Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan

by J. Michael Straczynski, Adam Hughes (Illustrator), Joe Kubert (Illustrator)

Overview

Discover what happened before WATCHMEN as writer J. Michael Straczynski is joined by Andy Kubert and the legendary Joe Kubert to take flight with the gadget-savvy vigilante known as Nite Owl! And then in BEFORE WATCHMEN: DR. MANHATTAN, JMS teams with fan-favorite artist Adam Hughes on the all-powerful super-man Dr. Manhattan. For Dr. Manhattan, past, present, and future are one and the same. But as he observes the events of his life, do they remain the same? Or are they changed? The very fact of his existence may have altered the nature of what will or will not be...

Collects BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL #1-4 and BEFORE WATCHMEN: DR. MANHATTAN #1-4.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401245146
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	06/24/2014
Series:	Before Watchmen Series
Edition description:	Mature Content
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	451,150
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI has worked in television, comics and, most recently, motion pictures. In comics, he is known for The Amazing Spider-Man, The Twelve, Thor and Silver Surfer: Requiem, as well as SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE Volumes 1 & 2 and BEFORE WATCHMEN for DC Comics. He is the creator of the hit TV series Babylon 5, and was nominated for the 2009 Best Writer Eisner Award. In movies, he is known for writing films including Changeling, Thor and a forthcoming reinterpretation of Forbidden Planet.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Signing up two generations' worth of legendary artists [Joe and Andy Kubert] is a wise move for DC Entertainment."—NY Daily News

"J. Michael Straczynski's writing is crisp and keeps the story moving — he's clearly not trying to "rewrite" the original Moore material, but instead builds off on it."—Mtv Geek

Editorial Reviews

"Signing up two generations' worth of legendary artists [Joe and Andy Kubert] is a wise move for DC Entertainment."—NY Daily News

"J. Michael Straczynski's writing is crisp and keeps the story moving — he's clearly not trying to "rewrite" the original Moore material, but instead builds off on it."—Mtv Geek

From the Publisher

09/15/2013
DC waited 25 years before exploiting Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's masterpiece Watchmen with new comics featuring that book's characters. But it finally succumbed to temptation, and this oversize hardcover is one of three collecting the new prequels produced by various creators. The most substantial story here is the "Nite Owl," which details the origins of the original Nite Owl and his relationship to Hollis Mason, portrays his crime-fighting partnership with Rorschach, and tells the story of the Twilight Lady—a sexy madam who plays Catwoman to Nite Owl's Batman—who is mentioned briefly in the original. The convoluted "Dr. Manhattan" tale places the hero in a bind involving quantum physics and alternate realities. Also included is the story of the deformed villain Moloch, who finds success but not solace in crime. VERDICT All of the characters receive some interesting, even compelling backstory, and the artwork by Adam Hughes, Kubert, and others is irreproachable. But not all of the writing is convincing, and with its sex and nudity, this title is not for kids. A decent work, but readers expecting the brilliance of the original will be disappointed.—S.R.

Library Journal