You know it's true: The Watchmen 2 Thread

[craigdbfan]

The teams are impressive, but that just magnifies what a waste this is to me. Watchmen's one of those sacred cows that really, really needs no follow-up or prequels or anything. It is what it is and nothing more needs to be done with it or attached to it. Ultimately, this is all just gonna be another round of The Kingdom or The Dark Knight Strikes Again--ideas that sound like they might be interesting before you realize that pretty much everything that needed to be said was said with their predecessors.

That's pretty much how I feel. Sure the line up is impressive but that doesn't change the fact that everything that needed to be covered was and retracing is overkill.

No doubt some of the art will be nice but the stories won't add anything that the original mini series hasn't already.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

The teams are impressive, but that just magnifies what a waste this is to me. Watchmen's one of those sacred cows that really, really needs no follow-up or prequels or anything. It is what it is and nothing more needs to be done with it or attached to it. Ultimately, this is all just gonna be another round of The Kingdom or The Dark Knight Strikes Again--ideas that sound like they might be interesting before you realize that pretty much everything that needed to be said was said with their predecessors.

This. Oh God, this!

DC's willingness to go ahead with this really shows how hard up for ideas they really are. The terrifying part about all this is that if they're actually willing to go ahead and do this, then they're capable of anything! Like, where does it end?
Make no mistake, these "Prequel" books are DC's attempt at tentatively testing the water. If they're financially successful (And they will be!) I have no doubt that "Watchmen 2" will surely follow.
Then what? Where does that leave us? "V For Vendetta 2: Evey Rising". That's where.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

It's perfectly reasonable to be wary about this. The big comic companies have done a lot of stupid things before. And of course they're cashing in on the Watchmen name here. Cashing in is not wrong in and of itself; they are a business after all. And it doesn't mean that these new prequel comics can't be good. The potential for badness is there though.

But I'm beyond *****ing about things like this. I don't believe these new comics will match the quality of the original, but should they have to? What if they just tell nice, self-contained stories using familiar characters? If they don't suck or contradict the original, then what's the harm? Frankly, I think a lot of fans go too far with their admiration for certain works, elevating them into untouchable holy texts.

While those statements from the new DC writers were of course defending themselves, they do have a point about how Moore himself wrote derivative stories based on other people's characters. Also, Watchmen expanded universe materials (in the form of RPG sourcebooks and adventures) was already published way back in the 1980s.

I no longer hold fiction to be sacrosanct. If a new, decent story comes out in the same universe, I can buy it or just choose to ignore it. And if it sucks, then the critics will be justified in bashing it.

 

[hippie_hunter]

The teams are impressive, but that just magnifies what a waste this is to me. Watchmen's one of those sacred cows that really, really needs no follow-up or prequels or anything. It is what it is and nothing more needs to be done with it or attached to it. Ultimately, this is all just gonna be another round of The Kingdom or The Dark Knight Strikes Again--ideas that sound like they might be interesting before you realize that pretty much everything that needed to be said was said with their predecessors.

But you can make that argument on just about anything though. What plagued the Kingdom and the Dark Knight Strikes Again wasn't the fact that everything that needed to be said was already said with Kingdom Come and the Dark Knight Returns, but because the Kingdom and the Dark Knight Strikes Again were just terrible.

 

[Kane52630]

I see these prequels doing very well critically and financially and I see them more as a companion to the original graphic novel.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I see these prequels doing very well critically and financially and I see them more as a companion to the original graphic novel.

That's what I think will happen and that's the way I see it. These are companion stories to the Watchmen story. They're not necessary additions, the integrity of the original story will remain intact, and it's not like our Absolute Editions of Watchmen are going to suddenly and spontaneously burst into flames.

People complained when the movie was being made and that turned out alright. I'm sure this will turn out fine too. Also, Alan Moore needs to shut his mouth. Peter David said it best that he has no right to complain after he made Lost Girls, used characters that were not his own in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and even based the Watchmen characters off of Charlton characters.

 

[Lencho01]

I don't understand this other than making money off of people they theoretically shouldn't really be focusing on.

 

[kguillou]

I'm just hoping that people wont become..."watchmened" out by the time this is over. I mean, we're getting 35 weeks of one watchmen book after the other. I wonder if thats just too much at one time. Like maybe these should've been released as separate ogn's or something.

 

[Armored Avenger]

One of the things that concerns me about this project is that it is almost 3 times longer than the original story. 34 issues that are not going to say anything that wasn't already established in the original novel is overkill. We know all we need to about the past of these characters and the number of issues and mini-series is just unnecessary.

 

[Bruce Malone]

The issue is how do you look at the watchmen? was it just another comic series that came out or is it actually one of the more respected literature works to come out of the 20th century as quite a few view it.

If it's the latter than this does seem kind of cheap.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Why is this known as Watchmen 2 and not a Watchmen prequel.

Just curious.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

It's just a thread title. The books are actually called "Before Watchmen"

 

[HighFivingMF]

I'm just hoping that people wont become..."watchmened" out by the time this is over. I mean, we're getting 35 weeks of one watchmen book after the other. I wonder if thats just too much at one time. Like maybe these should've been released as separate ogn's or something.

