Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 – Review

by Darwyn Cooke (writer & artist), Phil Noto (colorist), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer)

The Story: Getting to know the Minutemen…

The Review:  Well, it’s finally here, the moment you’ve either been looking forward to or dreading but are, most likely, at least highly curious about.
After reading this first issue, I’m left feeling that a Watchmen prequel, or more Watchmen comics in general, actually isn’t a bad idea.  It’s not so much the characters that necessitate returning to so much as the Watchmen universe.  Cooke’s artwork really hammered this point home.  Not only is it gorgeous in Cooke’s usual stylish, retro way, but it’s really immersive and creates and establishes a unique world that is evocative and characterful in its own way.  Cooke legitimately gives us a world that feels like a different time and, well, just flat out different.  Minutemen is a book that is, more than anything else, an escape, or a trip, to another world and another time.  In that sense, Minutemen #1 is an easy book to get lost in, in the best way possible.

Cooke devotes almost the entirety of the issue to introducing each member of the team individually.  Overall, it’s extremely well-executed.  In 2-3 pages, we get a firm handle on the core essence of each of these characters, that is, their personalities, their backgrounds, their motivations, and their physical presences.  Speaking on this last point, I loved how Cooke distinguished each member’s unique fighting style; each battles the baddies in an entirely different way, even if it always involves fisticuffs.  Each also has an entirely different persona and by the end of the issue, you feel like you know each of them and can see each as a distinct piece that slots into the team in its own way.  Guiding this all along is narration by Hollis Mason from his book “Under the Hood,” which gives the book a controlled, structured feel that also makes everything seem significant.

Overall, the best I can say about this comic is that throughout, it’s amazing well-crafted.  More than most comics I read, it felt like a tremendous amount of thought, and labour, went into each individual textbox and each individual panel.  Everything is well-considered and you can tell that Cooke, and his editors, presumably, have put a lot of time into making the best comic they can.  The end result is an issue that feels tremendously polished, one that feels a cut above the usual weekly morass.  It feels well-crafted, with an effort to make everything just right.  This also leads to a comic that is very structured with a clear, methodical pace and plan in mind.  You can tell that a lot of work went into preliminary outlines and such long before Cooke ever wrote a single line or drew a single panel of it.

The Unwritten #1 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (pencils and inks), Chris Chuckry (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Tom Taylor lives a life of semi-celebrity as the inspiration for Tommy Taylor, the star of a Harry Potter-esque series of books penned by his vanished father.  As his identity becomes questioned, his life begins to fall apart; as does the line between the fictional and “real” worlds.

The Good: This comic has a premise like no other and this issue dives headlong into its winning concept, while nonetheless leaving us knowing full well that there is a LOT more to be revealed.  In that sense, this is a great first issue; it uses its premise to its fullest potential, while also hinting at limitless potential.  This comic is a literary affair, calling into question the juxtaposition of reality and fiction, as well as issues of authenticity and historicism; it’s complex stuff, yet very accessible. In this respect, I feel that the Unwritten fills a certain void in Vertigo’s line-up that was once filled by books like Sandman, Books of Magic, Swamp Thing, or even Carey’s last series, Lucifer.  These series were all of a more academic nature, the sort that you might find alongside Watchmen on a liberal-minded English professor’s course syllabus.  The Unwritten clearly falls into this position and looks to continue its honored thematic lineage. This is an incredibly smart comic that academics, students, and general literature buffs should not pass on, as it’s a concept that lends itself well to deconstructive or post-modern theory and a wide array of critical readings in general.

But of course, that wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t well written.  Thankfully, Carey returns in prime shape.  The writing is incredibly diverse in style and succeeds in everything it applies itself to. The dialogue feels fluid, dynamic, and alive. Nothing feels at all wooden, and where Carey applies his wit, the dialogue only becomes more enjoyable.  All the characters come across as being unique and engaging. Moreover their conversations feel both real and distinct.

However, on a formal and technical level, where Carey’s writing is most awe-inspiring is where he’s able to seemingly leap between prose forms.  He balances comic-book word bubbles with television news reports, a full page internet news blog, paragraph excerpts from a Tommy Taylor novel, and at one point, an original poem. This is just such an astonishing technical feat that I can only marvel at. How one man can balance so many voices and so many mediums in the space of one comic book issue, I cannot begin to guess.

Of course, this diversity is only made possible through the art of Peter Gross.  The first thing that strikes me is just how varied and creative Gross’s panel layouts are here.  Never static, never repetitive, Gross never once follows a set formula to establish itself.  The paneling is abstract and alive, and when Carey decides to write a news blog or read from a Taylor novel, Gross follows suit, adjusting his layouts dramatically.

His actual art is solid stuff and does well to make itself just distinct enough to avoid “the typical Vertigo comic” look.  What I especially enjoyed was how Gross completely changed his style whenever depicting a scene from a Tommy Taylor novel.  Suddenly, the art becomes less realistic and more whimsical, with more abstract paneling.  It’s as though a different artist stepped in.

The Not So Good: This is an amazing book and there’s really nothing lackluster here at all.  If I really, really tried to find something to whine about, I suppose three or four of the smaller panels looked a little rushed.

