Posted in: Comics | Tagged: before watchmen, Watchmen, watchmen 2

The Before Watchmen Gallery And Quote File (UPDATED)

Published Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:38:36 -0600

Last updated Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:53:24 -0600

We'll keep this article updated through the day. So, yes, Watchmen 2.

Darwyn Cooke – "The nature of the undertaking is going to polarize a lot of the readership…I think a lot of people will be excited about this and there are a lot of people that will be dead against it… I don't feel any more trepidation than Alan did by refitting the Charlton characters. It feels like the right time and the right place and I think I have a strong idea."

JMS – "The harder, and riskier path is to reconsider and relaunch every major title in your library, or in this case, to bring back characters and a universe no one has dared touch in 25 years and say, "Okay, what can these characters tell us about the world we live in as seen through the eyes of readers in 2012 that's new? What can we learn from them? What kinds of stories can we tell about them now that we couldn't tell 25 years ago?" It's a gutsy move, any way you want to slice it… A lot of folks feel that these characters shouldn't be touched by anyone other than Alan, and while that's absolutely understandable on an emotional level, it's deeply flawed on a logical level. Based on durability and recognition, one could make the argument that Superman is the greatest comics character ever created. But neither Alan nor anyone else has ever suggested that no one other than Shuster and Siegel should ever be allowed to write Superman. Alan didn't pass on being brought on to write Swamp Thing, a seminal comics character created by Len Wein, and he did a terrific job. He didn't say "No, no, I can't, that's Len's character." Nor should he have."

Len Wein – "I'm examining a lot of what it means to be the smartest man in the world, how that knowledge both weighs on one's morality and yet frees it at the same time.Adrian Veidt is a fascinating character to write. It's not easy realizing you're the only person who can save the world from nuclear destruction, and you lose a whole lot of your soul along the way.,, As far as I know there are no plans for more books after this, but 25 years ago there were no plans for these books, so who truly knows?" I think reboots are almost mandatory in an industry that has existed for over three-fourths of a century now. The need to inject new blood, new ideas, new approaches, is the only thing that keeps our readers coming back for more."

Brian Azzarello -"I think the gut reaction is going to be, 'Why?' But then when the actual books come out, the answer will be, 'Oh, that's why.' "

John Higgins – "What we are trying to achieve with the Crimson Corsair pages within the regular new series is to create a graphic 'buffer' and to use the darkness of the Crimson Corsair stories as a literary counterpoint to the regular book… The challenge is to make the stories modern and relevant to 2012 and to show what can be done with respect and consideration for the source material that has inspired so many people over the years. By adding to the mythos and not to detract from it," he said. "'The Watchmen' had such an influence on graphic storytelling since it first appeared and is a timeless classic. If we can create a new set of stories that can be enjoyed 25 years on, that would be an achievement and a reward in itself."

More Darwyn Cooke – "One of the first things I did was go back through the original book and look at all the female characters and their position in the story and the arcs they had. What I realized is that as much as I really like Laurie, she's really only just Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend and then Nite Owl's girlfriend. We never get to see her being self-sufficient and dealing with herself and dealing with her own problems. She's there for a man. I came up with the idea of looking at the brief period of time when she becomes an adult"

Dave Gibbons – "The original series of 'Watchmen' is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell. However, I appreciate DC's reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire."

Alan Moore – Not answering his phone. Don't blame him. He did tell the New York Times that it was "completely shameless" and "I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago", that the series is a reminder of "draconian contracts" he signed with DC and that "I don't want money. What I want is for this not to happen… As far as I know, there weren't that many prequels or sequels to 'Moby-Dick.'"