I just finished re-reading Watchmen for the first time in many years. Every time I read I notice some new detail or nuance I had never noticed before. I used to pretend that non-comics readers might one day ask me to recommend a comic book or series to read, but that almost never happens. Over the years my choices have changed somewhat (and it would depend on that imaginary person's tastes in any case), but rarely have I considered Watchmen because it was not likely a non-fan could possibly appreciate it the way I appriciate it, but I have since changed my mind. It is so layered that a practiced reader couldn't help but appreciate it, maybe not in the same way I do, but in a way uniquely his or her own.
But I'm not here today to talk about Watchmen; I'm here to talk about what came after. I'm going to start with the nine titles collectively known as "Before Watchmen" which were released in 2013. I have read these series (and one one-shot) only once, in the order they were released. It struck me at the time that there should be an ideal reading order but, as I indicated, I have yet to even read any of them ininterrupted start to finish. By the time I am fiinished with thise phase of "Before & After" I hope to have a better idea of in which order to read the series. All I have now is a vague notion that Minutemen should be first and Comedian should be last. This is the order in which they were released:
- Minutemen
- Silk Spectre
- Comedian
- Nite Owl
- Ozymandias
- Rorschach
- Dr. Manhattan
- Moloch
- Dollar Bill
The series are either 1, 2, 4 or 6 issues. Because some are lengthier than others, some which started later ended sooner.
FIRST UP: Minutemen
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DOOMSDAY CLOCK #3 - "Not Victory Nor Defeat"
"For better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
This cover (above) is the one I chose, but the one below may have been more appropriate:
Doomsday Clock #3 begins as Watchmen #1 did: with the murder of Edward Blake at the hands of Ozymandias. But this time he doesn't hit the street below, but rather he lands in Hob's Bay off the Metropolis of a different reality. He swims to shore where he finds Dr. Manhattan waiting for him. Now that his surprise appearance at the end of #2 has been accounted for, the scene switches back to the present where the Comedian and Ozymandias continue their conflict. This time it is the Comedian who manages to throw Ozymandias out the window but, due to an astounding display of acrobatics, Ozymandias survives the fall. Back in the Batcave, Rorschach (whose name is "Reggie" BTW) tries to explain his reality to Batman in his own inimitable way, but ends up handing over the original Rorschach's journal for Batman to read. Batman offers him the use of a shower while he reads. Alfred cleans Rorscach's clothes and make him more pancakes. Meanwhile, Marionette and the Mime have slipped their handcuffs and fine themselves in an amusement park outside Gotham City.
In the old folks' home, Johnny Thunder waits in vain for his grand-daughter and her son to take him out to dinner, but it's already after 10:00 pm and it's obvious they aren't coming. Many of the other residents are gathered in the common room watching the news on TV. the story concerns the number of meta-humans who have admitted being created by the U.S. government, including Matamorpho, Man-Bat and Lady Clayface. One of the old men would rather watch the Nathanial Dusk marathon and changes the channel. While the residents argue about what to watch, the movie continues to play in the background, providing a counterpoint to the scene in the common room. The movie continues to play throughout the comic, from one location to another, providing similar counterpoint.
Marionette and the Mime go into a seedy bar, but the patrons are the Joker's men and take exception to the make-up they wear. A bloody battle ensues, and the couple kill all the customers before settling down for a drink. I'm not sure how the Mime's powers work, but he "mimes" holding a gun (for example), which then actually fires from thin air. After his shower (and sleeping for nearly 24 hours), Reggie flashes back to being a cab driver in New York City the night of Ozymandias' fake "alien invasion." He survived, but his mind is obviously disturbed from the experience. Batman tells him he has finished reading the journal and that he knows where Dr. Manhattan is. He did a search for temporal anomalies which led him right to Arkham Asylum. They go to Arkham, then batman ushers him into a cell and locks the door behind him.
SUPPLEMENTAL FEATURE: An old (1954) copy of Screenland Secrets magazine. Most of the articles are about the murder of Carver Colman, the actor who played Nathanial Dusk in six Verner Bros. films between 1943 and 1954, but some of them are about other characters on the periphery of the DCU such as Frank Farr (Rita Farr's father) and Randy "Tin Soldier" Booth, formerly of Easy Company. "Nathanial Dusk" is to Doomsday Clock as "Tales of the Black Freighter" was to Watchmen, just as actor Carver Coleman fills the role of writer Max Shea.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #4 - "Walk On Water"
"The miracle is notto walk on water. The miracle is to walk on Earth." - Linji Yixuan
Mmm... pancakes.
Alan Moore: "Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach. This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face."
Geoff Johns: "Syrup glistens. Seeps into butter-soaked flapjacks stacked high. Silver fork with initials on end waits to be picked up. I see what I want to see. But plate smells of bleach and sweat-soaked rags. There is no fork. There are no pancakes."
