After Watchmen comes Before Watchmen
It's been on the cards for a long time, and now it's been officially announced: A sequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen, arguably the greatest, most influential graphic novel of all time - as well as the only comic to feature on Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Greatest Novels list.
Actually it turns out that the Watchmen sequel is a series of 7 prequels, to be released one a week during this year's Northern Hemisphere Summer. Read the official DC Comics press release here.
Regardless of your feelings about the idea of new Watchmen stories, and, more specifically new Watchmen stories from writers and artists who aren't Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, there's no denying that DC has assembled some major contemporary talent to bring the dysfunctional superheroes back to the printed page.
● RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
● MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
● COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
● DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
● NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
● OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
● SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner
In addition, each issue will feature a two-page pirate story called CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR (in the vein of Tales of the Black Freighter, duh). And rounding off the set will be the single issue BEFORE WATCHMEN: EPILOGUE, featuring the work of various writers and artists, and a CRIMSON CORSAIR story by Len Wein and John Higgins.
I confess I'm currently geeking out a bit. Just how will I wait for the collected trade paperbacks, or inevitable fancy hardcover deluxe edition? Because I am actually very excited about Before Watchmen. I was always worried that a Watchmen sequel would try to directly follow the events in the original, which always seemed like a narrative dead end. At least these prequels - set years before we meet our heroes in a dour alternate 1986 - are freed up story-wise. I'm especially excited at the prospect of the Minutemen and Nite Owl miniseries.
"Noelle, you traitor to art! You selfish slave to fandom and cheap thrills!" I hear you growl.
Well, I do think there is potential here. Of all pop culture mediums, the comic (well, in the mainstream anyway) is arguably the one where characters are passed around the most, with different creators offering their own interpretation of the same fictional figures. Watchmen may be brilliant but it's still subject to this occurrence, whether Alan Moore likes it or not.
This said, for the new Watchmen comics to avoid feeling like a cheap cash-in, they cannot be superficial action adventures. They cannot feel like toothless fare appropriate for teens. They can't feel like just another New DC 52 read, for example. They have to come across like Vertigo comics, catering for a more sophisticated thinking reader, and refusing to pull their punches. More importantly, these new stories have to retain some tonal darkness at their core, in keeping with the original. Ideally we need to witness the Watchmen and Minutemen beginning their fall from grace - or receive hints of the characters transforming into the despondent, nostalgic figures fans first met.
Speaking of the fans, Watchmen is to comic geeks what Star Wars is to movie geeks, so naturally there has been a massive reaction - both negative and positive - to yesterday's news. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Before Watchmen?
In this vein, Entertainment Weekly here provides an interesting look at this scared cow of comicdom, as well as the direction those involved evidently want to take the project.
In terms of other interesting links, check out the following:
Actually it turns out that the Watchmen sequel is a series of 7 prequels, to be released one a week during this year's Northern Hemisphere Summer. Read the official DC Comics press release here.
Regardless of your feelings about the idea of new Watchmen stories, and, more specifically new Watchmen stories from writers and artists who aren't Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, there's no denying that DC has assembled some major contemporary talent to bring the dysfunctional superheroes back to the printed page.
● RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
● MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
● COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
● DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
● NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
● OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
● SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner
In addition, each issue will feature a two-page pirate story called CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR (in the vein of Tales of the Black Freighter, duh). And rounding off the set will be the single issue BEFORE WATCHMEN: EPILOGUE, featuring the work of various writers and artists, and a CRIMSON CORSAIR story by Len Wein and John Higgins.
I confess I'm currently geeking out a bit. Just how will I wait for the collected trade paperbacks, or inevitable fancy hardcover deluxe edition? Because I am actually very excited about Before Watchmen. I was always worried that a Watchmen sequel would try to directly follow the events in the original, which always seemed like a narrative dead end. At least these prequels - set years before we meet our heroes in a dour alternate 1986 - are freed up story-wise. I'm especially excited at the prospect of the Minutemen and Nite Owl miniseries.
"Noelle, you traitor to art! You selfish slave to fandom and cheap thrills!" I hear you growl.
Well, I do think there is potential here. Of all pop culture mediums, the comic (well, in the mainstream anyway) is arguably the one where characters are passed around the most, with different creators offering their own interpretation of the same fictional figures. Watchmen may be brilliant but it's still subject to this occurrence, whether Alan Moore likes it or not.
This said, for the new Watchmen comics to avoid feeling like a cheap cash-in, they cannot be superficial action adventures. They cannot feel like toothless fare appropriate for teens. They can't feel like just another New DC 52 read, for example. They have to come across like Vertigo comics, catering for a more sophisticated thinking reader, and refusing to pull their punches. More importantly, these new stories have to retain some tonal darkness at their core, in keeping with the original. Ideally we need to witness the Watchmen and Minutemen beginning their fall from grace - or receive hints of the characters transforming into the despondent, nostalgic figures fans first met.
Speaking of the fans, Watchmen is to comic geeks what Star Wars is to movie geeks, so naturally there has been a massive reaction - both negative and positive - to yesterday's news. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Before Watchmen?
In this vein, Entertainment Weekly here provides an interesting look at this scared cow of comicdom, as well as the direction those involved evidently want to take the project.
In terms of other interesting links, check out the following:
- View the complete collection of Before Watchmen covers on io9.
- The Beat Comics Culture collects a number of high profile comments on the upcoming series - including from a typically indignant Alan Moore - and lists where all the different exclusive Before Watchmen interviews can be found.
- Newsarama.com has even more comments from famous comics creators.
Enjoy.
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