Watchmen prequels now official and announced

[Colin YNWA]

So there we go 8 new Watchmen stories announced with teams... and you know what the world hasn't ended. The Internet hasn't broken and we're all getting on with our lives...

... I hope

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/02/01/before-watchmen/

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/02/01/before-watchmen-gallery-quote-file/

There's some very good teams on there too.

[mygrimmbrother]

Interesting... no reason at all why these couldn't turn out great. I would have liked to see some different artists there but I'll reserve judgement for now.

[radiator]

Er, that Dr Manhattan cover is a bit unfortunate isn't it?

My prediction is that one or two of the series will be ok, the rest will be either mediocre or a bit crap, and the whole thing will be largely forgotten within five years.

[Goaty]

Anyone need to send it to VIZ for "Up The Arse Corner"

[oshii]

Dave Gibbons "blessing" is brilliantly ambigiously worded. 

[NorthVox]

*sigh* Why can't they just leave Watchmen alone? I wonder what Mr.Moore thinks of all this...

[Davek]

*sigh* Why can't they just leave Watchmen alone? I wonder what Mr.Moore thinks of all this...

Not happy according to article on the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16840456

I have only read Watchmen about 6 months ago, but I would be most interested in seeing a series on Tales of the Black Freighter.

[Colin YNWA]

*sigh* Why can't they just leave Watchmen alone?

I'd guess 'cos lots of people want to read more stories about them and loads of talented people want to create more stories about them...

... oh and the money.

[TordelBack]

'S no skin off my nose, since I won't be buying them, but oh Dan DiDio:

"After 25 years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. [Emphasis mine]"

Says it all really - there are no such characters in the book. He's thinking of the film.

[HdE]

Well, my feelings are mixed. About as mixed as mixed feelings can get, in fact.

On the one hand, I think it's a shame that DC are doing this. I fully get why Mr. Moore would not be a happy bunny about it.

Watchman could and really SHOULD, in my opinion, be left alone as its own entity. I only read it for the first time last week, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think there's a risk that it could be chepened or damaged by trying to add anything to it.

On the other hand - some very strong talents are attached to these books. Darwyn Cooke? SOLD!

One thing's for certain: These books would ALWAYS face an uphill struggle for acceptance by fans. I'd expect DC are quite aware of that.

[Link Prime]

Mixed feelings meself, but sure with that array of series & creators at least some of it should be good. We won't have too long to wait and see I suppose...

[Jimmy Baker's Assistant]

This kind of shit is what gives comics a bad name.

Buy Before Watchmen and reward DC for screwing over the brightest talent the medium has ever produced, not to mention decrease the chances of anyone that good ever wanting to work in comics again.

[Spikes]

Never really liked Watchmen that much tbh, and i dont think its Alan Moores greatest moment, though of course i own a copy. Cant remember if i bought it, or whether it came free with the book shelf though,  but this pretty much stinks.
I find it inconceivable that people working within the comics industry are not aware of Moores feelings, so at some point everyone who signed up to this has had to have had a "fuck you - im writing/drawing me a Watchmen comic" moment.
Sad.

[Colin YNWA]

...not to mention decrease the chances of anyone that good ever wanting to work in comics again.

I'm intrigued to know how you reach that conclusion?

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of this project, which seems to create a lot of melodrama, how does this effect the desire of anybody with talent entering what is a very different market place?

If you want to create and own your own characters (and there's another debate about creating and using other peoples characters to be had) there are plenty of ways to do just that. More than there was in 1986. Though its very worth noting there were well proven ways of doing it then, if you had that desire. If you had the desire to write a story about characters based on those of other peoples' you had that option too. Alan Moore made his choice and tomorrow's creators will too.

[Jimmy Baker's Assistant]

I'm intrigued to know how you reach that conclusion?

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of this project, which seems to create a lot of melodrama, how does this effect the desire of anybody with talent entering what is a very different market place?

If you want to create and own your own characters (and there's another debate about creating and using other peoples characters to be had) there are plenty of ways to do just that. More than there was in 1986. Though its very worth noting there were well proven ways of doing it then, if you had that desire. If you had the desire to write a story about characters based on those of other peoples' you had that option too. Alan Moore made his choice and tomorrow's creators will too.

DC and Marvel pretty much have the US Comics market sewn up, and they operate like particularly unenlightened Victorian industrialists. Consequently few creative people in comics makes any money from, or even own the rights to their work. There are allegedly alternatives, but virtually all of them require creators to regard the minimum wage as some distant dream of unimaginable wealth.

Therefore there really is nowhere for talented would-be comic creators to go, and won't be until DC and/or Marvel are overthrown or mend their ways. Neither will happen whilst comic buyers unaccountably support titles such as Before Watchmen.