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Doomsday Clock #1-6
Doomsday Clock, Part 1
The world of Watchmen collides with the DC Universe in the most shocking story in DC history! Written by master storytellers Geoff Johns and Gary Frank--As the Doomsday Clock ticks toward midnight, the DC Universe will encounter with its greatest threat: Dr. Manhattan. But nothing is hidden from Manhattan, and the secrets of the past, present and future will leave ramifications on our heroes lives forever.
Something is amiss in the DC Universe. Following the events of DC Universe: Rebirth and Batman/The Flash: The Button, Geoff Johns (Flashpoint, Justice League, DC Universe: Rebirth) and Gary Frank (Batman: Earth One, Shazam!, DC Universe: Rebirth) reunite to rewrite the past and future of the DC Universe in a story hailed as a masterpiece!
Seven years after the events of Watchmen, Adrian Veidt has been exposed as the murderer of millions. Now a fugitive, he has come up with a new plan to save his once-adoring world: find Dr. Manhattan. Alongside a new Rorschach and the deadly Mime and Marionette, he arrives in the DC Universe and finds it on the brink of collapse. International tensions are running rampant with The Supermen Theory implicating the U.S. government in creating superhumans to maintain global dominance! But what is Dr. Manhattan doing in the DC Universe? And how is he related to the events of DC Universe: Rebirth and Batman/The Flash: The Button?
Collects Doomsday Clock #1-6
Something is amiss in the DC Universe. Following the events of DC Universe: Rebirth and Batman/The Flash: The Button, Geoff Johns (Flashpoint, Justice League, DC Universe: Rebirth) and Gary Frank (Batman: Earth One, Shazam!, DC Universe: Rebirth) reunite to rewrite the past and future of the DC Universe in a story hailed as a masterpiece!
Seven years after the events of Watchmen, Adrian Veidt has been exposed as the murderer of millions. Now a fugitive, he has come up with a new plan to save his once-adoring world: find Dr. Manhattan. Alongside a new Rorschach and the deadly Mime and Marionette, he arrives in the DC Universe and finds it on the brink of collapse. International tensions are running rampant with The Supermen Theory implicating the U.S. government in creating superhumans to maintain global dominance! But what is Dr. Manhattan doing in the DC Universe? And how is he related to the events of DC Universe: Rebirth and Batman/The Flash: The Button?
Collects Doomsday Clock #1-6
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2019
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,646 books2,302 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
May 2, 2020
DC vs. Watchmen!
It's the matchup we've been waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for since Batman found that stupid Button. <--I'd long since lost interest in whateverthefuck was supposed to have happened, to be quite honest.
I haven't been keeping up with DC titles, I haven't read the Watchmen in over 10 years, and I wasn't expecting to understand or enjoy much of this.
But.
There wasn't much else that looked interesting, either.
So.
Having said that, I was surprised that I ended up getting pretty interested in Marionette and Mime. They were actually really well done and I was (dare I say?) rooting for them by the end. The new Rorschach had a good backstory, as well.
Now, the DC characters that popped up didn't fare as well. Batman was an idiot in this and I don't care about Luthor. Also, I thought Lex was a good guy? Guess that shit wore off.
At the end of the day, this was (to me) much better than expected. I'm not saying it's going down in the history books as a must-read or anything, but I did think it had a lot more entertainment value than I could have hoped for from a story with characters that I didn't know well and (to be honest) didn't care about previously.
It's the matchup we've been waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for since Batman found that stupid Button. <--I'd long since lost interest in whateverthefuck was supposed to have happened, to be quite honest.
I haven't been keeping up with DC titles, I haven't read the Watchmen in over 10 years, and I wasn't expecting to understand or enjoy much of this.
But.
There wasn't much else that looked interesting, either.
So.
Having said that, I was surprised that I ended up getting pretty interested in Marionette and Mime. They were actually really well done and I was (dare I say?) rooting for them by the end. The new Rorschach had a good backstory, as well.
Now, the DC characters that popped up didn't fare as well. Batman was an idiot in this and I don't care about Luthor. Also, I thought Lex was a good guy? Guess that shit wore off.
At the end of the day, this was (to me) much better than expected. I'm not saying it's going down in the history books as a must-read or anything, but I did think it had a lot more entertainment value than I could have hoped for from a story with characters that I didn't know well and (to be honest) didn't care about previously.
September 26, 2020
Ozymandias, the world’s smartest man and a celebrated superhero, tried to save the world - and failed. About as badly as he could have!
7 years later…
The Doomsday Clock edges nearer to midnight - total annihilation - and the world has discovered the atrocities of Adrian Veidt. Nevertheless, he decides to once more try to save the world. This time the plan involves finding Doctor Manhattan. But where did he go? The DC universe. Tick, tock!
I’m not a fan of Watchmen or ever been that impressed by Alan Moore’s comics generally (I know, that instantly disqualifies any opinion I have on anything comics-related, right?) so I’m not one of those people who thinks that writing a sequel to Watchmen or introducing the Watchmen characters into the DCU is some kind of sacrilege. The property belongs to DC, they can do what they like with it - you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to.
I’ve actually been mildly intrigued by this project. Maybe Watchmen might be fun in the hands of other writers? After all, the Before Watchmen books weren’t all bad. And, while Geoff Johns is no Alan Moore - I’ll give Moore this: he’s a much more thoughtful and original writer than Johns will ever be - Doomsday Clock, Part 1 wasn’t as awful as I presumed (I’m not a Johns fanboy either).
Doomsday Clock, Part 1’s quality doesn’t match its fanfare but there’s enough going on to stop it from being too boring a read. It’s a mixed bag of cool and boring scenes, a vague story that’s definitely not in a rush to be told but with a compelling destination, all drawn well by a master cartoonist - and I’m tentatively looking forward to Part 2.
7 years later…
The Doomsday Clock edges nearer to midnight - total annihilation - and the world has discovered the atrocities of Adrian Veidt. Nevertheless, he decides to once more try to save the world. This time the plan involves finding Doctor Manhattan. But where did he go? The DC universe. Tick, tock!
I’m not a fan of Watchmen or ever been that impressed by Alan Moore’s comics generally (I know, that instantly disqualifies any opinion I have on anything comics-related, right?) so I’m not one of those people who thinks that writing a sequel to Watchmen or introducing the Watchmen characters into the DCU is some kind of sacrilege. The property belongs to DC, they can do what they like with it - you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to.
I’ve actually been mildly intrigued by this project. Maybe Watchmen might be fun in the hands of other writers? After all, the Before Watchmen books weren’t all bad. And, while Geoff Johns is no Alan Moore - I’ll give Moore this: he’s a much more thoughtful and original writer than Johns will ever be - Doomsday Clock, Part 1 wasn’t as awful as I presumed (I’m not a Johns fanboy either).
Doomsday Clock, Part 1’s quality doesn’t match its fanfare but there’s enough going on to stop it from being too boring a read. It’s a mixed bag of cool and boring scenes, a vague story that’s definitely not in a rush to be told but with a compelling destination, all drawn well by a master cartoonist - and I’m tentatively looking forward to Part 2.
December 28, 2019
The cover states "Watchmen meets the DC Universe!" and they sure do collide. I thought it was fun seeing this gritty worlds collide. It's like the Watchmen people visit an parallel universe or something, but they somehow know a little about the other. Batman knows something about Veidt and Veidt knows something about Batman. That is never explained. Dr. Manhattan is missing and Veidt goes looking for him.
We meet two new great characters - Marionette and Mime. They seem rather close to Harley Quinn, but they are a solid duo. I think they are my favorite part of this new series. Mime can mime something happening and it will happen. He makes a finger like a gun and he can shot someone. That is a interesting twist. We are giving a littl of their background too.
This world is totally in turmoil and everything happening seems like an impossible situation. Joker meeting Marionette and Mime was pretty cool too. They give the Joker a run for his money.
Rorschach is in the story, but somehow he's a different guy under the mask. I don't understand why yet and they haven't really said. Batman seems weird in this story.
I enjoy the colliding of worlds in this book, but somehow it feels more about Watchmen and less about DC universe. The team-ups or fights between the groups could be better.
I am looking forward to going forward with this series. I think it's very good and Geoff is at the top of his game, at the moment.
We meet two new great characters - Marionette and Mime. They seem rather close to Harley Quinn, but they are a solid duo. I think they are my favorite part of this new series. Mime can mime something happening and it will happen. He makes a finger like a gun and he can shot someone. That is a interesting twist. We are giving a littl of their background too.
This world is totally in turmoil and everything happening seems like an impossible situation. Joker meeting Marionette and Mime was pretty cool too. They give the Joker a run for his money.
Rorschach is in the story, but somehow he's a different guy under the mask. I don't understand why yet and they haven't really said. Batman seems weird in this story.