The story opens with Reggie in Arkham Asylum. Reggie is the son of Malcolm Long, the psychiatrist who treated the original Rorschach after his capture. Reggie always was something of an outsider, but Ozymandias' "alien invasion" drove him over the edge. After that, he was taken to the Fitzgerald Mental Home in Maine, the same facility in which Byron Lewis, formerly Mothman, is being held. They meet and become friends. Byron begins to train Reggie. Byron escapes from time-to-time using contraband wings, but he is always captured and returned. Eventually, Ozymandias' plan becomes public knowledge. Now Reggie has somewhere to put his anger. During one of his escapes, "Mothman" goes to the quarantined apartment of Reggie's parents and smuggles back a box of his father things, including Rorschach's journal and mask. They plan to escape together. They start a fire to create a diversion. But Byron never intended to escape. Once outside, he turns around and walks back into the burning building like a moth drawn to a flame.
Previously, Byron had provided Reggie with the means to go to Adrian Viedt's Antarctic retreat. Reggie assumes the identity of Rorschach and arrives there with the intention of killing the man he holds responsible for the death of his parents. They bond, however, and become partners. In the present, Reggie is approached by "Jane Doe" (Saturn Girl) in Arkham.
SUPPLEMENTAL FEATURES: A series of letters (unanswered, except one) written by Byron Lewis to his sister between the years 1962 and 1992, plus his obituary. (The main story also reveals that Sally Jupiter has died in the intervening years between series.)
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #5 - "There Is No God"
"When men make Gods, there is no God!" - Eugene O'Neill
Ozymandias is being treated in the hospital after his fall last issue. He is feigning unconsciousness, handcuffed to the bed (because of the attempt on Lex Luthor's life). He pulls off his sensors which alerts the security guards., who rush in and stand close enough for him to lift the key to the cuffs. After that, it's an easy matter to knock them unconscious and take one of their uniforms. He the retrieves his caracal kitten (also named "Bubastis," like the previous one), steals an ambulance and heads back to where they stashed "Archie." when he gets there, he discovers that Marionette and the Mime have escaped, but finds Batman there waiting for him.
Meanwhile, Lois Lane, Clark Kent and Perry White discuss the current world situation; Saturn Girl and Rorschach prepare to find Dr. Manhattan; Johnny thunder escapes from the old folks' home upon learning the news that "Green Fire Comsumes All-American Steel"; the Comedian tracks Marionette and the Mime; Marionette and the Mime track the Joker; now over gotham, Ozymandias rolls Archie, dumping Batman into a crowd of angry protestors; Lois Lane suspects Lex Luthor is behind the "Superman Theory"; Johnny thunder makes his way to the All-American Steel factory looking for "his friend's magic lamp" and a genie and is accosted by a gang of youths; he is saved by Saturn Girl and Rorschach; Marionette and the Mime find the Joker. All of this is happening simultaneously against a backdrop of the ever-increasing threat of war.
SUPPLEMENTAL FEATURE: A Trouble Alert magazine exposé of "The Metahuman Menace" revealing the supposed origins of several U.S.-based metahumans in support of the Superman Theory. Also a report on Kandaq. black Adam has crossed the border into syria and killed King Kobra in order to save the life of American journalist Jack Rider. He has also declared Kandaq a worldwide refuge for metahumans.
Oh, I forgot! Also in #5 is another metatextual speech, Ozymandias to Batman (Geoff Johns on DC Comics?): "Your world is worse off than mine ever was... Look at the sheer number of you lost in the narrative of good versus bad. Wandering aimlessly in a fog of self-righteousness. You're so busy putting these 'super-villains' into prisons with revolving doors, you've ignored the world's real problems. And now you're caught in this vicious cycle of entertaining yourselves. You cling to simplistic morality based on pulp heroes."
(I also should have mentioned that Johnny Thunder, Rorschach and Saturn Girl found Alan Scott's lantern.)
Batman: "Yeah, OK, Sunshine, I'm not taking lectures on morality from someone with as much blood on their hands as you have. I suggest that you go get a great big pile of sand and a hammer and pound every last grain of that sand right up your arse."
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #6 - "Truly Laugh"
"To truly laugh, you must be able too take your pain, and play with it." - Charlie Chaplin
Note: I have gone back and added the quote from which the chapter title was taken to all previous Doomsday Clock posts.
This issue provides the origin of Marionette and the Mime interspersed with present day action. the two met as children, Erika and Marcos. Erica's father owned a puppet shop and was being shaken down by crooked cops. Marcos' folks owned a glass shop across the street, and his mother met with an "accident" when she refused to pay. Marcos never did speak as long as Erika has known him; it's unclear whether he couldn't or wouldn't. One day, Erika witnesses the cops beat her father up. Soon after that, he hanged himself, leaving a note that she would be free of them if he were dead. She discovers the body shortly after the cops themselves did, and she attacks one, driving a scissors into his neck. The other draws his gun, but Marcos appears and bite him on the hand. Erika grabs a spool of twine and strangles the one she had stabbed. They go on the run and have been together ever since. They are eventually and captured, and Erika has their baby while in prison.
