Watchmen prequels, X-Men First Class part 2, and Avengers Super Bowl spot teaser on the new format Planet 46 Comics show
Watchmen prequels, X-Men First Class sequel, and Avengers assemble this week on the comics podcast.
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“Before Watchmen” prequels announced
DC Comics’ much-rumored “major news” was announced today on DC Comics’ Source blog, as a series of prequels to the best-selling graphic novel “Watchmen” were announced.
“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee in a news release. “After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”
“Before Watchmen” includes:
- RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
- MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
- COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
- DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
- NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
- OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
- SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner
The series will be released weekly, with a back-up story in each issue from original series editor Len Wein, called “Curse of the Crimson Corsair.” The art for this story will be by original series colorist John Higgins.
There will also be a final epilogue issue.
Dave Gibbons shared his thoughts at the Source blog.
“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,” said Dave Gibbons, WATCHMEN co-creator and original series artist.
Alan Moore, the writer of “Watchmen,” reacted about as may have been expected, to the New York Times:
“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.”
The reclusive Moore no longer deals with DC Comics and has largely sequestered himself from the industry, with the exception of his “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” graphic novels released through Top Shelf.
- Matt Price
Jackie Earle Haley: Nerdage’s #22 actor with geek appeal
Jackie Earle Haley
Former “Bad News Bears” child star Jackie Earle Haley was excellent as Rorschach in 2009′s “Watchmen” and starred for the past two seasons on the just-canceled “Human Target” on Fox, which was based on a DC Comics series.
Happy birthday, Alan Moore!
Happy birthday to Alan Moore, who turns 57 today. You can’t go wrong with reading “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” by Moore, Curt Swan, George Perez and Kurt Schaffenberger, originally published in “Superman” #423 and “Action Comics” #583. And of course, if you haven’t read “Watchmen,” you should give that a read.
What’s your favorite Alan Moore comic? Do you plan to read anything in particular to celebrate the influential writer’s birthday?
- Matt Price
First page of “Watchmen” to be auctioned
From Heritage:
DALLAS, TX – The original art of Page #1, Issue #1 of The Watchmen, the very beginning of one of the most acclaimed comic sagas ever – and one of Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Greatest Novels in 2005 – will be auctioned by Heritage Auctions, without reserve, on 19 Nov., as part of its Signature® Comic and Comic Art Auction.
The art work, which was purchased for £85.00 (roughly U.S. $150) in 1987 is expected to bring $15,000+.
The page, featuring the introduction of the blood-stained “happy face” badge, Rorschach’s journal and even the first un-costumed appearance of Rorschach himself, comes to auction from the collection of notorious British hard rock designer, musician, DJ and TV host Stephen “Krusher” Joule, long known for his artwork for such rock gods as Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Robert Plant and Motorhead – including some punk luminaries like The Sex Pistols and Blondie – as well as for his longtime tenure as Art Director at Kerrang! Magazine, a longtime bible of Heavy Metal music.
“Sometime in late 1987 I was walking off an absolutely horrendous hangover on my way to work at Kerrang!, which meant that I was stumbling, mumbling and tumbling through Covent Garden,” said Joule. “As I was passing the shop where I had originally bought my Watchmen comics, I saw a poster proclaiming ‘ORIGINAL WATCHMEN ARTWORK FOR SALE.’ My hangover cure was immediate. This was the moment that I’d been waiting for all my life.”
Striding up to the door like a man on a mission, Joule asked “Where’s the Watchmen pages?”
The owner pointed to a person at the back of the shop who was picking up a portfolio.
“That man down there is looking at them,” Joule recalls being told. “I was like a greyhound out of a trap, followed closely by the owner, who was asking me ‘Is there any particular page you’re interested in?’ No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, and the man with the portfolio had just finished unzipping it, did I see a vision of beauty, the Holy Grail, Page #1, issue #1. I pointed to it and said, ‘Yes! That one!”
Even the most hardcore and irascible denizens of Metal eventually need a break from the rock and roll life, and want to be closer to their aging parents, which has led Joule to sell of this singular and important piece after more than 23 years of ownership.
“After 33 years of living in my council flat on the 15th floor of what I lovingly refer to as ‘Terror Tower,’” he said, “I want to get out of London and be closer to Ma Krusher. This should help facilitate that.”
In collector circles, original Watchmen art from the 1980s is very highly sought-after. It is, in fact, among the small handful of most important titles from the entire history of the medium. Appearances of original Watchmen art are very rare indeed, let alone the very first page of the very first book.
“Watchmen pages have proven very scarce on the open market,” said Todd Hignite, Consignment Director for Heritage, “and do not change hands very often. In fact, this is the first one Heritage has ever offered – so we couldn’t be more excited that it’s the page that kicks off the entire Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons saga. Many people who’ve never read any other comic books have read Watchmen, and given that mass appeal, we expect very strong demand for this lot.”
In fact, Joule began to realize the importance of this very page many years ago when he attended an Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons signing, where he brought this page to get the signatures of the Watchmen creators.