Conclusion: A concept like no other, solid artwork, and writing that is intelligent idea-wise and impressive in technical execution, this is a comic not to be missed and this is a perfect first issue.  It is just astonishingly good.  Vertigo potentially has a big hit on its hands here.  It’s also only $1.00 for this double-sized issue, so you really have absolutely no excuse not to give it a shot.  One issue in and for me, this is already the best new series of 2009. Buy this book!

Grade: A

-Alex Evans

Watchmen – Movie Review

Let’s get this straight, THIS IS NOT ALAN MOORE’S WATCHMEN.  With that said, this movie– this story, cannot be “Alan Moore good.”  And we all knew this once word got out that there were changes made.  However, Zack Snyder still does a pretty good job staying faithful to the book by capturing the dystopia that Moore presented and by focusing and developing the complex story of each hero.  Aside from the drastic change in the ending, the Watchmen movie is a decent adaptation of Alan Moore’s book.

When I first heard that Watchmen was being made into a film, I reverted back to the common idea of the book being un-filmable.  I mean, how exactly were they going to include all the dossiers and all the other unique elements in the movie? Plus with the majority of stupid moviegoers that give film studios reasons to produce intellectually devoid “spoof movies,” how can “the general public” “enjoy” such a story as rich and epic as Watchmen?  Luckily, Snyder manages to produce something that is nowhere near a Michael Bay piece of shit work.  Aside from all the gratuitous slow motion (and that awkwardly long sex scene between Nite Owl and Silk Spectre) and the altered ending, the “Visionary Director of 300” successfully gives us a movie that provides a very faithful character study of each hero.  Thankfully, the film doesn’t hold back in being a character drama.  The true Watchmen fan won’t be disappointed in witnessing how and why each hero comes to perceive the world and the people that live in it.  Jackie Earle Haley perfectly captures Rorschach’s voice, and Patrick Wilson convinces us with Dan Dreiberg’s helplessness and general impotenece.  As for the other characters, the chick from “Harold and Kumar” is a forgettable Silk Spectre, Billy Cruddup does a good job being detached from humanity (but still sounds like a gentle vulcan), and as for the Comedian, I still can’t help but think how much he looks like a chubby version of Tony Stark; nonetheless he still does a good job portraying the ruthless and nihilistic cynic.

Furthermore, Snyder is on point in capturing the political and dystopian theme depicted in Moore’s book.  Given the fact that this story doesn’t truthfully translate the comic book, this movie ultimately serves as an “Alan Moore-esque” Watchmen.  The way Snyder’s movie ends is not exactly like Moore’s story.  Instead, Snyder’s Watchmen is as shocking and as over the top as the one everyone read in Moore’s book.  The confrontational and haunting ending in the film captures the general purpose in what Moore wrote in his novel, in which the focus is in the pursuit of making a grand and haunting point about humanity and where that specific time in history was headed.  With the focus on the characters and their origin stories rather than the complex and outrageous plot, the Watchmen movie can definitely still be as entertaining and thought provoking as the book.  However, since this movie is not a loyal translation of Alan Moore’s work, its altered parts changes the original tale on paper; thus forcing the fans to mull over how this ending works.  Nevertheless, the Watchmen movie and its re-imagined aspects still echo the original work of Alan Moore and David Gibbons.

Grade: B

– Raymond Hilario

Watchmen Hype

NBS Nightly News with Ted Philips Presents…

BREAKING: Watchmen Trailer Online!

Empire Online has the exclusive trailer for Watchmen now online. Go see it now. Like Zach Snyder’s previous effort, 300, this movie mimics a lot of the scenes from the comic book.

Go check it out now and come back here and let us know what you think? Personally? I think Alan Moore might actually be proud of this one…

UPDATE (3:09 PM PDT):

Trailer at YouTube (DEAD NOW) But this one works! (NOT ANYMORE)

Flash Versions (higher res) here and here and here

More mirrors will be posted as they come in.

UPDATE (7:45 PM PDT):

The trailer is now up at Apple.com in HD!

Comic-Con 2008: Complete Progamming schedule

The full programming schedule is available now. I noticed a high increment in game related panels compared to previous years. Many people will not like this as it doesn’t have any relation from the comics.

Friday is Star Wars day. Artists scheduled for panels include Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Robert Kirkman, Eric Larsen, Jim Butcher, Kevin Smith, Frank Miller and Brad Meltzer among others.

Media & games related panels include Watchmen, Stargate, Prince of Persia, Star Wars, Spaced, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Ghostbusters, The Wolfman, American Dad, The Spirit, World of Warcraft, The Venture Brothers, 24, Robot Chicken, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Eureka and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along among a lot more of other panels.

A highly recommended panel is the Kevin Smith one. I don’t even like his movies, but his panels are hilarious.

Check the full list for Friday here.

For Saturday there is lots of panels to pick from: Ralph Bakshi, Joe Hill, Ben Templesmith, Steve Niles, David Mack, Dean Koontz, J. Michael Straczynski and media events for Futurama, The Simpson, Heroes, Dollhouse, Terminator Salvation, Battlestar Galactica, Pushing Daisies, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fringe and Starship Troopers 3.

The full list of panels for Saturday is here.