BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN #1 (OF 6)

Review by: Jim Punchfist

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

1014
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.3
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Story by Darwyn Cooke & Len Wein
Art by Darwyn Cooke & John Higgins
Cover by Darwyn Cooke, Michael Golden, & Jim Lee

Size: 32 pages
Price: 3.99

Things are remade. Made upon. Made against. Made for the before. Made for the after. Added to. Subtracted from. This is the current gradient we slide down in our desperation to find some new story to tell. This is why such a thing as BEFORE WATCHMEN exists.

I’ve long ago made my peace with this current storytelling state. Whether you agree with Moore, his views, and are appalled at his treatment at the hands of DC Comics; you also must realize that until the day comes where someone actively rewrites Moore’s Watchmen script so someone else can draw it, we’ll always have that original. They can construct whatever else you want around the original, but it will still stand while everything else comes and goes.

Now, I do love Watchmen, and there is nothing I can say that can either improve upon or enlighten your self-conceived notions on the material. Maybe you could care less or maybe it’s your favorite piece of art. To some, telling new Watchmen stories is like writing a prequel to Homer’s the Iliad or a sequel to Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”, and to others it is a an obvious choice and a fun addition to that superhero world.

After reading Cooke’s first issue, and the introduction to this BEFORE WATCHMEN world; I can say I firmly stand in the middle.

This was a great first issue. Not just for this mini-series, but as a reintroduction to the Watchmen universe. It serves as a prologue; following Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl, as he tries to sell his rather explicit tell-all book, UNDER THE HOOD, to a publisher. Through him we catalogue the nature of the universe and meet each founding member of the Minutemen, that universes Golden Age team.

This book isn’t trying to be Watchmen. I think Cooke is a smart enough storyteller to understand it can’t be. It does, however, carry the mother books tone with its sense of violence, and the overall foreboding of a world careening out of control. This is a world full of desperate, flawed people trying to force sense into a world that refuses to make any.

Cooke’s sense of imagery is evocative of the original title, and he has the penciling chops to make it look great. When you buy a Cooke book, it’s like buying a piece of art — You should hang it up somewhere.

The story is complete and satisfying. It was my favorite read of the week (Right next to FURY MAX #3 which if you’re not picking up, I think you’re insane). If this even runs at a borderline interest for you; pick it up. It’s worth it.

There are plenty of new stories out there. Most of them will be variations on something that has worked before. Some of them will be the trash you expect, and some will be well-executed, fine pieces of storytelling.

BEFORE WATCHMEN: THE MINUTEMEN is a fine piece of sequential storytelling. It’s also just a fun fucking read.

Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 5 - Excellent

Comments

  1. I thought it was a good prequel as well. Cooke is mostly known for his artwork, but this proves he’s a good writer as well. If you enjoyed the original run on Watchman, how could you not be interested in this as well?

Leave a Comment