If we can do with 2 or 3 Batman books every week and a Superman book every week and what averages out to a Green Lantern book a week, we can handle a Watchmen book a week for a while.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

It's just a thread title. The books are actually called "Before Watchmen"

Everywhere on the internet it's being called Watchmen 2.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Everywhere on the internet it's being called Watchmen 2.

Nah, they're definitely prequels. There is no Watchmen 2... yet.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I don't understand this other than making money off of people they theoretically shouldn't really be focusing on.

What's wrong with that? DC is a business first and foremost and like any entertainment business should be able to exploit their IPs. Moore doesn't own Watchmen, DC does.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

I think his point is about the audience that DC is focusing on here. Before Watchmen is clearly targeted toward existing comic book fanboys. This will be yet another big summer event that won't do a thing to reverse the industry's decline, or bring in young new readers to bolster the aging fanbase. But on the other hand, they'd normally be doing the same type of thing wit the mainstream DC characters.

 

[weezerspider]

I think his point is about the audience that DC is focusing on here. Before Watchmen is clearly targeted toward existing comic book fanboys. This will be yet another big summer event that won't do a thing to reverse the industry's decline, or bring in young new readers to bolster the aging fanbase. But on the other hand, they'd normally be doing the same type of thing wit the mainstream DC characters.

Thats not necessarily true. Due to Watchmen's extremely high praise, I know tons of non-comic fans/casual comic fans who have read the graphic novel. Most of those who I have talked to are showing interest in these. My father who has read Watchmen and no other comics, has already said he's buying the Rorshach series.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I think his point is about the audience that DC is focusing on here. Before Watchmen is clearly targeted toward existing comic book fanboys. This will be yet another big summer event that won't do a thing to reverse the industry's decline, or bring in young new readers to bolster the aging fanbase. But on the other hand, they'd normally be doing the same type of thing wit the mainstream DC characters.

I think DC is looking more at the trade market with this one. Watchmen does very good business in the graphic novel market which has a much larger audience than comic book fanboys. Sure, they're going to try and get as much money as they can from the comic book fanboys with this by releasing them as individual issues first (just like how Watchmen was released in 1985).

But DC is clearly starting to look more outside the typical comic book market with moves like releasing more OGNs (New Teen Titans: Games, Earth One, Batman: Noel, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo adaptations, The Judas Coin, etc.) and comics that are clearly designed for the trade market (Before Watchmen). Just look at the talent DC attached to Before Watchmen, they clearly want these books to be of high quality so that they can have the longevity that the original Watchmen has in the trade market.

 

[redhawk23]

I was not aware of specifically what people they had working on this. It's an impressive group of writers and artists, but honestly, wouldn't these people's talents be better utilized working on something new?

Say what you want about more but he's totally right to laugh and say that DC is shamelessly "dependent upon ideas I had 25 years ago."

Because it's true.

 

[RoughNTumble]

they're dependent on ideas much older than 25 years

 

[hippie_hunter]

I was not aware of specifically what people they had working on this. It's an impressive group of writers and artists, but honestly, wouldn't these people's talents be better utilized working on something new?

Say what you want about more but he's totally right to laugh and say that DC is shamelessly "dependent upon ideas I had 25 years ago."

Because it's true.

It is true, but Moore has no right to criticize when almost all of his ideas are also dependent on ideas that other people established.

 

[Lencho01]

I think his point is about the audience that DC is focusing on here. Before Watchmen is clearly targeted toward existing comic book fanboys. This will be yet another big summer event that won't do a thing to reverse the industry's decline, or bring in young new readers to bolster the aging fanbase. But on the other hand, they'd normally be doing the same type of thing wit the mainstream DC characters.

Yeah, that's what I was pretty much saying. The industry usually talks of trying to get new (younger) readers and whatnot. This is really just going after existing readers. I mean, who's really going have interesting in this? Those who've read Watchmen/actually read comics on a regular basis or those who've done neither? But, I guess having these news sites talk about it with a few quotes here and there with some hype will maybe help bring outsiders. Also, whatever films that may come out of this (likely a big factor) might help.

So, same old same old, but using characters people didn't really expect to see again on paper (until they made the Watchmen film, of course).

 

[Raiden]

Ditto.

I mean this looks great.

Kind of looks like Dr.Manhattan is boning her. Makes it all the more sexy dough.

Will Hughes draw Dr. Manhattan's blue dong in this comic? I guess he'll have to. I also wonder if the artwork will be as adult-orientated and geared for mature readers as Moore's Watchmen, or will they try to keep it more PG-13.

 

[Lord]

This. Oh God, this!

DC's willingness to go ahead with this really shows how hard up for ideas they really are. The terrifying part about all this is that if they're actually willing to go ahead and do this, then they're capable of anything! Like, where does it end?
Make no mistake, these "Prequel" books are DC's attempt at tentatively testing the water. If they're financially successful (And they will be!) I have no doubt that "Watchmen 2" will surely follow.
Then what? Where does that leave us? "V For Vendetta 2: Evey Rising". That's where.

V ofr Vendetta is not the same thing, with Watchmen they have an extablished new superhero universe, but yeah, i think that this may test the waters for a potential Watchmen 2