I enjoy the colliding of worlds in this book, but somehow it feels more about Watchmen and less about DC universe. The team-ups or fights between the groups could be better.
I am looking forward to going forward with this series. I think it's very good and Geoff is at the top of his game, at the moment.
October 8, 2019
Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue the story they began in Rebirth. Sorta. I expected this to tie in to the Rebirth one shot and the mysterious appearances to date in the DC universe like The Button and Tim Drake's abduction in Detective Comics. This instead is about some other characters from the Watchmen universe who cross over to the DC universe looking for Dr. Manhattan. It's really dark and gritty, more in line with the tones the creative team established in Batman: Earth One. To get the full impact, you need to be reading most of the other titles at DC, which I didn't care for. There are lot of references to other titles that haven't been collected yet. I'd also definitely recommend reading Watchmen again before reading this as a refresher.
Received a review copy from DC and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from DC and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
November 22, 2019
I'm conflicted, because I side with Alan Moore in his disagreements and mistreatment at the hands of DC. But this is just sitting there at the library...and it is better than the Before Watchmen titles I read a while back. It looks good and captures some of the feel of the pacing and layout of the original series. The Mime and Marionette are quite interesting villains, and I like their interaction with the Joker. And yet, every other time a DCU character shares a scene with a Watchmen character it is jarring and awkward. Still, I'm intrigued enough to pick up Part 2. I'll just feel a little bad about myself when I do.
December 9, 2019
Great story and art so far, Johns and Frank are crushing both the writing, visuals and also my soul maybe?
Looking forward to reading Part 2.
Looking forward to reading Part 2.
June 5, 2022
Absolutely no complaints about this. It's fascinating and delightful. Watchmen crossing over into the rest of the DC world, with notable characters like Batman, Superman, and the Joker mixing it up with the disillusioned remains and remainders of Voight's little world-saving. It of course revolves around finding Doctor Manhattan after he skips to the usual DC universe.
I am reading this because I really wanted to see Superman mix it up with Doctor Manhattan, but that won't happen until I get to Vol 2.
In the meantime, I'm fascinated. :) I recently watched the Watchmen tv show that came out in the same year that this did, and while there ARE some similarities and borrowed ideas, they're both still very different. I don't mind. (But the TV show was brilliant.)
I am reading this because I really wanted to see Superman mix it up with Doctor Manhattan, but that won't happen until I get to Vol 2.
In the meantime, I'm fascinated. :) I recently watched the Watchmen tv show that came out in the same year that this did, and while there ARE some similarities and borrowed ideas, they're both still very different. I don't mind. (But the TV show was brilliant.)
October 3, 2019
Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue the story that they started waaaaay back in DC Universe Rebirth, bringing the DC Universe and the world of Watchmen crashing together in ways that enhance both of them. Watchmen is meant to be untouchable (and yet DC keep touching it), but this is easily the most worthy successor we've had so far. It's clever, and it feels like it has a huge amount of weight behind it, not just from the history that it brings with it but the impact that it will no doubt have going forward.
Just a shame that it's taking so long to come out. Expect a more comprehensive review when Part 2 is released, whenever that's going to be.
Just a shame that it's taking so long to come out. Expect a more comprehensive review when Part 2 is released, whenever that's going to be.
April 22, 2020
This year we got two sequels to Alan Moore's celebrated comic The Watchmen. One of them was the tv show created by Damon Lindelof; A show that uses the idea of Watchmen in order to tell a new story and to comment on our current era. The show is about racism, our current political tensions, the role of the police and other important current issues. It is really good.
The comic takes a slightly different approach, which it should considering that it is in a different medium. Going into it I tried to decide what I thought the best case scenerio for a DC Universe meets Watchmen comic would be, and I decided the obvious route to take this would be to comment on Moore's legacy. In the 80s Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, and a few others made a stir by writing violent satirical adult comic books. The comics industry saw this and tried to turn everything into it. Suddenly all comics had to be dark and gritty with amoral heroes. Marvel eventually recovered from this, DC seems to still be struggling with it. So I think the obvious thing to do would be to tell a story about that somehow, and occasionally this comic pays lip service to that idea; Ozymandias lectures Batman on how his universe sucked long before he showed up, but that's about it.
Mostly this seems to be about showing how cool the Watchmen characters are and directly repeating story beats. The story is that Ozymandias's plan has fallen apart so he's followng Dr. Manhatten to the DC universe in order to get him to fix everything. For some reason he brings a new Rorshach with him as well as two crazy supervillains who immediately escape and kill a lot of people. Batman locks Rorshach up in Arkham by tricking him into walking into a cell, and apparently that is all it takes to get locked up in the DC universe. Ozymandias gets attacked by another supposedly dead character, . This whole comic feels more like a kid smashing his Watchmen and DC toys together while quoting the comic. It lacks any of the purpose of the original and instead plays out like a hollow recreation.
I have no real problem with people playing with Moore's toys, especially since he spent most of his career playing with other people's toys (I doubt Rowling approved portraying Harry Potter as the anti-Christ), but I do have a problem with people playing with them for no reason. The Watchmen show is clearly a case where people had a lot of ideas and concepts to tell with The Watchmen characters, this though reads as though an author was told to use the charactrs and so he had them do "cool" things. Maybe he'll turn it all around in part two, but so far this is exactly what I was afraid it would be.
The comic takes a slightly different approach, which it should considering that it is in a different medium. Going into it I tried to decide what I thought the best case scenerio for a DC Universe meets Watchmen comic would be, and I decided the obvious route to take this would be to comment on Moore's legacy. In the 80s Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, and a few others made a stir by writing violent satirical adult comic books. The comics industry saw this and tried to turn everything into it. Suddenly all comics had to be dark and gritty with amoral heroes. Marvel eventually recovered from this, DC seems to still be struggling with it. So I think the obvious thing to do would be to tell a story about that somehow, and occasionally this comic pays lip service to that idea; Ozymandias lectures Batman on how his universe sucked long before he showed up, but that's about it.
Mostly this seems to be about showing how cool the Watchmen characters are and directly repeating story beats. The story is that Ozymandias's plan has fallen apart so he's followng Dr. Manhatten to the DC universe in order to get him to fix everything. For some reason he brings a new Rorshach with him as well as two crazy supervillains who immediately escape and kill a lot of people. Batman locks Rorshach up in Arkham by tricking him into walking into a cell, and apparently that is all it takes to get locked up in the DC universe. Ozymandias gets attacked by another supposedly dead character, . This whole comic feels more like a kid smashing his Watchmen and DC toys together while quoting the comic. It lacks any of the purpose of the original and instead plays out like a hollow recreation.
I have no real problem with people playing with Moore's toys, especially since he spent most of his career playing with other people's toys (I doubt Rowling approved portraying Harry Potter as the anti-Christ), but I do have a problem with people playing with them for no reason. The Watchmen show is clearly a case where people had a lot of ideas and concepts to tell with The Watchmen characters, this though reads as though an author was told to use the charactrs and so he had them do "cool" things. Maybe he'll turn it all around in part two, but so far this is exactly what I was afraid it would be.
October 26, 2019
I wish I had the strength to wait for the inevitable complete collection, because there's no way I'm going to remember all of this in seven months when DC releases the second hardcover.....
August 8, 2021
Talk about epic and this book pretty much is that!!
It starts off with the watchmen universe and whatever is going on there after what Adrian did and we follow the fallout of the world, introduced to the new Rorschach and the Mime and Marionette and what they have been doing, coming to the mainline DCU and all of them on their own adventures. That brings in Reggie vs Batman, Adrian vs Lex and the clowns meet the Joker and meanwhile we have the rise of the supermen theory which is fascinating and I love how Superman and Batman are behind the scenes as we deal with what went wrong with the DCU timeline and how Dr Manhattan is behind it and its so well paced and done!
The character deep dives of origin like with the new Rorschach and Marionette were quite emotional and you could see how the watchmen impacted it and the deep trauma left behind by their fathers in a way. One's mind lost and the other's morality and how it shaped their origin and their connection to Dr Manhattan and its fantastic. I love how Johns is able to bring in this human element to them and make it so relatable and give them such depth.
Plus the art is fantastic throughout like some panels are so well paced and detailed and the last one..the way it just switches to the past and seamlessly transitions just shows the strength of the comic medium and Gary exploits it and gives Johns writing such great edge over everyone. Plus the focus on Reeves Superman is brilliant and the standout! So many things going on in this book and its just amazing.
It starts off with the watchmen universe and whatever is going on there after what Adrian did and we follow the fallout of the world, introduced to the new Rorschach and the Mime and Marionette and what they have been doing, coming to the mainline DCU and all of them on their own adventures. That brings in Reggie vs Batman, Adrian vs Lex and the clowns meet the Joker and meanwhile we have the rise of the supermen theory which is fascinating and I love how Superman and Batman are behind the scenes as we deal with what went wrong with the DCU timeline and how Dr Manhattan is behind it and its so well paced and done!
