Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1, DC Comics, $3.99
Art and story by Darwyn Cooke
I don't know if it's possible to set aside the controversy attached to the mere existence of the "Before Watchmen" series of miniseries, but let's try. Because this is a pretty good first issue.
The story begins with the recently-retired Hollis Mason (the first Nite Owl) moving into the apartment in which he'll eventually be killed, and even unpacking the golden statuette we know will be the murder weapon. Brrr. That's creepy.
Now, please tell me I don't need SPOILER WARNINGS for Watchmen. Is there anybody who hasn't read it? Because I had to mention Mason in his apartment, as it's important to what appears to be the structure: Mason has written his book, Behind the Mask, and his editor doesn't like it (for reasons we don't know yet). So Mason is reviewing the manuscript, and his voiceover (to himself, which we eavesdrop on) covers the material in the book, which is the story of the Minutemen. Ta-da!
And that story is pretty good, as you'd expect from Darwyn Cooke. In a story so expertly paced that you don't notice how much he's cramming in there, Cooke covers the origins of (in order) Hooded Justice, Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter), Nite Owl (Hollis Mason), The Comedian, Mothman, Dollar Bill, The Silhouette and Captain Metropolis. In addition, you get a brief understanding of each character's motivations and how, why and where the Minutemen will team up. (The "when" will likely be next issue.) That is a ton of story, but this reader didn't notice and was sorry when it was over.
Of them all, The Silhouette gets the most space (4 pages), and seems to have the most altruistic motives. Meanwhile, we also get an idea of how they operate -- and, in some cases, how they manage to get away with it. All of it is pretty plausible, and presented in a matter-of-fact sort of way. Because to Mason, as well as us, it's history.
I mentioned structure above, and that was one of the salient features of Watchmen: Story, packaging, visual motifs, every fershlugginer detail was structured as precisely as a timepiece. When Watchmen ended, it wasn't a revelation; it felt inevitable.
Cooke carries this on in spirit (whether or not he does so in fact we'll have to wait and see). The first two pages carry a Watchmen visual motif forward, and do it well. He doesn't adopt Dave Gibbons' 9-panel grid, but he does use a LOT of panels, which gives it much the same tick-tock, claustrophobic, no-escape kind of feeling.
The upshot is, Minutemen felt very Watchmen-esque. Which is probably good if you're not outraged at the existence of this beast, and probably a provocation if you are. I suppose that can't be danced around, even in a review. But, hey, I gave it a try.
EXTRA: The last two pages of Minutemen were the first two pages of a story called "The Curse of the Crimson Corsair: The Devil in the Deep, Part One," by Len Wein (Watchmen's original editor) and John Higgins (Watchmen's original colorist). Two pages isn't a lot of room for story, but it seems to be in the same vein as "Tales of the Black Freighter." A blurb says it continues "next week" in Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1, leading one to believe a couple of pages will be included in each "Before Watchmen" book until its conclusion.
Replies
I came in this morning prepared to start a thread to discuss “Before Watchmen” in its entirety (and I still might) when I saw this one. I agree with you, Cap: it’s a very well-done first issue. To tell you the truth, I was hooked from the first page. Cooke has the chutzpah to utilize the very Moore/Gibbons-esque technique of presenting four “widescreen” panels with similar composition: a baby peering out from its crib; a driver emerging from a tunnel; the Earth against the Sun in outer space; the symbol of Dr. Manhattan on his forehead. The visual motife continues on page two, eventually resolving on a mantel clock in Hollis Mason’s apartment.
I liked Cooke’s development of the individual Minutemen, mere background characters in the original. And yes, “The Curse of the Crimson Corsair” is to be continued throughout the various “Before Watchmen” series.
This was a pretty good issue. I don't think I liked it quite as much as you two did, but I think that had a lot to do with all of the hype. To me, Darwyn Cooke can do no wrong. But he can do sufficient. The writing was pretty good; the art was fantastic. I liked how each character got a couple pages to flesh out their motivations and origins a little bit, but really there wasn't much of a storyline in this issue. Hopefully the next one will be solid in storyline, while maintaining the beautiful artwork.
Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1, DC Comics, $3.99
By Darwyn Cooke (w/a)
I think this series may be the best of the "Before Watchmen" books so far, and paradoxically, that leaves me with little to say.
As with the first issue, Cooke begins with the four panels repeating the circle motif on page one. As with the first issue, Cooke advances the story by a year or two. As with the first issue, Silhouette seems to have the most screen time. (Nite Owl once confessed he had a bit of a crush on Silhouette, and I'm beginning to suspect Cooke does too.) As with the first issue, Cooke packs a lot of information into a single issue, while making it look easy.
We get a bit more about each character -- motivations, opinions, operations. We see the Minutemen's first mission, which doesn't go quite the way anyone expects. We are treated to a great deal of foreshadowing, without it being too ham-handed. We see a bit more about Hooded Justice's sex life, only hinted at in Watchmen.
And we see the lies at the heart of the Minutemen, the corruption Hollis Mason confesses to in Behind the Mask that upsets his agent (who was also Sally Jupiter's agent). Those lies add to the sense of inevitable disaster that Watchmen had, which makes Minutemen the most Watchmen-like of the prequels, as well as just doggone good. Here we are watching a super-team in its springtime, when the sky's the limit and everyone is young and optimistic -- and yet, the reader can almost taste a feeling of impending doom.
Just like the first issue, Cooke packs a lot of story effortlessly into a small space -- and leaves me hungry for more.
In #2 we see the energy and the passion but also the cynicism and greed. Nite Owl, Moth Man and Silhouette sincerely want to do some good as does Hooded Justice who may be trying to appease too many desires. Captain Metropolis wants to be in control so his situation in #2 is very ironic and binding. Silk Spectre seems to have few altruistic goals, Dollar Bill sees it as a job and the Comedian a "respectable" way to unleash his violence.
This is rapidly becoming an excellant series. But will anyone dare nominate it as such?