Before Watchmen Hardcovers Review: Part 2

DC's controversial prequel, Before Watchmen, was originally met with skepticism because its source material is the best selling graphic novel of all time, Watchmen. Despite the initial outrage, Before Watchmen was pretty great and really paid homage to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' epic tale.

DC is releasing four hardcovers consolidating the titles. The first two, Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre  and  Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair were released on June 26th. (Check out my review of them here.)

The last two hardcovers, Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach and Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan are being released on July 10th.

When Before Watchmen: Comedian was first announced, I thought 6 issues was too many to focus on the infamous icon. In some ways it's too many, but in some ways it's not enough to tell the complicated tale of the Comedian. Brian Azzarello (Joker, 100 Bullets) does a good job putting the reader into Eddie Blake's shoes and really makes us feel for this ruthless character. 

However, I do think the Comedian story is weak compared to the other Before Watchmen titles. The Comedian is such a rich character in the Watchmen universe that I expected more out of his story. Also, the artwork by J.G. Jones (Final Crisis) doesn't really capture the Comedian's grittiness. For me, the artwork is too simple for the title's story.

Before Watchmen: Rorschach is also by Azzarello. This title is extremely dark. It perfectly captures Rorschach and the circles he runs around in. The city's gritty underbelly is perfectly captured in Lee Bermejo's (Joker) artwork. Also, one of the four issues has one of the best cover's I've ever seen!

Like the other Deluxe Edition hardcovers, this includes the alternate covers and sketches at the end.

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl is written by J. Michael Straczynski (Superman: Earth One) focuses on Nite Owl II and his partnership with Rorschach as they track down a deadly killer. Andy Kubert's (Flashpoint) artwork is a little bit on the generic side, but his cityscapes and action scenes really shine. 

I really like the story because it is dark, but it has that buddy cop dynamic between Nite Owl II and Rorschach. It's the perfect tone of dark and funny that makes for an entertaining and great story!

Of all the Before Watchmen titles, Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan is the one that most captures the themes of the character from the original. Straczynski's writing incorporates mixed timelines, scientific facts, and even quotes like the original Watchmen. It's unbelievable how similar it is.

In addition to the writing, artist Adam Hughes (Justice League of America) shines a unique, yet familiar (blue) light onto the eerie god-like character. Using reoccurring themes such as watches, symmetry, and circles, Hughes does an outstanding job recreating Dr. Manhattan. Also, the last few pages are actually drawn upside down to create an awesome effect that really works with the story.

Lastly, this Deluxe Edition hardcover also includes Moloch. This two issue mini written by Straczynski and illustrated by Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets) delves into the sad origin of the Minutemen's foe Moloch the Mystic.

It's a shame that DC cancelled the Before Watchmen: Epilogue story because I would have liked to have seen that one shot. I had kind of hoped they would include it in one of these collections, but they did not. Perhaps will see it when DC makes a Before Watchmen Absolute Edition.

These titles are great expansions of the already rich universe that Alan Moore created. I'm very pleased at how they all turned out. The writers and artists did a phenomenal job at capturing the tone and look of each character in the Watchmen universe. These Deluxe Edition Hardcovers look great together next Watchmen on my shelf.

Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach & Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan are both a 10 out of 10 Doomsday Clocks!

Be sure to pick up Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach & Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan on July 10th.

Also, look for Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre & Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair available now!

RAWR(for more)

Before Watchmen Hardcovers Review: Part 1

Before Watchmen was DC's prequel to the best-selling graphic novel of all time, Watchmen. The fans (myself included) were very skeptical about the title. However, most of the comics were pretty great and really stuck to the source material.

DC is releasing four hardcovers consolidating the titles. The first two, Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre  and  Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair are being released on June 26th.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen was the title I was looking forward to the most in the Before Watchmen Series. The six issues are written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier), Minutemen perfectly captures the mood and time period during the formation of the original team. Also, he's managed to use several familiar motifs Dave Gibbons used (such as clocks) to visually tie into the Watchmen story.

It follows Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl, as he is writing his tell-all Under the Hood. It tells his origin and chronicles his alliance and troubles with the Minutemen. Cooke has created a brilliantly dark and entertaining story line exposing the corruption within the Minutemen through the eyes of a hero cop turned hero.

Also written by Darwyn Cooke, is the four issue Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre. The artwork by Amanda Conner (Powergirl) has that Archie Comics / Mary Jane Watson feel to it. Silk Spectre focuses on the early years of Silk Spectre II, Laurie. It delves into the strained relationship between her and her mother, Sally. She runs away from home, but doesn't shirk her superhero duties because she kicks ass all the way.

This hardcover has a really great artwork section featuring Darwyn Cooke's drawings of each Minutemen member, as well as every cover for both titles.

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias is written by Len Wein (Swamp Thing), who was the editor for the original Watchmen story. Wein's writing is great, but it is truly brought alive by Jae Lee's (The Dark Tower) stunning visuals. Featuring the World's Smartest Man, this six issue arc tells of the character's upbringing and unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Similar to how Minutemen's artwork pays homage to Gibbons' originals, Jae Lee uses a lot of circular and symmetrical panel layout in Ozymandias. DC seemed to do a great job of picking writer/artist teams that could really capture and do justice to such an iconic title.

Before Watchman: The Crimson Corsair was featured as the back-up chapters for most of the Before Watchmen titles. Based upon The Black Freighter story in Watchmen, this Len Wein and John Higgins (the colorist for Watchmen) joint effort is like a dark Pirates of the Caribbean / The Walking Dead.

Additionally, this hardcover also features the one-shot, Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill written by Len Wein and drawn by Steve Rude (Nexus). This tells the story of Dollar  Bill, originally hired as a bank mascot he gets more than he bargained for after stopping some thieves.

All of these titles really expand the Watchmen Universe without ruining the original. The Deluxe Edition Hardcovers are very nice and look great on the shelf! Tonally, they are both darker than your average superhero comic, which speaks volumes about the world Alan Moore created.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre & Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair are both a 10 out of 10 Smiley Faces!

Be sure to pick up Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Silk Spectre & Before Watchmen: Ozymandias and Crimson Corsair  on June 26th.

Also, look for Before Watchmen: Comedian and Rorschach & Before Watchmen: Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan on July 10th.

RAWR(for more)