The character deep dives of origin like with the new Rorschach and Marionette were quite emotional and you could see how the watchmen impacted it and the deep trauma left behind by their fathers in a way. One's mind lost and the other's morality and how it shaped their origin and their connection to Dr Manhattan and its fantastic. I love how Johns is able to bring in this human element to them and make it so relatable and give them such depth.
Plus the art is fantastic throughout like some panels are so well paced and detailed and the last one..the way it just switches to the past and seamlessly transitions just shows the strength of the comic medium and Gary exploits it and gives Johns writing such great edge over everyone. Plus the focus on Reeves Superman is brilliant and the standout! So many things going on in this book and its just amazing.
January 28, 2021
First of all, the art on this is gorgeous. Gary Frank has really outdone himself. His clean lines and detailed panels are engrossing. His work reminds me of Brian Bolland's art. Frank puts so much emotion and expression in the character's faces, it's never difficult to "read" what they are feeling. He also does his best to maintain the 9 panel grid used by Gibbons in the original Watchmen with occasionally combining panels for effect.
Geoff Johns has done an excellent job of capturing the tone of the original: an oppressive weight seems to hang over everything, as if something just isn't right and things are about to get bad. There are some new characters, who are scary and unnerving to say the least. The main point of the story hasn't really been revealed yet, so that mystery hasn't become the main focus yet. This volume primarily reintroduces the world and the new characters.
It remains to be seen whether this story will have the commentary on comics and society that the original did. That may not be what Johns is going for, but it is certainly an intriguing plot with ramifications for the DC universe.
Second read through:
Read this again in preparation for Part 2. The oppressive weight mentioned above is the distrust now present between regular people and the metahumans. Liked this even more the second time.
Geoff Johns has done an excellent job of capturing the tone of the original: an oppressive weight seems to hang over everything, as if something just isn't right and things are about to get bad. There are some new characters, who are scary and unnerving to say the least. The main point of the story hasn't really been revealed yet, so that mystery hasn't become the main focus yet. This volume primarily reintroduces the world and the new characters.
It remains to be seen whether this story will have the commentary on comics and society that the original did. That may not be what Johns is going for, but it is certainly an intriguing plot with ramifications for the DC universe.
Second read through:
Read this again in preparation for Part 2. The oppressive weight mentioned above is the distrust now present between regular people and the metahumans. Liked this even more the second time.
January 6, 2020
I really enjoyed the crossover with DC and watchmen. Great writing and characters and a nice story to work off. This is obviously a delicate story to write and navigate and choosing what characters to feature and I think Geoff John did a great job. The art is also top notch. I havent been reading a lot of DC lately but I will watch out for part 2 of this.
August 6, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
DC Rebirth in 2016 was the latest relaunch over at DC Comics, allowing the DC Universe to kick things off fresh. Similar to previous reboots, this one had an overarching mysterious narrative that allowed it all to make sense. Through Geoff Johns’s one-shot story in DC Universe Rebirth #1, fans were given a vague idea of what is actually going on. And a lot of it might have something to do with Alan Moore’s Watchmen. As the years went by, very few attempts were made throughout the various ongoing comic book series to try and connect the dots but everything led to a long-awaited twelve-issue limited series written by Geoff Johns, penciled by Gary Frank, and coloured by Brad Anderson: Doomsday Clock. First released in two volumes, this is the most-anticipated story set after the events of Watchmen and, for the first time ever, colliding two distinct universes together.
What is Doomsday Clock Part 1 about? Set seven years after the events in Watchmen, Adrian Veidt’s secret is now known by all as he’s held responsible for the murder of millions of innocent civilians. Viewing life differently as regret fills his heart, he now has a plan to redeem himself but it requires finding Dr. Manhattan whose location remains unknown to everyone. For his plan to work, he retains the help of Rorschach, Mime, and Marionette, and flies off to the DC Universe where the trail went cold for God himself. However, the world there isn’t in its best state as chaos grows exponentially with rumors of a “Supermen Theory” being spewed upon the population. Is the American government really the one behind the creation of superheroes and supervillains?
I’m a die-hard fan of Watchmen. I love the concept, the ideas, the art, and the execution. It is flawless. There’s a reason why it was a stand-alone story written by the legendary Alan Moore. Although I was skeptical at the idea of seeing these two worlds collide, I wanted to believe that writer Geoff Johns would know what he was doing, that he’d give fans exactly what they want without disrespecting the original story. Was this story worth the wait and the risk of ruining what was once great? I think it was already a bad idea to collect this story into two volumes. This first volume suffers tremendously from setting up the characters and the world on which the story is founded. Upon finishing it, you’re left with a sense of loss, unable to grasp the purpose of the story, and where the intrigue is supposed to come from. The only idea that keeps you hooked lies in the premise, the very search-and-rescue (or is it destroy?) mission conducted by the Watchmen characters as they go looking for Dr. Manhattan.
Although the story plays upon a couple of interesting ideas, it could never truly lift off until it’s too late, leaving most of the reward for the reader in the second volume. The overall structure of this volume, however, follows very tightly the original structure found in Watchmen. From the nine-panel page configuration to the original and metaphorical transition from page to page, this volume won’t fail in capturing the artwork by Dave Gibbons. Even the colouring is exceptional, beautifully, and masterfully illustrating Gotham City. The character designs are also impeccable, leaving nothing to be desired. Writer Geoff Johns’s understanding of these heroes helps in making the story interesting enough to continue on but, unfortunately, leaves too much hanging in the following volume.
Doomsday Clock Part 1 is a world-building story-arc establishing the characters and the direction but fails to justify its narrative relevance.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
October 8, 2019
This was definitely interesting. I like seeing the continuation of the story of the Watchmen and the reason for why Oz did what he did makes sense. I liked the addition of the new characters. That back-story, wow! So harsh and how they ended up makes a lot of sense.
Batman was in this one and he was a jerk! Though he didn't deserve what he got, despite his huge jerkiness.
I don't want to spoiler this for anyone, so am not going to say too much. The beginning was rather political and I don't quite understand how it got to nukes all around, but I just went with it. The storyline jumped a tad and when coming from the mind of the "new" Rorschach it was really difficult to follow, but again, I just went with it.
Honestly, I think the introduction of the DC characters of Batman, Lex Luthor, etc, weakened the story, though the Joker, who I normally don't like, really stole the scenes he was in. The Watchmen characters, new and old, were the strong points for me. The artwork was crisp and I liked it for the most part.
And WHAT was Dr. Manhattan THINKING re: one particular character?!?! I REALLY can't wait to see what he has to say for himself when they finally find him.
So yeah, invested in wanting to read the next one. I want to see what happens to both worlds, what happens to Bats, etc. Very violent, rather over the top with Mime and Marionette, but it fit the characters and the storyline. One sex scene, but if someone is reading this and gets to that point, I highly doubt that will faze them.
4, solid I want to read the next one, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment/DC Comics for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Batman was in this one and he was a jerk! Though he didn't deserve what he got, despite his huge jerkiness.
I don't want to spoiler this for anyone, so am not going to say too much. The beginning was rather political and I don't quite understand how it got to nukes all around, but I just went with it. The storyline jumped a tad and when coming from the mind of the "new" Rorschach it was really difficult to follow, but again, I just went with it.
Honestly, I think the introduction of the DC characters of Batman, Lex Luthor, etc, weakened the story, though the Joker, who I normally don't like, really stole the scenes he was in. The Watchmen characters, new and old, were the strong points for me. The artwork was crisp and I liked it for the most part.
And WHAT was Dr. Manhattan THINKING re: one particular character?!?! I REALLY can't wait to see what he has to say for himself when they finally find him.
So yeah, invested in wanting to read the next one. I want to see what happens to both worlds, what happens to Bats, etc. Very violent, rather over the top with Mime and Marionette, but it fit the characters and the storyline. One sex scene, but if someone is reading this and gets to that point, I highly doubt that will faze them.
4, solid I want to read the next one, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment/DC Comics for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2019
The world of the amazing graphic novel The Watchment merges with its DC Universe cousin in the collection of 6 comic books written by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Picking up 7 years after the conclusion of The Watchmen, readers find that Dr. Manhattan has disappeared. things have continued to get darker, and Adrian Veidt, the villain of the previous tale, has come to believe that Dr. Manhattan is the only hero that could prevent nuclear annihilation. He suspects that Dr. Manhattan has slipped into an alternate reality.
Veidt, the smartest man in his world, has come up with a plan to find Dr. Manhattan, and he has arranged to assemble a team to help him do just that. The team is made up by a new Rorschach and the deadly villains Mime and Marionette. When they arrive in the DC Universe, they find it torn by concerns regarding the Superman Theory, the belief that superhumans were created by the American government in the hopes of using them to conquer the globe.
