbing, yet irresistible read.
A faceless man in cowboy boots (sound familiar?) wanders a desolate landscape decorated with just about every creepy thing you can think of - abandoned dolls, evil scarecrows, ruined amusement parks and more vermin than you can shake a broom at. My favorite page featured eerie eyeless horses on a decaying carousel.
There are a few nods to King's work - cornfields and trucks, cars that seem to be driving themselves.
The poem is not great - kind of what you'd expect from a college student, which King was at the time - but combined with the unrelenting darkness of the artwork, it makes for a disturbing, yet irresistible read.
December 7, 2018
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Let's be honest.. I am a huge Stephen King fan. So when I heard there was an illustrated book based off a poem he wrote about one of his most epic villains Randall Flagg I was in!
I am just not a poetry person. I really have only ever liked Robert Frost's poems. This was also one of those poems I didn't care for. I have no idea what was going on! I am sorry but King is not a poet. I suppose if I sat here in my living room and read it aloud in a deep dark scary voice maybe it would be good:
i have ridden rails
and passed the smuggery
of desperate houses with counterfeit chimneys
and heard from the outside
the inside clink of cocktail ice
Do these words sound like words that would create the ultimate King villain?? No way!! The art is neat.. though a little messy. I suppose that adds to the spooky factor of the book. I find it sad though that the illustrator of the book isn't listed on the cover. This book should be treated like a graphic novel, which it is, so I think the artist Chadbourne should be mentioned. I mean.. there were several pages that didn't even have a line from King's poem only Chadbourne's art.
I am not really sure if this book is out for a money maker or what? Cemetery Dance Publications usually puts out some pretty cool special edition King books. I always love to see what they have in store for everyone. This one though.. I wasn't too sure about. I tried looking through the illustations for King easter eggs to his other novels. I mean.. I thought maybe we would see Flagg in some of the locations in the novels where he visits... but I don't really think there was any.
I would say pass on buying this... I mean... really it's not worth the $25 price. Maybe if you find it at a used book store or somewhere like that it would be perfect. The art work though it neat to look out... it is really busy but that makes it dark and cool.
Let's be honest.. I am a huge Stephen King fan. So when I heard there was an illustrated book based off a poem he wrote about one of his most epic villains Randall Flagg I was in!
I am just not a poetry person. I really have only ever liked Robert Frost's poems. This was also one of those poems I didn't care for. I have no idea what was going on! I am sorry but King is not a poet. I suppose if I sat here in my living room and read it aloud in a deep dark scary voice maybe it would be good:
i have ridden rails
and passed the smuggery
of desperate houses with counterfeit chimneys
and heard from the outside
the inside clink of cocktail ice
Do these words sound like words that would create the ultimate King villain?? No way!! The art is neat.. though a little messy. I suppose that adds to the spooky factor of the book. I find it sad though that the illustrator of the book isn't listed on the cover. This book should be treated like a graphic novel, which it is, so I think the artist Chadbourne should be mentioned. I mean.. there were several pages that didn't even have a line from King's poem only Chadbourne's art.
I am not really sure if this book is out for a money maker or what? Cemetery Dance Publications usually puts out some pretty cool special edition King books. I always love to see what they have in store for everyone. This one though.. I wasn't too sure about. I tried looking through the illustations for King easter eggs to his other novels. I mean.. I thought maybe we would see Flagg in some of the locations in the novels where he visits... but I don't really think there was any.
I would say pass on buying this... I mean... really it's not worth the $25 price. Maybe if you find it at a used book store or somewhere like that it would be perfect. The art work though it neat to look out... it is really busy but that makes it dark and cool.
February 7, 2020
Dark Man is King flexing his poetic muscles. King has said that he is not much of a poet. Often, even when he writes poetry, it is of a more illustrative type of narrative that verse. It is just not how his mind works.
Is this great? Not so much.
But, it is a serviceable piece of literature that I read and practically studied for the sake of the King's Quest and completeness.
