''Before Watchmen'' is a series of

comic books A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

in 2012. Acting as a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to the 1986 12-issue ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

'' limited series by writer

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

and artist

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...

, the project consists of eight limited series and one one-shot (though two were planned) for a total of 37 issues.

Publication history

Moore stated in 1985 that if the ''Watchmen'' limited series was well-received, he and Gibbons would possibly create a 12-issue prequel series called ''Minutemen'' featuring the 1940s superhero group from the story.Heintjes, Tom (March 1986). "Alan Moore On (Just About) Everything". ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

''. DC offered Moore and Gibbons chances to publish prequels to the series, such as ''Rorschach's Journal'' or ''The Comedian's Vietnam War Diary'', as well as hinting at the possibility of other authors using the same universe. Tales of the Comedian's Vietnam War experiences were floated because '' The 'Nam'' was popular at the time, while another suggestion was, according to Gibbons, for a "Nite Owl/Rorschach team" (in the manner of ''

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt (actor), Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Denn ...

'', and also in the sense that the original Charlton characters Blue Beetle and The Question had worked together as a team from time-to-time). Neither man felt the stories would have gone anywhere, with Moore particularly adamant that DC not go forward with stories by other individuals."Watchmen Round Table: Moore & Gibbons". '' David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview''. Issue 65, 1988. Gibbons was more attracted to the idea of a ''Minutemen'' series, because it would have " aidhomage to the simplicity and unsophisticated nature of Golden Age comic books—with the added dramatic interest that it would be a story whose conclusion is already known. It would be, perhaps, interesting to see how we got to the conclusion."Young, Thom.
Watching the Watchmen with Dave Gibbons: An Interview
. ''

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin is a daily website covering the comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks In January 2000, New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice founded then named Silver Bullet Comicbooks. During this period, the site ...

''. 2008. Retrieved on December 12, 2008. Archived from th
original
on February 1, 2012. In 2010, Moore told ''

Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

'' that DC offered him the rights to ''Watchmen'' back earlier that week, if he would agree to prequel and sequel projects. Moore said that "if they said that 10 years ago, when I asked them for that, then yeah it might have worked ... But these days I don't want ''Watchmen'' back. Certainly, I don't want it back under those kinds of terms." DC Comics co-publishers

Dan DiDio Dan DiDio (; born October 13, 1959) is an American writer, editor, and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. From February 2010 until February 2020, he was the co-publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee. '' Wizar ...

and

Jim Lee Jim Lee (; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean-born American comic book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. As of 2023, he is the President, Publisher, and Chief creative officer, Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work ...

responded, "DC Comics would only revisit these iconic characters if the creative vision of any proposed new stories matched the quality set by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons nearly 25 years ago, and our first discussion on any of this would naturally be with the creators themselves." Following months of rumors about a potential ''Watchmen'' follow-up project, in February 2012, DC announced seven prequel limited series under the "Before Watchmen" banner: ''Rorschach'', ''Minutemen'', ''Dr. Manhattan'', ''Comedian'', ''Silk Spectre'', ''Nite Owl'', and ''Ozymandias''. The books were written by

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo. ...

, Darwyn Cooke, and

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

, and drawn by Lee Bermejo, J. G. Jones,

Adam Hughes Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. ...

, Andy Kubert,

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawk ...

, and Amanda Conner. Every issue featured a two-page installment of the backup series "Curse of the Crimson Corsair" written by Len Wein and drawn by original ''Watchmen'' colorist John Higgins. The backup was inspired by the ''Tales of the Black Freighter''

story within a story A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometime ...

from the original ''Watchmen''. A ''Before Watchmen: Epilogue'' one-shot was announced but never published. Gibbons stated, Moore criticized the project, calling it "completely shameless", and stated he was not interested in monetary compensation, but rather “What I want is for this not to happen.” Moore elaborated,

Titles

''Before Watchmen: Minutemen'' (six issues)

Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke"DC Entertainment Announces Official Publication Date for BEFORE WATCHMEN"
.

. March 12, 2012. Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl, recounts his exploits with The Minutemen during the 1940s, while in the midst of his retirement, he faces opposition to the publication of his tell-all autobiography, ''Under the Hood'' in the early 1960s. Although it heavily

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

certain characters' backstories by suggesting that a large part of ''Under the Hood'' was dirty lies and cover ups, it debuted to positive reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'' (four issues)

Writers: Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner. Artist: Amanda Conner The story follows Laurie Jupiter as she rebels against her mother Sally's efforts for Laurie to replace her as the Silk Spectre. Laurie runs away with her boyfriend to discover herself in the

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

counterculture of the 1960s The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the Western world during the mid-20th century. It began in the early 1960s, and continued through the early 1970s. It is ofte ...