The team separates and find themselves starting to mingle with the heroes and villains of Gotham as they learn more about what is going on and with the hope they will find Dr. Manhattan.
This collection is interesting, and it certainly has all the feel and storytelling style of the original popular The Watchmen books. It does struggle a little bit in not really having a super strong plot. Instead, it feels like a construct has been created in order to bring the characters of the two different DC franchises together in a single story. The result is not particularly strong even as it is interesting. I am hoping that volume 2 will be better.
Veidt, the smartest man in his world, has come up with a plan to find Dr. Manhattan, and he has arranged to assemble a team to help him do just that. The team is made up by a new Rorschach and the deadly villains Mime and Marionette. When they arrive in the DC Universe, they find it torn by concerns regarding the Superman Theory, the belief that superhumans were created by the American government in the hopes of using them to conquer the globe.
The team separates and find themselves starting to mingle with the heroes and villains of Gotham as they learn more about what is going on and with the hope they will find Dr. Manhattan.
This collection is interesting, and it certainly has all the feel and storytelling style of the original popular The Watchmen books. It does struggle a little bit in not really having a super strong plot. Instead, it feels like a construct has been created in order to bring the characters of the two different DC franchises together in a single story. The result is not particularly strong even as it is interesting. I am hoping that volume 2 will be better.
November 16, 2019
I am collecting the single issues of this 12 issue series and had the chance to re-read the first 6 issues in a hardcover collection so I took it.
Johns and Franks and others have crafted a brilliant post- Watchmen tale bringing back some characters thought long gone and integrating current DCU heroes and villains into the mix.
Easter eggs are dotted throughout the series when one looks close enough and Johns refers back often to the original Watchmen in beats, tempo, and reverence. Franks art is amazing and perfectly fits the book in which we are introduced early to two new villains named Mimi and Marionette including an origin for each.
Very highly recommended.
Johns and Franks and others have crafted a brilliant post- Watchmen tale bringing back some characters thought long gone and integrating current DCU heroes and villains into the mix.
Easter eggs are dotted throughout the series when one looks close enough and Johns refers back often to the original Watchmen in beats, tempo, and reverence. Franks art is amazing and perfectly fits the book in which we are introduced early to two new villains named Mimi and Marionette including an origin for each.
Very highly recommended.
January 5, 2021
Relectura y me deja mejor sabor. Es una buena historia, el tema es que estamuy colgada de las tetas de Moore. No solo se meten en ese universo cerrado, Johns emula la narrativa de nueve paneles y los inserts que complementan la historia.
Esa delgada línea entre plagio y homenaje.
1er impresión
Estoy tan alejado del mainstream actual que mucho no me llega, ni por conocimiento de continuidad ni por golpes de emoción.
No me parece mal el cruce de universos entre Watchmen y DC, hasta lo considero apropiado, porqué no, si el status quo de la obra de Alan Moore es inamovible.
En definitiva me resulta pochoclo del bueno...
Esa delgada línea entre plagio y homenaje.
1er impresión
Estoy tan alejado del mainstream actual que mucho no me llega, ni por conocimiento de continuidad ni por golpes de emoción.
No me parece mal el cruce de universos entre Watchmen y DC, hasta lo considero apropiado, porqué no, si el status quo de la obra de Alan Moore es inamovible.
En definitiva me resulta pochoclo del bueno...
October 30, 2019
Maybe Alan Moore was right about leaving the Watchmen alone. Two episodes in I love the new HBO Watchmen show but basically everything watchmen related, with the strange exception of Before Watchmen: Ozymandias, has felt flat at best or like a cash grab at worst. Doomsday Clock, even in the hands of a writer as talented as Geoff Johns, just doesn't seem necessary in any way.
October 20, 2020
Some of the Watchmen and villains come to the DC world. Heroes on both sides are in conflict, as are villains on both sides.
Marionette and Mime are a wonderful addition of villains. Can they take down The Joker?
MY GRADE: B plus.
Marionette and Mime are a wonderful addition of villains. Can they take down The Joker?
MY GRADE: B plus.
July 16, 2021
The flow of the story jumps all over the place and time, but this is intentional and well executed. Ultimately, it's a mature story of violence, revenge, redemption that happens to involve superheroes. The latter take a secondary role, as most of the focus is on the classic Watchmen characters. Still, the interactions with the DC characters are original and not at all forced.
The world is in turmoil - wars, riots - because Ozymandias failed in his plan to improve the world. Dr. Manhattan may be the only one able to fix it, but few know where he is. Ozymandias is one of them and he needs help. Rorschack frees the dangerous Marionette and her husband Mime from prison. He uses news of their son as leverage, though the control he has over them is flimsy at best. He takes them to Ozymandias who transports them into another universe on Dr. Manhattan's trail. Gotham is no more peaceful with protesters against Batman. The chaos only deepens while the Watchmen characters team up with the DC ones.
The world is in turmoil - wars, riots - because Ozymandias failed in his plan to improve the world. Dr. Manhattan may be the only one able to fix it, but few know where he is. Ozymandias is one of them and he needs help. Rorschack frees the dangerous Marionette and her husband Mime from prison. He uses news of their son as leverage, though the control he has over them is flimsy at best. He takes them to Ozymandias who transports them into another universe on Dr. Manhattan's trail. Gotham is no more peaceful with protesters against Batman. The chaos only deepens while the Watchmen characters team up with the DC ones.
November 6, 2020
Doomsday Clock is a really shockingly tremendous work if only because, at the very least, it perfectly captures the style and storytelling structure of the original Watchmen series, pairing it neatly and logically with the DC universe. I'll admit to being truly thrown by how much I loved this. Guaranteed, Part Two is going to be a disappointment. But for now, I'm going to bask in the warm glow of a dark, twisty story well told.
Perhaps it's Doomsday Clock's pure simplicity that makes it so enjoyable. In the Watchmen universe, it's seven years later, Adrian Veidt has been exposed as a villain, and the world is crumbling. Veidt grabs nu-Rorschach and two fascinating new characters, the Marionette and the Mime, and dimension hops to the DC universe, where Dr. Manhattan has supposedly taken root.
The DC universe isn't looking so hot either, with conspiracy theories about metahumans running amok. The story-within-the-story elements of Watchmen are here in force - there are so many layers to Doomsday Clock, it's almost impossible to fully unpack on the first read.
And this is only the first part! Honestly, not a ton happens in Part One. Forward momentum is moderate at best. Instead, we go on fascinating deep dives into the new Watchmen characters. When backstories are this well crafted, I will read them all day, any day, primary narrative be damned. And lest I forget, Gray Frank's art is superb, a brilliant match for Dave Gibbons original Watchmen art.
Another big plus? Doomsday Clock works as a standalone book. It'll help to have to read the original Watchmen, but it's not entirely necessary. And there was no point in Doomsday Clock where I felt like some DC side-quest was happening in a different book. It's all here and it's all great. This is easily the best DC event series I've read. Part Two, don't let me down!
Perhaps it's Doomsday Clock's pure simplicity that makes it so enjoyable. In the Watchmen universe, it's seven years later, Adrian Veidt has been exposed as a villain, and the world is crumbling. Veidt grabs nu-Rorschach and two fascinating new characters, the Marionette and the Mime, and dimension hops to the DC universe, where Dr. Manhattan has supposedly taken root.
The DC universe isn't looking so hot either, with conspiracy theories about metahumans running amok. The story-within-the-story elements of Watchmen are here in force - there are so many layers to Doomsday Clock, it's almost impossible to fully unpack on the first read.
And this is only the first part! Honestly, not a ton happens in Part One. Forward momentum is moderate at best. Instead, we go on fascinating deep dives into the new Watchmen characters. When backstories are this well crafted, I will read them all day, any day, primary narrative be damned. And lest I forget, Gray Frank's art is superb, a brilliant match for Dave Gibbons original Watchmen art.
Another big plus? Doomsday Clock works as a standalone book. It'll help to have to read the original Watchmen, but it's not entirely necessary. And there was no point in Doomsday Clock where I felt like some DC side-quest was happening in a different book. It's all here and it's all great. This is easily the best DC event series I've read. Part Two, don't let me down!
November 3, 2019
I actually liked the surprise appearance of the smiley face button at the end of Rebirth, even if the implication that the problems with modern superheroes started with Watchmen is simplistic at best. Unfortunately, Doomsday Clock doesn't demonstrate any deeper understanding of superheroes, so we're stuck with a one-notion riff on Watchmen for six issues with some interaction with a gritty version of the DC universe (mostly Gotham, which is easier to tip over into grimdark). I applaud Johns for having the cohones to attempt a follow-up to Watchmen, but the first six issues indicate that he is outmatched. What results is a decent mash-up, a mildly interesting story, but only a faux depth that hints at the detail-rich source material.