Important aspects to consider when checking out The Dark Man. There are few examples of capital letters and punctuation. It gives the poem an almost run-on stream of consciousness vibe that is pretty annoying. Furthermore, it isn't great or evocative poetry. It reminds me quite a bit of something you would see at a college poetry slam.
i have slept in glaring swamps
where musk-reek rose
to mix with the sex smell of rotting cypress stumps
where witch fire clung in sunken
psycho spheres of baptism
Eh. It is, however, essential if you are a King-ite? Kinger? A person who reads a lot of Stephen King, as this is a poem about one of King's most titular characters, Randall Flagg. It gives you quite an impression of Flagg that helps solidify him as one of literature's great antagonists.
The reason you should read this, and the reason why I gave it four stars is because of the graphics. The illustrator is Glenn Chadbourne, a horror artist. They are incredible. Detailed, enthralling, and in their dark ways, completely beautiful. This is the reason you read this book. Chadbourne takes you down some dark paths with his imagery, and it only makes it better if you have read a lot of King.
It is a perfect depiction of how I imagine Flagg. If you can find a copy of this, peruse it, you will see what I mean.
Is this great? Not so much.
But, it is a serviceable piece of literature that I read and practically studied for the sake of the King's Quest and completeness.
Important aspects to consider when checking out The Dark Man. There are few examples of capital letters and punctuation. It gives the poem an almost run-on stream of consciousness vibe that is pretty annoying. Furthermore, it isn't great or evocative poetry. It reminds me quite a bit of something you would see at a college poetry slam.
i have slept in glaring swamps
where musk-reek rose
to mix with the sex smell of rotting cypress stumps
where witch fire clung in sunken
psycho spheres of baptism
Eh. It is, however, essential if you are a King-ite? Kinger? A person who reads a lot of Stephen King, as this is a poem about one of King's most titular characters, Randall Flagg. It gives you quite an impression of Flagg that helps solidify him as one of literature's great antagonists.
The reason you should read this, and the reason why I gave it four stars is because of the graphics. The illustrator is Glenn Chadbourne, a horror artist. They are incredible. Detailed, enthralling, and in their dark ways, completely beautiful. This is the reason you read this book. Chadbourne takes you down some dark paths with his imagery, and it only makes it better if you have read a lot of King.
It is a perfect depiction of how I imagine Flagg. If you can find a copy of this, peruse it, you will see what I mean.
December 9, 2014
"i have ridden rails
and passed the smuggery
of desperate houses with counterfeit chimneys
and heard from the outside
the inside clink of cocktail ice
while closed doors broke the world–
and over it all a savage sickle moon
that bummed my eyes with bones of light."
A few weeks ago was my birthday, and my dad got me by surprise this precious thing.
A poem,
A Stephen King poem,
AN ILLUSTRATED STEPHEN KING POEM.
I'm not such a fan of poetry, but I would read anything that has Stephen King's name on it. And it has illustrations, I'm a sucker for illustrated books.
I have to say that Chadbourne’s illustrations are terrific, they are prefectly made, with marvelous details and, oh-god, SO FREAKING GORGEOUS.
This short poem gets under your skin just as any other stuff by King does. Plus, we are talking here about Randall Flagg, do I need to say more?
A short, beautiful and fascinating book. I think anyone can enjoy this without being either a fan of Stephen King or poetry, I totally recommend it to everyone.
September 12, 2013
I may be in the minority amongst King's Constant Reader fan base, but I had never read, THE DARK MAN, prior to receiving an ARC of this Cemetery Dance production. Therefore, Stephen King's words and Glenn Chadbourne's artwork are inextricably linked in forming my first impression of the poem. I felt that the artwork reinforced and amplified the tone of every line of King's work perfectly. The prose and illustrations combine and complement each other in evoking the feeling of ominous dread. I am pleased to have experienced this glimpse into the mind of a young Stephen King in this blend. Kudos to King, to Chadbourne, and to Cemetery Dance for bringing the two together on this project.
April 14, 2016
The Dark Man is a rather short poem; it's a good, enjoyable poem, the first piece in the whole Flagg mythos, but the reason for this special edition is the Glenn Chadbourne illustrations. They're quite nice, but there really isn't a whole lot of content here. The book is quite nice as a collector's artifact, but I was glad I found a copy at a library sale rather than buying it new.