Back in the present, in a truly bizarre scene, the Joker and Marionette & the Mime become partners. The Joker has capture the Batman and has him chained, unconscious, to a wheelchair. The Riddler is holding a meeting of "The League of Villainy" in an abandoned subway station. the Joker, Marionette and Mime attend, as do dozens of other DCU villains. Typhoon is accused of being a traitor, but he denies it. Suddenly a shot rings out and Typhoon's head is blown away. The shooter is the Comedian, who begins firing at all the other criminals as well. The Joker, Marionette and Mime escape, but the Comedian tracks them down and confronts them in bed in the middle of the night. He is hoping they can provide information as to the whereabouts of Ozymandias but, before he can find out, the Joker shocks him into unconsciousness with his "joy buzzer" from behind. The Joker then lifts the Comedian's signature "smiley face" button and affices it to his own lapel.
SUPPLEMENTAL FEATURE: A file from the Department of Metahuman Affairs on Typhoon, who actually was a government plant. His assignment was to infiltrate the League of Villains and, eventually, make his way to Kandaq. there are also profiles of several other metahumans, some good guys, some bad. There is a report of Typhoon's death, a refusal for a funeral and his approved obituary.
I decided to go on to Doomsday Clock after all. Since I am reading the original collections in e-comic form, the first volume included #1-6. I like it almost as much as Before Watchmen, which frankly surprises me. I think most of what makes it work for me is the way it is "DCU meets the Watchmen," rather than the other way around (contrary to the cover blurb). The writing tone and the visuals both echo Watchmen quite strongly. I will be very interested in seeing how satisfying the conclusion is (which should be next weekend). The collection includes all of the variant covers, most in full size.
I was going to say that, even if you had decided not to read Doomsday Clock, I would have recommended #10 because of the way it defines the nature of the DCU (if you are interested in such things). But, as you've decided to read the entire series anyway (and are enjoying it, I am pleased to hear), I guess it's a moot point.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #7 - "Blind Spot"
"Seeing-is-believing is a blind spot in man's vision." - R. Buckminster Fuller
Page one is narrated by Dr. Manhattan in that "time-trippy" style he has, from AD 960 to 1950. The second time through, he moves the lantern just out of Alan Scott's reach after the bridge collapse in All-American Comics #16 and he dies. "Two hours ago, Johnny thunder finds the lantern in a burned-out factory. One hundred and forty-five minutes from now, the lantern's green fire erupts with power. Seventeen minutes later, I step off a checkerboard floor and onto the surface of Mars. One month into my future... I see nothing." (One of this issue's variant covers features the lantern.)
Ozymandias locates Rorscach, Johnny Thunder and Saturn Girl. (She seems perfectly sane, BTW, and says she was "sent here to cleanse the time stream of an unknown anomaly that threatens [Superman].") Bubastis was cloned from the cellular remains of the original, which was disintingrated along with Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen. With the power of the lantern, Bubastis can track Dr. Manhattan's energy signature and drawn him to them. Elsewhere, the Joker, Marionette and the Mime are holding Batman and the Comedian hostage. Marionette begins to torture the Comedian. The Batman escapes. the trail of Dr. Manhatttan leads Ozymandias and crew directly to the Joker's lair. they arrive in time to save Batman and the Comedian. Bubastis consumes energy directly from the battery, which draws Dr. Manhattan to them.
Dr. Manhattan cuts a circle into the checkerboard floor, leaving Batman anf the Joker out of the loop. He then transports the section of floor to a jungle somewhere where it hovers above a water fall so they can talk. Dr. Manhattan reveals that Marionette and the Mime's child is destined to do something in the future, then reveals that she is pregnant again. After that he reveals that Ozymandias does not have cancer after all; he told Reggie that only t manipulate him into joining his quest. Then Ozymandias reveals to Reggie that the original Rorschach broke his father's spirit and the only reason he doesn't know that already is because Byron Lewis kept most of Malcolm Long's notes from him.
then Dr. Manhattan transports the section of floor to Gotham city above a riot, then to a movie theater showing a revival of Carver Colman's last Nathanial Dusk picture. Dr. Manhattan reveals that he was there on the set, and also overlooking Colman's dead body two months later. He transports the others back to the Joker's lair, then disappears himself. Reggie attacks Ozymandias, still not realizing he's wearing the "face" of the man who destroyed his father. As Reggie attacks Ozymandias, Joker attacks Batman, then tries to intercede with Reggie, who grabs him by the face and starts to pummel him. Marionette and the Mine wheel the Comedian away. Badly beaten, the Joker uses his own blood to draw a smile on the Rorschach mask. Then Reggie takes of the mask, presumably for good. Later, he drops a large envelope in the mail adressed to Lois Lane c/o the Daily Planet.
Ozymandias staggers back to Archie, where he attacks Johnny thunder and Saturn Girl, knocking them unconsious. He now realizes that with the knowledge he has now, he can save not only his own world, but this one as well. "I can save everything and everybody. I have a plan." Dr. Manhattan steps off the checkerboard floor onto the surface of Mars. One month in the future, he sees himself fighting with Superman. "Then I see nothing. A year. A century. A Millenium. Still nothing. I do not see tomorrow. And I wonder... one month fropm now... does superman destroy me? Or do I destroy everything?"
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: Adrian Veidt's notes on the creation of the second Bubastis. (One of next issue's variant covers features Bubastis.)
The cover with the lantern also has Dr Manhattan in moth form.
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