It also doesn't help that the vastly superior (based on the first two episodes) HBO series just debuted. I will probably return to see how it turns out when the final collection drops, but I'm not holding my breath.
It also doesn't help that the vastly superior (based on the first two episodes) HBO series just debuted. I will probably return to see how it turns out when the final collection drops, but I'm not holding my breath.
July 25, 2020
Ok, I don’t often read mainstream comics these days, but throw in Doctor Manhattan from the watchmen and I’m in. Alas, He barely appears in the first volume.
January 5, 2020
I’ll admit: I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to read this or not. More about that later.
This was surprisingly good. Yes, Geoff Johns is an accomplished writer, but the original Watchmen graphic novel--and Alan Moore in general--is a high bar to be shooting for. Johns has crafted this story with seemingly the utmost love and respect for the original. This is probably the best rendition of the concept of “Watchmen meets the DC Universe” that we’re likely to get.
Basically, several characters from Watchmen dimension hop in a quest to track down Dr. Manhattan and persuade him to save their world--which is in pretty dire straits. Some quick research at the Gotham Public Library (they break in) leads to the formulation of a plan: “I’ve already identified the two smartest people on the planet.” “What?” “Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne. We go to them, explain who we are and why we're here.” Well, I’ve heard worse plans.
Of course, the DC heroes and villains are having troubles of their own. Much of the public believes that heroes and villains alike are part of some Top Secret US government program designed to produce super soldiers, and tensions are high. It's a volatile situation …
This is only Part One, but it's a promising beginning.
It's what the book represents, though, that I find troubling.
Back when Moore and Gibbons created Watchmen, they were supposed to eventually own it. The contract they signed with DC essentially said that, once the graphic novel went out of print, the rights to it would revert to them. At the time, this seemed reasonable enough. A graphic novel that stays continually in print for over thirty years, becomes a classic of the genre, and spawns a movie AND a TV series? Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen.
Now DC could, out of the goodness of their hearts, do the right thing. “Here you go, Alan, Dave. These rights should have been yours years ago. Who knew, back in the 80's, that graphic novels--yours in particular--would become such a huge thing?”
Not too likely, I’ll concede, but it could happen. Nice to think about, at any rate …
But every derivative work made using the Watchmen characters and concepts, every Before Watchmen or Doomsday Clock, every movie, every TV series, every action figure makes it much less likely. Because what becomes of all of those derivative works if, by some miracle, Moore and Gibbons ever regain the rights to their creation? Seems like a legal can of worms to me, though I'm certainly no expert.
And yes, it is disingenuous of me to talk about how much I enjoyed Doomsday Clock Part One, and then rant about how shamefully the creators of Watchmen have been treated by DC. Because as long as people like me are reading and talking about books like this, DC is going to keep publishing them. True, I didn't buy this book, just checked it out of the public library. But the library certainly bought it, and did so because they knew there was an audience for it. And as long as there's an audience, DC will keep reprinting Watchmen and spinning off derivative works from it.
This was surprisingly good. Yes, Geoff Johns is an accomplished writer, but the original Watchmen graphic novel--and Alan Moore in general--is a high bar to be shooting for. Johns has crafted this story with seemingly the utmost love and respect for the original. This is probably the best rendition of the concept of “Watchmen meets the DC Universe” that we’re likely to get.
Basically, several characters from Watchmen dimension hop in a quest to track down Dr. Manhattan and persuade him to save their world--which is in pretty dire straits. Some quick research at the Gotham Public Library (they break in) leads to the formulation of a plan: “I’ve already identified the two smartest people on the planet.” “What?” “Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne. We go to them, explain who we are and why we're here.” Well, I’ve heard worse plans.
Of course, the DC heroes and villains are having troubles of their own. Much of the public believes that heroes and villains alike are part of some Top Secret US government program designed to produce super soldiers, and tensions are high. It's a volatile situation …
This is only Part One, but it's a promising beginning.
It's what the book represents, though, that I find troubling.
Back when Moore and Gibbons created Watchmen, they were supposed to eventually own it. The contract they signed with DC essentially said that, once the graphic novel went out of print, the rights to it would revert to them. At the time, this seemed reasonable enough. A graphic novel that stays continually in print for over thirty years, becomes a classic of the genre, and spawns a movie AND a TV series? Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen.
Now DC could, out of the goodness of their hearts, do the right thing. “Here you go, Alan, Dave. These rights should have been yours years ago. Who knew, back in the 80's, that graphic novels--yours in particular--would become such a huge thing?”
Not too likely, I’ll concede, but it could happen. Nice to think about, at any rate …
But every derivative work made using the Watchmen characters and concepts, every Before Watchmen or Doomsday Clock, every movie, every TV series, every action figure makes it much less likely. Because what becomes of all of those derivative works if, by some miracle, Moore and Gibbons ever regain the rights to their creation? Seems like a legal can of worms to me, though I'm certainly no expert.
And yes, it is disingenuous of me to talk about how much I enjoyed Doomsday Clock Part One, and then rant about how shamefully the creators of Watchmen have been treated by DC. Because as long as people like me are reading and talking about books like this, DC is going to keep publishing them. True, I didn't buy this book, just checked it out of the public library. But the library certainly bought it, and did so because they knew there was an audience for it. And as long as there's an audience, DC will keep reprinting Watchmen and spinning off derivative works from it.
May 20, 2020
An ok book. I was a bit disappointed in this book simply as I was expecting more. I have heard a lot of good things about the Watchmen universe, but never read them. I am impressed. To be honest the heroes of the Watchmen world are just as easily villains depending on the day and how you look at them.
The positives the are work is great, not that I like swearing but in this dark version of the world (and used sparingly) it does add to the realism, the fact file/additional reading at the end of each chapter/issue are good for explaining back stories or thing like "the Superman theory", are necessary as the only have 30 pages to move the main story on.
Two universes are on the brink of political implosion ending in nuclear war. The women thread they seem to have is an all powerful entity from the Watchman world. The majority of this book is from the Watchmen world. An advantage of this for me is I do not know the Watchmen characters so getting origins and background is good, but would have liked the DC characters to have more time as well.
I was disappointed at the lack of action in the book the last issue chapter/issue made up for this a bit. Though I liked Mime and Marionette's origin, I did not understand why they were brought along. I have to agree with Lex
"If you're the smartest man on your planet, I'd hate to meet the dumbest"
Especially given his background. I am hoping the is more action and DC character time in the second book.
The positives the are work is great, not that I like swearing but in this dark version of the world (and used sparingly) it does add to the realism, the fact file/additional reading at the end of each chapter/issue are good for explaining back stories or thing like "the Superman theory", are necessary as the only have 30 pages to move the main story on.
Two universes are on the brink of political implosion ending in nuclear war. The women thread they seem to have is an all powerful entity from the Watchman world. The majority of this book is from the Watchmen world. An advantage of this for me is I do not know the Watchmen characters so getting origins and background is good, but would have liked the DC characters to have more time as well.
I was disappointed at the lack of action in the book the last issue chapter/issue made up for this a bit. Though I liked Mime and Marionette's origin, I did not understand why they were brought along. I have to agree with Lex
"If you're the smartest man on your planet, I'd hate to meet the dumbest"
Especially given his background. I am hoping the is more action and DC character time in the second book.
October 7, 2022
It was a breath of fresh air to read this after having just finished a bunch of Dark Nights: Death Metal trades. For all the things that I find issue with in many of the Big Two's events, Doomsday Clock does things right. Johns spins a tale that feels like it belongs in the original Watchmen universe while still making it feel fresh and unique. We see reference and consequences related to the original story, but it is not overused or relied on too much. It was awesome to see these characters handled so skillfully. And the new characters felt like they belonged all along. Frank's art is stunning and perfect for this project. It has a gritty street level feel to it that is completely in line with what you expect from Watchmen. The panel layouts and structure are a testament to the love this team has for the original material. It was also great to see the supplemental material between issues. As a callback to Watchmen and as information that fleshes out the world and story it is fantastic. I am really looking forward to the second half of this, and hope that it is able to hold up to the same standard of excellence found here.
December 6, 2019
I just don’t know yet. I guess I’ll have to read the rest of the story first. For now, it’s a bit rough.
This doesn’t have the philosophical depth that The Watchmen had... but it doesn’t have the action packed badassery I’d expect from a DC super hero story. It’s not the best of both worlds, or even one of those worlds. It’s the “meh” of both worlds.
That being said, there are some redeeming qualities. Gary Frank’s art is pretty damn awesome, Geoff John’s writing is very good, even if the story he’s telling hasn’t truly grabbed me yet.
I will say that the things that are expected to occur later (Joker stuff, Doctor Manhattan stuff, Superman stuff) is pretty exciting. I have a feeling that this will get much cooler in the second volume.
