What Happened "Before Watchmen"?

~released cover of Dr. Manhattan in the Before Watchmen event

In light of the fantastic success of The Watchmen 12-issue series (1986) over 25 years ago, DC Comics announced this morning that they will be running prequels for the dark-heroic characters popularized by writer Alan Moore, with art and colors from Dave Gibbons and John Higgens. Titled Before Watchmen, these seven titles start sometime in summer 2012.

The titles as announced will be:

Comedian #1-6, with writer Brian Azzarello and artist J.G. Jones.

Dr. Manhattan #1-4, with writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Adam Hughes.

Minutemen #1-6, with writer and artist Darwyn Cooke.

Nite Owl #1-4, with Writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Andy and Joe Kubert.

Ozymandias #1-6, with Writer Len Wein and artist Jae Lee.

Rorschach #1-4, with writer Brian Azzarello and artist, Lee Bermejo.

Silk Spectre #1-4, with writer Darwyn Cooke and artist Amanda Conner.

There will also be a Before Watchmen: Epilogue one-shot released before the others, showing some of the artwork and starting a special side-story called "Curse of The Crimson Corsair".

If you're interested in following the series event, please join us at Before Watchmen Summary Page which will show artwork, checklists, and possibly a reading order (if one is necessary).


Recommended: The Watchmen (2009) Blu-Ray, Director's Cut

If you haven't been introduced to The Watchmen, there is a movie release in Blu-Ray that has the best graphics and is very close to the original 1986 series. This is the Director's Cut, which puts you in the perspective of what was fully intended.

You'll definately need to have read the series or picked up the movie to know what's going on in Before Watchmen.

The extended director's cut restores 24 minutes of connective tissue to the 162-minute film, most significantly the last scene of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl. Other elements help restore and fill in details that had been in the graphic novel.

I highly recommend the this Director's Cut version simply because it goes beyond the normal movie and isn't restricted by time constraints. Warning, though, this is movie is rated-R.

DC Cancellations and The Second Wave

DC Comics announced earlier this month that they would be cancelling some of their titles, spiraling directly out from The New 52, but did you know they are also preparing for The Second Wave?

Here's what you need to know:

Blackhawks are going to be grounded.
Hawk and Dove had their wings clipped
Men of War will be M.I.A.
Mr. Terrific, shut down.
O.M.A.C. will be offline.
Static Shock has been canned. Writer John Rozum has listed a lengthy blog post telling you his side of the story.

These issues, 3 of which center around ethnic minority based characters, will end with issue #8 (April). DC has reported that their sales were just not good enough and they had to go.

In exchange, here comes the DC Second Wave; this is what they'll be offering starting May:

Batman Incorporated, with Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham. This title will center on the Batman crime-fighters and use Damian Wayne as part of the plot. (In the Batman  and Robin series, Damian is constantly being influenced to go bad.) It also suggest that Talia al Ghul will play an important role.

Dial H, with China Miéville and Mateus Santoluoco. a.k.a. "Dial H for Hero". This promises to be an interesting endeavor into comics with people who suddenly gain super powers, even if only for a day or so.

Earth 2, with James Robinson and Nicola Scott. This is the parallel earth that focuses on the team of The Justice Society.

G.I. Combat, with J.T. Krul and Ariel Olivetti.This title will incorporate all their soldier of war themes and include appearances by the newly vamped Sgt. Rock. Will also include stories from The War That Time Forgot, The Unknown Soldier, The Haunted Tank.

The Ravagers, with Howard Mackie and Ian Churchill. This will be a spin off from the Teen Titans and Superboy, and centers around four heroes that the bad guys want to turn into villains.

World's Finest, with Paul Levitz, George Perez, and Kevin Maguire. But it won't be with Batman and Superman. This time it's all about the ladies: The Huntress and Power Girl. It will be interesting to see how this duo plays out.

Something That Might Interest You: Power Girl & Huntress: Legacy Statue

Sculpted by Tony Cipriano, these two heroines are coming up features in World's Finest. Although she's hardly a figure of light, Power Girl represents the bright side of this super duo, while Huntress encapsulates the darkness.

There are striking similarities between this female team and the original one of Superman and Batman.

Together for the first time in a DC Direct statue, this limited-edition, hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 11.75" tall x 6.5" wide x 5.5" deep. Includes a certificate of authenticity and is packaged in a 4-color box. This limited edition statue is manufactured to order.

Just to let you know, almost anything for Power Girl sells quickly, but raises in price after it sells out. If you're a collector, don't pass this up.

A Word About DC Events: Especially Brightest Day (and Darknest Night)

Yep, I've been following the forums and boards, catching every tidbit of information concerning DC Comics and their Blackest Night - Brightest Day event.

I think someone nailed it when they said that DC is in the process of streamlining their heroes. Think about it:

Final Crisis - Removing all the unwanted "gaps" in storylines within the DC comic multiverse...killing off heroes.

Blackest Day - A revamp of Green Lantern and the Corps.
Brightest Day - A revamp of Aquaman, Hawkman/Hawkgirl, Firestorm, and Martian Manhunter
Flashpoint - An upcoming revamp of The Flash?

The only concern I have with all the world-wide, universal change is that it feels like we're living in an accordian. I don't necessarily disagree with it; I understand it. But at the same time, I'm wondering if -- later on down the road -- we'll be seeing the stories get pulled apart, revealing more gaps...only to need another round of "closing the gap" events.

Interested in the Blackest Night Event? Check out: The Blackest Night