When the Before Watchmen announcements first hit, this was the one title I was really excited for. I'm a huge Cooke fan, and I couldn't think of anyone better suited to revisit the Minutemen than he. I knew going into this series that it would look gorgeous, and it sure did. I figured Darwyn had a good yarn to spin, because why would he agree to do this if he didn't, but man I was not prepared for how affecting and powerful this story would turn out to be. Every issue has been fantastic, but after the last two, I'll admit to not knowing where these revelations would lead us to. We've know Hooded Justice(HJ) was kind of freaky since Moore's original tale, but he just kept getting scarier with each new revelation in this mini. So much so that by the time this issue began, he was a full-blown monster. Cooke did such a fantastic job feeding us what we wanted, a real antagonist, someone to root against. HJ was a sadist, and a pederast, and we had the perfect hero in Nite Owl to take him down. I can't speak for everyone, but Darwyn had me wrapped around his finger, I was right there with Hollis, cheering him and Mothman on. This is where I think Mr. Cooke really nailed the landing. Although I was surprised that Hollis went to the extreme and straight up killed HJ, I understood why. Those poor kids, and poor submissive Capt. Metropolis, and Sillouette's tragic end, and now HJ was gonna kill Byron too? He couldn't take it anymore, it was the last straw. This time Hollis was going to end it all, and make certain that no one else would ever suffer at the hands of this psychopath. It's funny, because after that climax I was thinking to myself, "Well, I guess not every issue can end with a shocking revealation, sometimes the good guys just win". Then in a just seven magnificently evil pages Edward Blake comes in, and takes a shit on our parade. In case you forgot who the ultimate bastard was, The Comedian has one final joke to tell. My jaw was agape,I couldn't believe it, but my mouth morphed into a smile of admiration at the feat Darwyn Cooke had just pulled off. I couldn't have asked for a better, or more fitting end to this miniseries. This is a story I want to read again, once the shock has worn off. With "Minutemen" Cooke managed to add another layer to Moore and Gibbons' Watchmen without effecting the original's legacy. He rounded out characters that were only touched upon in the original, and I think they are better for it. While writing this review, I was struck by the last line of this issue, and how fitting it was for the idea of doing this whole "Before Watchmen" thing. While it might not work for all the additons, I think it does for this one at least. "It'll never be like it was when it was new, but there's still some life left in this old baby". These stories may never match the resonance or effect of the original, but when done right, they make a strong case for revisiting these characters and the world Moore and Gibbons created way back in the 80's.