This doesn’t have the philosophical depth that The Watchmen had... but it doesn’t have the action packed badassery I’d expect from a DC super hero story. It’s not the best of both worlds, or even one of those worlds. It’s the “meh” of both worlds.
That being said, there are some redeeming qualities. Gary Frank’s art is pretty damn awesome, Geoff John’s writing is very good, even if the story he’s telling hasn’t truly grabbed me yet.
I will say that the things that are expected to occur later (Joker stuff, Doctor Manhattan stuff, Superman stuff) is pretty exciting. I have a feeling that this will get much cooler in the second volume.
June 20, 2020
This is a story fundamentally about Watchmen, Superman, and the DC Universe. Geoff Johns does not understand the themes of Watchmen. Geoff Johns hates everything Superman stands for other than an empty promise of "hope" with no progressive ideals. Geoff Johns has been given the centre role in the DC Universe through his various Rebirths, New 52, flagship titles, and prestige books, only to now sit back and complain about how the DC Universe has somehow gone wrong and he is the only one who can see it for what it really is.
As these first six issues were finished before the significant delays, repeated rewrites, and the entire DC Universe deciding it was not important, Gary Frank and Brad Anderson do an excellent job here. Frank took his time to draw everything and creates some stunning depictions of the Watchmen and DC characters. There is some inventive paneling and that takes advantage of the 9-panel format when it comes to action scenes, which barely manage to salvage the nonsense plot Geoff Johns is orchestrating.
Because of this series' massive delays, editorial changes, and Geoff Johns having never planned for this story in the first place (having started work on it without a clear end goal in mind), this series ends up as a sort of Elseworlds. The DC Rebirth line was supposed to "catch up" to Doomsday Clock, but instead has moved forward at its own pace and direction. Meaning, the entire set-up of this book is unfounded and comes out of nowhere with no build up. Meaning, half the storylines present in Part 1 end up out of continuity- entire plot points the creative team spend whole issues setting up have been completely abandoned and thus have no payoff. Meaning, the intent of this story and its game plan changes as the series goes on and is entirely unfocused.
This isn't even mentioning how ungenerous the characterization of the superheroes are, how offensive and problematic certain characters are established, and how it takes all of the worst interpretations of Watchmen and runs with them. It is not a good book, but at least it looks pretty sometimes if you ignore what it's trying to say.
As these first six issues were finished before the significant delays, repeated rewrites, and the entire DC Universe deciding it was not important, Gary Frank and Brad Anderson do an excellent job here. Frank took his time to draw everything and creates some stunning depictions of the Watchmen and DC characters. There is some inventive paneling and that takes advantage of the 9-panel format when it comes to action scenes, which barely manage to salvage the nonsense plot Geoff Johns is orchestrating.
Because of this series' massive delays, editorial changes, and Geoff Johns having never planned for this story in the first place (having started work on it without a clear end goal in mind), this series ends up as a sort of Elseworlds. The DC Rebirth line was supposed to "catch up" to Doomsday Clock, but instead has moved forward at its own pace and direction. Meaning, the entire set-up of this book is unfounded and comes out of nowhere with no build up. Meaning, half the storylines present in Part 1 end up out of continuity- entire plot points the creative team spend whole issues setting up have been completely abandoned and thus have no payoff. Meaning, the intent of this story and its game plan changes as the series goes on and is entirely unfocused.
This isn't even mentioning how ungenerous the characterization of the superheroes are, how offensive and problematic certain characters are established, and how it takes all of the worst interpretations of Watchmen and runs with them. It is not a good book, but at least it looks pretty sometimes if you ignore what it's trying to say.
September 8, 2021
Κείμενο στο Smassing Culture
Μια συνάντηση μύθων
Από τις εκδόσεις Anubis κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά το Doomsday Clock της DC σε δύο τόμους, με τον κάθε τόμο να έχει έξι τεύχη από τα συνολικά 12 της σειράς.
Το Doomsday Clock κυκλοφόρησε για 2 χρόνια (2017-2019) και είναι μία δημιουργία των Geoff Johns (σενάριο) και των Gary Frank & Brad Anderson (σχέδιο και χρώματα). Πρόκειται για μία προσπάθεια που θέλει να ενώσει τις δύο μεγάλες επιτυχίες της DC: τους ιστορικούς Watchmen με το τεράστιο σύμπαν των υπερ-ηρώων, του Superman, του Batman και όλων αυτών, ειδικά όπως διαμορφώθηκε τα τελευταία πέντε χρόνια, κατά την περίοδο που ορίστηκε ως Rebirth. Πρόκειται προφανώς για πολύ φιλόδοξο εγχείρημα: δεν είναι εύκολο να ακουμπήσει κανείς τους Watchmen πόσο μάλλον να γράψει μία ιστορία που θα έχει και χαρακτήρα σίκουελ — βέβαια η επιτυχία της σειράς δείχνει ότι κάτι τέτοιο είναι εφικτό.
Επιπλέον, οι ομάδα των δημιουργών έβαλε και ένα ακόμα «καθήκον» στον εαυτό της: να εξηγήσει και να επιλύσει τις συνέχειες και ασυνέχειες που χαρακτηρίζουν τον κόσμο των υπερ-ηρώων. Αυτό ανοίγει μία σειρά ερωτημάτων που πάντοτε ταλαιπωρούν τα υπερ-ηρωικά κόμικ που μετράνε σχεδόν 90 χρόνια ζωής. Πώς διατηρούνται νέοι αυτοί οι χαρακτήρες; Σε ποια χρονική περίοδο τοποθετούνται; Π��ς εξηγούνται τα διαρκή reboot, οι αλλαγές στους χαρακτήρες και όλα αυτά που προκαλούν πονοκέφαλο ακόμα και στους πιο «διαβασμένους» φαν; Από αυτή την άποψη, το Doomsday Clock είναι ένα «μετά-κόμικ», ένα κόμικ για το πώς γράφονται και εξελίσσονται τα κόμικ — πράγμα ιδιαίτερα ταιριαστό αν σκεφτούμε ότι έναν παρόμοιο ρόλο επιτέλεσε το -πολύ πρωτοποριακό για την εποχή του- Watchmen.
Το σενάριο τοποθετεί τους Watchmen ως ένα ακόμα διακριτό σύμπαν μέσα στο πολύ-σύμπαν (Multiverse) της DC και όλα ξεκινάνε 7 χρόνια μετά το τέλος του κλασικού κόμικ. Οι προσπάθειες του Ozymandias να σώσει τον κόσμο (σκοτώνοντας εκατομμύρια στην προσπάθεια του) πέφτουν στο κενό: το σχέδιο του αποκαλύπτεται, ο ίδιος είναι κυνηγημένος ενώ η γεωπολιτική ένταση και η απειλή πυρηνικού πολέμου (κεντρικό θέμα στους Watchmen) επανέρχεται. Ο ίδιος ο Ozymandias ξεκινάει να ψάχνει τον πανίσχυρο Dr. Manhattan για να του ζητήσει να διορθώσει την κατάσταση, ενώ στην πορεία θα μαζέψει τον νέο Rorschach καθώς και δύο νέους χαρακτήρες, τη Μαριονετίστα και τον Μίμο. Η αναζήτηση του Manhattan (o οποίος έχει διακόψει κάθε επαφή με την ανθρωπότητα) θα τον φέρει σε ένα ταξίδι σε ένα διαφορετικό σύμπαν και θα καταλήξει στο Gotham.
Μένοντας πιστοί στην παράδοση της ανατροπής των συμβάσεων, οι δημιουργοί του Doomsday Clock δεν μας δίνουν μία τυπική συνάντηση ηρώων. Κάθε ένας από τους χαρακτήρες του σύμπαντος των Watchmen ακολουθεί διαφορετική πορεία, ψάχνοντας να βρει κάτι οικείο στη νέα πραγματικότητα. Το πιο σημαντικό βέβαια είναι τα κοινά σημεία ανάμεσα στα δύο σύμπαντα. Η ένταση και η απειλή της καταστροφής δεν απουσιάζει ούτε από τον κόσμο των υπερηρώων. Η «θεωρία των μετανθρώπων» έχει γίνει ιδιαίτερα δημοφιλής και, σύμφωνα με αυτή, οι περισσότεροι υπερ-ήρωες έχουν εμφανιστεί στις ΗΠΑ γιατί το αμερικανικό κράτος διεξάγει πειράματα και συγκεντρώνει έναν στρατό με υπερ-δυνάμεις ώστε να ισοπεδώσει τους αντιπάλους του. Η ένταση ανάμεσα σε διαφορετικά γεωπολιτικά στρατόπεδα (ΗΠΑ vs Ρωσία/Ιράν) ανεβαίνει και οι υπερήρωες, παρά τις καλές προθέσεις τους, αποτυγχάνουν να εξομαλύνουν την κατάσταση.
