WHO WRITES THE WATCHMEN: PREQUEL HORROR…?

Yes, after months of uncertain terrifying rumours, questions and discussion it seems now that the infamous continuation of the legendary WATCHMEN comics will happen, albeit in strange perhaps even more unnecessary prequel format.

The WATCHMEN series and subsequent graphic novel version are now so widely well viewed as modern classic, even among the respected world of literature, it is remebered for the groundbreaking visionary approach and unflinching radical structure and issues tackled in the comic book fortmat and subversion of superhero genre. Then for many years a film adaptation struggled between a number of daunted and frustrated directors, eventually falling to ZACK SNYDER, who did manage to produce some kind of flawed epic vision interpretation. All the while, ALAN MOORE stayed well back, as ever wishing to have little to do with what Hollywood wanted to pull utilise from his original tales.

So why now are these new spin off tales being produed, and is there any real need? It is now around twenty five years since the original series was first published and revolutionised the comic world but to add more to that WATCHMEN world now, is that going to work well? Is the story context actually dated in the period that it was produced, possibly like V FOR VENDETTA, which is certainly powerful in many ways but has come along now having a possibly vintage feel to it over time.

It could be facinating or interesting to open up the view points of the individual characters including RORSCHACH, SILK SPECTRE, DR MANHATTAN, NITE OWL, THE COMEDIAN, OZYMANDIAS. But if this is done, will it then detract from the way the original whole story is read and remembered?

Could it though, possibly add even more to the size and complexity of the tale or without ALAN MOORE being involved or without him actually writing these new books, will they simply not be able to reach any where near the same stunning level as the previous chapters before in the classic WATCHMEN story?

BEFORE WATCHMEN is due for release in the summer from DC COMICS.