. The story debuted to mixed reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Comedian'' (six issues)

Writer:

. Artist: J. G. Jones The story reveals the

Comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

's history with the Kennedy family during his exploits in the violent

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Era. It debuted to mostly negative reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Nite Owl'' (four issues)

Writer:

. Artists: Andy and

The plot takes place in the early 1960s, where 17-year-old Daniel Dreiberg is trained by Hollis Mason, the Nite Owl who led the vigilante team The Minutemen, as he narrates his first adventures as the second Nite Owl. Dreiberg and Rorschach did not get along, but they started an early partnership when they begin looking at a series of

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

murders. Each recalled the abuse their mother suffered when they were children. Nite Owl inadvertently allows seduction into his world of

vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

, courtesy of the

dominatrix A dominatrix ( ; or dominatrices ), or domme, is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. The BDSM practice is called female dominance, or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily l ...

madam The Twilight Lady, while Rorschach turns toward religion, bringing the duo back together to solve the case. The story debuted to mostly positive reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Ozymandias'' (six issues)

Writer:

. Artist:

Jae Lee Jae Lee (born 1972) is an American comics artist known for his interior illustration and cover work for various publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment. Career Jae Lee's first work for Marvel Com ...

As he awaits the final moment for his master plan to come together, Ozymandias reflects on what brought him there and makes an autobiographical recording of his life that spans 1939-1985 (when the story of ''

'' takes place). We see his early studies and adventures, the beginnings of his financial empire and his crime-fighting career, and his first unnerving encounters with The Comedian and Doctor Manhattan—the latter of which prompted him to build his

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

fortress of Karnak, aid in resolving the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

, and retire from crime-fighting to concentrate on saving the world at any cost. The story debuted to mostly positive reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Rorschach'' (four issues)

Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo The story follows Rorschach in New York City, 1977, where his crime-fighting activities cause him to be targeted by a crime lord running drugs and prostitution in the sordid

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

. While focused on the gang, Rorschach makes the mistake of allowing another predator to operate unchallenged. The story debuted to mixed reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan'' (four issues)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist:

The story explores the different universes that

Doctor Manhattan Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan "Jon" Osterman) is a fictional DC Comics character created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. He debuted in the graphic novel, limited Limited series (comics), series graphic novel, ''Watchmen.'' Follo ...

alias Jon Osterman simultaneously perceives. It also adds a notable new element to Osterman's backstory by revealing him to be a half-

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

German immigrant who escaped with his father from the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

to America; in the original ''Watchmen'' series, he was not implied to be anything other than American. It debuted to positive reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Moloch'' (two issues)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Eduardo Risso"FAN EXPO: JMS & Risso Launch "Before Watchmen: Moloch"
omic Book Resources Aug 25, 2012 Moloch, alias Edgar William Jacobi, was an ex-nemesis of the Minutemen. This story reveals information about Moloch's childhood, his turn to villainy, and new details surrounding his death. According to review aggregation website Comic Book Roundup, the series received an average score of 5.8/10 based on 12 critic reviews.

''Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill'' (one-shot)

Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Steve Rude The story explores Bill Brady, the corporate-sponsored superhero and Minutemen team member known as Dollar Bill.

Unpublished

''Before Watchmen: Curse of the Crimson Corsair''

Writers: Len Wein. Artists: John Higgins. A series focused on ''Crimson Corsair'' was planned but Wein left to work on ''Before Watchmen: Epilogue.'' Higgins had also written and drawn the ''Crimson Corsair'' back-up features that appear in many of the ''Before Watchmen'' publications.

''Before Watchmen: Epilogue'' (one-shot)

Writers: Various. Artists: Various The planned ''Epilogue'' one-shot was cancelled. It would have featured a ''Crimson Corsair'' story written by Len Wein and drawn by John Higgins.

Collected editions

In other media

The television series ''

'' is set 34 years after the original comic, and includes several events from ''Before Watchmen'' adapted in-universe as a television series titled ''American Hero Story: Minutemen''.

Notes

External links

Official website for the extended series
{{Watchmen Comics by Brian Azzarello Comics by J. Michael Straczynski Comics by Len Wein 2012 comics debuts Fiction set in 1771 Fiction set in 1920 Fiction set in 1938 Fiction set in 1939 Fiction set in 1940 Fiction set in 1958 Fiction set in 1962 Fiction set in 1963 Fiction set in 1964 Fiction set in 1966 Fiction set in 1977 Fiction set in 1985 Prequel comics Watchmen