Όλα αυτά θυμίζουν φυσικά σε μεγάλο βαθμό το σενάριο των Watchmen, το οποίο ο σεναριογράφος Geoff Johns προσπαθεί να προσαρμόσει στις νέες συνθήκες, αναμειγνύοντας ζητήματα πόλωσης «νέου τύπου», fake news και ψηφιακές ειδήσεις, με σαφείς βολές προς τον Trump αλλά και την ευρύτερη διχόνοια εντός της αμερικανικής κοινωνίας και παγκοσμίως. Υπό αυτή την έννοια, το Doomsday Clock είναι ένα βαθιά πολιτικό κόμικ που εκφράζει τις απόψεις και τις ανησυχίες των δημιουργών του και προσπαθεί να επικοινωνήσει με το πνεύμα της εποχής μας. Φυσικά, οι απόψεις αυτές ορίζονται από την αμερικανική πολιτική σκηνή και πολιτική κουλτούρα και αντίστοιχα προβάλλονται αυτά τα στοιχεία στο διεθνές πλαίσιο. Ωστόσο, το κόμικ, παρά τις όποιες αστοχίες, δεν ξεφεύγει σε μία τυπική προπαγάνδα ενάντια στους «κακούς Ρώσους», ενώ δίνει και κάποιες πολύ δυνατές (και σπάνιες) στιγμές κριτικής στην αμερικανική εξωτερική πολιτική καθώς την εύλογη δυσπιστία απέναντι της.
Τα κοινά σημεία με τους Watchmen δεν τελειώνουν εδώ. Το αριστούργημα των Alan Moore – Dave Gibbons χαρακτηρίστηκε, μεταξύ άλλων, ως ένα μεταμοντέρνο κόμικ που καταργεί τόσο τις συμβάσεις των υπερ-ηρωών όσο και τις συμβάσεις της αφήγησης: σπάει την ενότητα εικόνας-κειμένου, παρεμβάλλει (φαινομενικά άσχετες) ιστορίες μέσα στην κεντρική ιστορία, δίνει ρόλο αφηγητή στον Dr. Manhattan ο οποίος έχει μη γραμμική αντίληψη του χωροχρόνου. Όλο αυτό συνθέτει ένα κατακερματισμένο, πολυσχιδές κόμικ που κατόρθωσε να διευρύνει συνολικά τους ορίζοντες των κόμικ. Το Doomsday Clock δεν καταφέρνει να είναι τόσο καινοτόμο. Ωστόσο, ως φόρος τιμής στο Watchmen στέκεται εξαιρετικά. Κάθε κεφάλαιο κλείνει με υλικό από εφημερίδες και γράμματα που συμπληρώνουν ή και ανατρέπουν όσα διαβάσαμε στις προηγούμενες σελίδες, ενώ συχνά παρεμβάλλονται σκηνές από μία ταινία νουάρ, η σημασία της οπο��ας θα αποκαλυφθεί στο τέλος. Επιπλέον, όταν η αφήγηση περνάει σε πρώτο πρόσωπο από την οπτική του Dr. Manhattan, που είναι πλέον πλήρως αποκομμένος από την ανθρωπότητα και την επεξεργάζεται ως πειραματόζωο, έχουμε μερικές από τις καλύτερες στιγμές του Doomsday Clock.
Σε σχέση με το σχέδιο, η παρουσία του Gary Frank (Midnight Nation, Incredible Hulk, Batman Earth One και πολλά άλλα) αποτελεί εγγύηση για ένα κόμικ που θέλει να είναι συγχρόνως επικό και ανθρώπινο, καθημερινό. Η λεπτομέρεια στα πρόσωπα , στις εκφράσεις είναι αναγκαία στοιχεία που «εξανθρωπίζουν» χαρακτήρες που, πέρα από υπερ-ά��θρωποι, είναι βασανισμένοι, απογοητευμένοι, πολύ συχνά ακόμα και ανήμποροι μπροστά σε δυνάμεις που τους ξεπερνούν. Το πιο απαιτητικό στοιχείο σχεδιαστικά είναι η προσήλωση στην κατανομή της σελίδας σε 9 καρέ, 3χ3 — στοιχείο που και αυτό αναφέρεται στους Watchmen. Aυτή η διάταξη καταφέρνει να αποδώσει την αίσθηση του κατακερματισμού αλλά και να κορυφώσει την αγωνία. Σε πολλά σημεία πιθανώς να γίνεται κατάχρηση αυτής της τεχνικής, όμως το συνολικό αποτέλεσμα είναι αρκετά καλό.
Αν κάπου υστερεί το Doomsday Clock, αυτό είναι η προσπάθεια να «επιδιορθώσει» τη συνοχή του σύμπαντος της DC, αντιφάσεις που είναι αναπόφευκτες μετά από τόσες δεκαετίες, τόσους διαφορετικούς δημιουργούς, τόσες αλλαγές στα ίδια τα κόμικ και το κοινό τους. Οι «απαντήσεις» που δίνονται στο τέλος δεν είναι ικανοποιητικές αλλά, το πιο βασικό είναι πως δεν χρειάζονται καν. Όλοι και όλες καταλαβαίνουν ότι χαρακτήρες με υπόβαθρο τόσων χρόνων, θα έχουν κενά και αντιφάσεις στις ιστορίες τους. Το Doomsday Clock βασανίζεται στο τέλος από ερωτήματα χωρίς πραγματική σημασία. Αυτό που τραβάει το κοινό στους υπερ-ήρωες ακόμα δεν είναι το πόσο «τακτοποιημένο» ή ρεαλιστικό είναι το σύμπαν τους ή ιστορία του καθενός. Μία ιστορία που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιήσει τον Superman, τον Dr. Manhattan και μία νέα εκδοχή του Rorschach για να πει μία ιστορία επίκαιρη, που μιλάει στην καρδιά των κοινωνιών του 21ου αιώνα, δεν χρειάζεται κάτι άλλο.
Aπό αυτή την άποψη, το Doomsday Clock τα καταφέρνει περίφημα. Στέκεται τόσο ως ένας φόρος τιμής σε ένα από τα καλύτερα κόμικ που έχουν βγει ποτέ, ενώ εμπνέεται από αυτό για να διηγηθεί μία νέα ιστορία.
Μια συνάντηση μύθων
Από τις εκδόσεις Anubis κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά το Doomsday Clock της DC σε δύο τόμους, με τον κάθε τόμο να έχει έξι τεύχη από τα συνολικά 12 της σειράς.
Το Doomsday Clock κυκλοφόρησε για 2 χρόνια (2017-2019) και είναι μία δημιουργία των Geoff Johns (σενάριο) και των Gary Frank & Brad Anderson (σχέδιο και χρώματα). Πρόκειται για μία προσπάθεια που θέλει να ενώσει τις δύο μεγάλες επιτυχίες της DC: τους ιστορικούς Watchmen με το τεράστιο σύμπαν των υπερ-ηρώων, του Superman, του Batman και όλων αυτών, ειδικά όπως διαμορφώθηκε τα τελευταία πέντε χρόνια, κατά την περίοδο που ορίστηκε ως Rebirth. Πρόκειται προφανώς για πολύ φιλόδοξο εγχείρημα: δεν είναι εύκολο να ακουμπήσει κανείς τους Watchmen πόσο μάλλον να γράψει μία ιστορία που θα έχει και χαρακτήρα σίκουελ — βέβαια η επιτυχία της σειράς δείχνει ότι κάτι τέτοιο είναι εφικτό.
Επιπλέον, οι ομάδα των δημιουργών έβαλε και ένα ακόμα «καθήκον» στον εαυτό της: να εξηγήσει και να επιλύσει τις συνέχειες και ασυνέχειες που χαρακτηρίζουν τον κόσμο των υπερ-ηρώων. Αυτό ανοίγει μία σειρά ερωτημάτων που πάντοτε ταλαιπωρούν τα υπερ-ηρωικά κόμικ που μετράνε σχεδόν 90 χρόνια ζωής. Πώς διατηρούνται νέοι αυτοί οι χαρακτήρες; Σε ποια χρονική περίοδο τοποθετούνται; Π��ς εξηγούνται τα διαρκή reboot, οι αλλαγές στους χαρακτήρες και όλα αυτά που προκαλούν πονοκέφαλο ακόμα και στους πιο «διαβασμένους» φαν; Από αυτή την άποψη, το Doomsday Clock είναι ένα «μετά-κόμικ», ένα κόμικ για το πώς γράφονται και εξελίσσονται τα κόμικ — πράγμα ιδιαίτερα ταιριαστό αν σκεφτούμε ότι έναν παρόμοιο ρόλο επιτέλεσε το -πολύ πρωτοποριακό για την εποχή του- Watchmen.