December 15, 2017
This was a pretty good poem picture book about Randall Flagg one of Stephen King's greatest and sinister villains from The Stand, The Eyes of the Dragon, and his Dark Tower series. If you like poems and graphic novels, definitely check this book out at your local library and wherever books are sold.
June 16, 2013
A great presentation. This one is so highly recommended that it is amazing. The illustrations are truly the star of this poem. You will find yourself getting lost in the details of the art. Super stuff.
April 25, 2016
The drawings in this are great. The only problem I had was the way The Dark Man (Randall Flagg) was drawn. He reminded me more of Trash Man from The Stand than the vision I've always had of Randall Flagg. He wasn't scary enough for me.
February 1, 2021
The first appearance of The Man in Black. Written way back in the 60's.
October 13, 2018
Stunning artwork!
March 31, 2020
To check out all my reviews: Reading In The Dark
If you are reading the title and wondering if it is about Randall Flagg then I would say yes and no. Stephen King back in 1969 wrote this poem about this dark man serving as the genesis for Randall Flagg aka The Man in Black. I have to say as a poet, I am glad that Stephen King did not quit his day job as a literary author because I have to admit that the poem was meh for me. I can see the concepts and the structure of what he was trying to convey in a poem but I can say that poetry is not his strong suit and I am grateful that this gem of a poem exists.
It is crazy to think that he wrote this character back in 1969 and for the rest of life, this character would play one of the most epic roles of good versus evil in the Stephen King universe. I like that at the back of the book they include the poem in the original syntax and reading it a second time did help my reading experience because this entire poem is illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. The illustrations are phenomenal, my sole complaint about it is that I wish it was colorized because it would showcase the deep and dark undertones of what looks like an apocalyptic world.
Reading it and seeing the illustrations made it look like I was reading an excerpt from The Stand and for sure there was a reason why I wanted to read this poem. I want to read either The Stand or The Dark Tower series and this book help sparked my motivation and put me in the state of mind to finally tackle these gigantic epics. I haven't made up my mind yet but this poem showcased that the Dark Man is not someone to mess with lightly.
If you are not a Stephen King fan or rather curious if you need to read this poem I would say no not really but if you are fascinated to see how this poem planted the seeds for a phenomenal villain then, by all means, please read it! Otherwise, you can skip it and read a Stephen King novel. Overall I wish the poem could have been better and it is the main reason why I cannot give this book all the stars but in the end, I look forward to immersing myself with my favorite author and his massive catalog.
If you are reading the title and wondering if it is about Randall Flagg then I would say yes and no. Stephen King back in 1969 wrote this poem about this dark man serving as the genesis for Randall Flagg aka The Man in Black. I have to say as a poet, I am glad that Stephen King did not quit his day job as a literary author because I have to admit that the poem was meh for me. I can see the concepts and the structure of what he was trying to convey in a poem but I can say that poetry is not his strong suit and I am grateful that this gem of a poem exists.
It is crazy to think that he wrote this character back in 1969 and for the rest of life, this character would play one of the most epic roles of good versus evil in the Stephen King universe. I like that at the back of the book they include the poem in the original syntax and reading it a second time did help my reading experience because this entire poem is illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. The illustrations are phenomenal, my sole complaint about it is that I wish it was colorized because it would showcase the deep and dark undertones of what looks like an apocalyptic world.
Reading it and seeing the illustrations made it look like I was reading an excerpt from The Stand and for sure there was a reason why I wanted to read this poem. I want to read either The Stand or The Dark Tower series and this book help sparked my motivation and put me in the state of mind to finally tackle these gigantic epics. I haven't made up my mind yet but this poem showcased that the Dark Man is not someone to mess with lightly.
If you are not a Stephen King fan or rather curious if you need to read this poem I would say no not really but if you are fascinated to see how this poem planted the seeds for a phenomenal villain then, by all means, please read it! Otherwise, you can skip it and read a Stephen King novel. Overall I wish the poem could have been better and it is the main reason why I cannot give this book all the stars but in the end, I look forward to immersing myself with my favorite author and his massive catalog.
March 26, 2023
A creepy poem and even creepier artwork. This makes me want to get back to the Dark Tower books soon.
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