Before Watchmen will cover the back stories of each of the major characters in the original graphic novel.
There’s been quite a bit of controversy about the creation of the prequel, with the original writer and artist split on whether it should move forward.
While artist Dave Gibbons supports the project, writer Alan Moore has become more belligerent about his hate for DC and the way they treat what he perceives as his intellectual property.
Whatever you think about the potential for this new line, the quality of the new books can’t be denied. They’ve got their best writers and artists working on the project, and with the release of the images below, I’m more confidentthe project will be, if nothing else, visually stunning.
Of course, one could always complain that Watchmen was never intended to be visually stunning, as Dave Gibbons work on the book was actually rather bland, and intentionally so, but such a style wouldn’t fly in today’s market.
The series will comprise 35 issues – nearly three times as many issues as the original novel – across 7 books.
6 of the books will follow individual heroes from the character driven story-world, while one is slated to cover the team as a whole. The line is expected to end with a single final issue which terminates all seven books in single-issue denouement.
There will be one issue released each week, with two-pages of a back-up dubbed Curse of the Crimson Corsair, paralleling the pirate story which backed-up the original Watchmen book.
The teams working on these books are a veritable who’s who of the comic book world, including John Higgins, from the art team of the original book, who will be producing the art for the final book, Before Watchmen: Epilogue.
Some of the art below is uncolored, unlettered inside pages, but most is character concept art.
The first issue of Before Watchmen remains on track to hit comic store shelves this summer.