Το σενάριο τοποθετεί τους Watchmen ως ένα ακόμα διακριτό σύμπαν μέσα στο πολύ-σύμπαν (Multiverse) της DC και όλα ξεκινάνε 7 χρόνια μετά το τέλος του κλασικού κόμικ. Οι προσπάθειες του Ozymandias να σώσει τον κόσμο (σκοτώνοντας εκατομμύρια στην προσπάθεια του) πέφτουν στο κενό: το σχέδιο του αποκαλύπτεται, ο ίδιος είναι κυνηγημένος ενώ η γεωπολιτική ένταση και η απειλή πυρηνικού πολέμου (κεντρικό θέμα στους Watchmen) επανέρχεται. Ο ίδιος ο Ozymandias ξεκινάει να ψάχνει τον πανίσχυρο Dr. Manhattan για να του ζητήσει να διορθώσει την κατάσταση, ενώ στην πορεία θα μαζέψει τον νέο Rorschach καθώς και δύο νέους χαρακτήρες, τη Μαριονετίστα και τον Μίμο. Η αναζήτηση του Manhattan (o οποίος έχει διακόψει κάθε επαφή με την ανθρωπότητα) θα τον φέρει σε ένα ταξίδι σε ένα διαφορετικό σύμπαν και θα καταλήξει στο Gotham.
Μένοντας πιστοί στην παράδοση της ανατροπής των συμβάσεων, οι δημιουργοί του Doomsday Clock δεν μας δίνουν μία τυπική συνάντηση ηρώων. Κάθε ένας από τους χαρακτήρες του σύμπαντος των Watchmen ακολουθεί διαφορετική πορεία, ψάχνοντας να βρει κάτι οικείο στη νέα πραγματικότητα. Το πιο σημαντικό βέβαια είναι τα κοινά σημεία ανάμεσα στα δύο σύμπαντα. Η ένταση και η απειλή της καταστροφής δεν απουσιάζει ούτε από τον κόσμο των υπερηρώων. Η «θεωρία των μετανθρώπων» έχει γίνει ιδιαίτερα δημοφιλής και, σύμφωνα με αυτή, οι περισσότεροι υπερ-ήρωες έχουν εμφανιστεί στις ΗΠΑ γιατί το αμερικανικό κράτος διεξάγει πειράματα και συγκεντρώνει έναν στρατό με υπερ-δυνάμεις ώστε να ισοπεδώσει τους αντιπάλους του. Η ένταση ανάμεσα σε διαφορετικά γεωπολιτικά στρατόπεδα (ΗΠΑ vs Ρωσία/Ιράν) ανεβαίνει και οι υπερήρωες, παρά τις καλές προθέσεις τους, αποτυγχάνουν να εξομαλύνουν την κατάσταση.
Όλα αυτά θυμίζουν φυσικά σε μεγάλο βαθμό το σενάριο των Watchmen, το οποίο ο σεναριογράφος Geoff Johns προσπαθεί να προσαρμόσει στις νέες συνθήκες, αναμειγνύοντας ζητήματα πόλωσης «νέου τύπου», fake news και ψηφιακές ειδήσεις, με σαφείς βολές προς τον Trump αλλά και την ευρύτερη διχόνοια εντός της αμερικανικής κοινωνίας και παγκοσμίως. Υπό αυτή την έννοια, το Doomsday Clock είναι ένα βαθιά πολιτικό κόμικ που εκφράζει τις απόψεις και τις ανησυχίες των δημιουργών του και προσπαθεί να επικοινωνήσει με το πνεύμα της εποχής μας. Φυσικά, οι απόψεις αυτές ορίζονται από την αμερικανική πολιτική σκηνή και πολιτική κουλτούρα και αντίστοιχα προβάλλονται αυτά τα στοιχεία στο διεθνές πλαίσιο. Ωστόσο, το κόμικ, παρά τις όποιες αστοχίες, δεν ξεφεύγει σε μία τυπική προπαγάνδα ενάντια στους «κακούς Ρώσους», ενώ δίνει και κάποιες πολύ δυνατές (και σπάνιες) στιγμές κριτικής στην αμερικανική εξωτερική πολιτική καθώς την εύλογη δυσπιστία απέναντι της.
Τα κοινά σημεία με τους Watchmen δεν τελειώνουν εδώ. Το αριστούργημα των Alan Moore – Dave Gibbons χαρακτηρίστηκε, μεταξύ άλλων, ως ένα μεταμοντέρνο κόμικ που καταργεί τόσο τις συμβάσεις των υπερ-ηρωών όσο και τις συμβάσεις της αφήγησης: σπάει την ενότητα εικόνας-κειμένου, παρεμβάλλει (φαινομενικά άσχετες) ιστορίες μέσα στην κεντρική ιστορία, δίνει ρόλο αφηγητή στον Dr. Manhattan ο οποίος έχει μη γραμμική αντίληψη του χωροχρόνου. Όλο αυτό συνθέτει ένα κατακερματισμένο, πολυσχιδές κόμικ που κατόρθωσε να διευρύνει συνολικά τους ορίζοντες των κόμικ. Το Doomsday Clock δεν καταφέρνει να είναι τόσο καινοτόμο. Ωστόσο, ως φόρος τιμής στο Watchmen στέκεται εξαιρετικά. Κάθε κεφάλαιο κλείνει με υλικό από εφημερίδες και γράμματα που συμπληρώνουν ή και ανατρέπουν όσα διαβάσαμε στις προηγούμενες σελίδες, ενώ συχνά παρεμβάλλονται σκηνές από μία ταινία νουάρ, η σημασία της οπο��ας θα αποκαλυφθεί στο τέλος. Επιπλέον, όταν η αφήγηση περνάει σε πρώτο πρόσωπο από την οπτική του Dr. Manhattan, που είναι πλέον πλήρως αποκομμένος από την ανθρωπότητα και την επεξεργάζεται ως πειραματόζωο, έχουμε μερικές από τις καλύτερες στιγμές του Doomsday Clock.
Σε σχέση με το σχέδιο, η παρουσία του Gary Frank (Midnight Nation, Incredible Hulk, Batman Earth One και πολλά άλλα) αποτελεί εγγύηση για ένα κόμικ που θέλει να είναι συγχρόνως επικό και ανθρώπινο, καθημερινό. Η λεπτομέρεια στα πρόσωπα , στις εκφράσεις είναι αναγκαία στοιχεία που «εξανθρωπίζουν» χαρακτήρες που, πέρα από υπερ-ά��θρωποι, είναι βασανισμένοι, απογοητευμένοι, πολύ συχνά ακόμα και ανήμποροι μπροστά σε δυνάμεις που τους ξεπερνούν. Το πιο απαιτητικό στοιχείο σχεδιαστικά είναι η προσήλωση στην κατανομή της σελίδας σε 9 καρέ, 3χ3 — στοιχείο που και αυτό αναφέρεται στους Watchmen. Aυτή η διάταξη καταφέρνει να αποδώσει την αίσθηση του κατακερματισμού αλλά και να κορυφώσει την αγωνία. Σε πολλά σημεία πιθανώς να γίνεται κατάχρηση αυτής της τεχνικής, όμως το συνολικό αποτέλεσμα είναι αρκετά καλό.
Αν κάπου υστερεί το Doomsday Clock, αυτό είναι η προσπάθεια να «επιδιορθώσει» τη συνοχή του σύμπαντος της DC, αντιφάσεις που είναι αναπόφευκτες μετά από τόσες δεκαετίες, τόσους διαφορετικούς δημιουργούς, τόσες αλλαγές στα ίδια τα κόμικ και το κοινό τους. Οι «απαντήσεις» που δίνονται στο τέλος δεν είναι ικανοποιητικές αλλά, το πιο βασικό είναι πως δεν χρειάζονται καν. Όλοι και όλες καταλαβαίνουν ότι χαρακτήρες με υπόβαθρο τόσων χρόνων, θα έχουν κενά και αντιφάσεις στις ιστορίες τους. Το Doomsday Clock βασανίζεται στο τέλος από ερωτήματα χωρίς πραγματική σημασία. Αυτό που τραβάει το κοινό στους υπερ-ήρωες ακόμα δεν είναι το πόσο «τακτοποιημένο» ή ρεαλιστικό είναι το σύμπαν τους ή ιστορία του καθενός. Μία ιστορία που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιήσει τον Superman, τον Dr. Manhattan και μία νέα εκδοχή του Rorschach για να πει μία ιστορία επίκαιρη, που μιλάει στην καρδιά των κοινωνιών του 21ου αιώνα, δεν χρειάζεται κάτι άλλο.
Aπό αυτή την άποψη, το Doomsday Clock τα καταφέρνει περίφημα. Στέκεται τόσο ως ένας φόρος τιμής σε ένα από τα καλύτερα κόμικ που έχουν βγει ποτέ, ενώ εμπνέεται από αυτό για να διηγηθεί μία νέα ιστορία.
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