“When I asked (Gibbons) to sign this page he was more than willing,” said Joule, “but when he saw that it was Page #1, Issue #1, he said, ‘Bloody hell, I told the wife not to sell that one!’ Sadly for him, it was a little too late.”
Click past the cut for the color guide to Watchmen #1, page 1.
Watchmen HeroClix are coming
According to CBR, NECA is releasing a Watchmen collector’s box set of HeroClix figures,to first be available at Comic-Con International in San Diego, then going on sale at comic and hobby stores. From NECA:
The Watchmen Collector’s Boxed Set includes 25 highly detailed, 3D miniatures including Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. The Collector’s Boxed Set, which includes a complete set of Watchmen HeroClix figures, comes in deluxe, display-quality packaging. The Watchmen HeroClix Dr. Manhattan Colossal Figure (sold separately) is built to movie-accurate scale and stands over 14 inches tall.
The figures are based on the movie versions of the characters.
“WizKids is very excited to add Watchmen to the HeroClix platform,” said WizKids/NECA president Lax Chandra in the release. “Watchmen is a groundbreaking movie which redefines the way costumed vigilantes are portrayed on the big screen. With 25 unique sculpts in the Collector’s Boxed Set, plus the colossal Dr. Manhattan figure, we’ve got a comprehensive offering that will satisfy both avid gamers and Watchmen movie fans.”
This could be a bellwether of things to come: Bleeding Cool recently reported that DC Comics was entertaining the idea of a Watchmen sequel, prequel or spinoff. From a dollars perspective, maybe this makes sense: Brian Hibbs’ Tilting at Windmills reported that “Watchmen” made up 5 percent of bookstore sales of graphic novels all by itself in 2009. Comics fans may have apoplexy, and Alan Moore will likely be less than thrilled. But given that Moore isn’t working for the publisher at present anyway, DC may not have that much to lose, from a financial perspective.
- Matt Price
Cost too high for “End is Nigh”
THE NEXT LEVEL
The downloadable game “Watchmen: The End is Nigh” is a strong indication of the high-end of graphics that can be delivered in the downloadable format, but ultimately the game doesn’t live up to its visuals or its source material. Furthermore, the game only offers about three hours of play for around $20.
Spinning off from the movie “Watchmen,” itself based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, “End is Nigh” takes place in the 1970s, when superheroes Nite Owl and Rorschach worked as a team.
The gamer can play as either Rorschach or Nite Owl in a single player or cooperative multiplayer game.
The game takes place in 1972, as Nite Owl and Rorschach attempt to shut down a prison riot in Sing Sing.
As it turns out, the riot was only a cover so that crime lord the Underboss could escape. On each level, Nite Owl and Rorschach must bash their way through a phalanx of thugs as they seek the Underboss. Eventually they uncover a planned assassination attempt, which the gamer will see as a twist from the actual history of 1972. Gibbons was an art consultant on the game, and it’s written by original “Watchmen” editor Len Wein. The story is decent, and the look is brilliant. But the gameplay isn’t there.
Rorschach and Nite Owl have different fighting styles and power-ups. Rorschach is a brawler, taking on multiple enemies at once. Nite Owl is a more strategic fighter who also has an electrical weapon in his suit. The combat is similar to other beat-’em-up games.
While “Watchmen” the graphic novel is a brilliant deconstruction of the superhero, “The End is Nigh” is a by-the-numbers fighter that’s graphically impressive, but doesn’t offer anything new.
The game is rated M for mature and is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
“Watchmen” sales top 1 million
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The sales of “Watchmen” collected editions have topped 1 million units since the trailer was released with the “Dark Knight” film in July 2008, DC Vice President of Sales Bob Wayne announced at the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting.
In addition, DC Comics offered a fourth consignment program for retailers to help keep “Watchmen” stocked deeply on store shelves.
“We think there will still be people coming in looking for this book,” Wayne said, citing anticipated continued demand projected by DC Comics.
– Matt Price
Watchmen takes a big fall in second weekend
According to Box Office Mojo, “Watchmen” dropped by two-thirds in its second weekend for a weekend total of $18.1 million. According to Box Office Mojo, only “Hellboy II” and “Hulk” had stiffer second-week drops among major comic-book movies.
While I think “Watchmen” was a success creatively, for the most part, there is the question of the film’s intended audience. Comic-book fans came out in droves and packed the IMAX theaters, but this wasn’t a movie that tracked well among women, and it wasn’t the kind of film that parents could take their children to see.
Still, the graphic novel has long been fiercely admired among its fans, and it’s possible the film will find a similar success in the longer term. While cinema-goers have accepted Spider-Man and Batman films, there is apparently still some resistance to or confusion over a very mature superhero tale like “Watchmen.”
Still, I’d like to pass on some thoughtful words from someone else, who, like the characters in “Watchmen,” is a denizen of 1985:
“I guess you guys aren’t ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it.”
– Matt Price
Entertainment Insider: What does Watchmen’s box office mean?
Gene Triplett, Heather Warlick, Matt Price and Brandy McDonnell discuss what the opening box office for “Watchmen” might mean for future comic-book films. Also discussed: band reunions and “Killer Inside Me,” now filming in Oklahoma.
