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Posted June 14, 2012 by Earl Maghirang in Comics
 
 

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Before Watchmen Minutemen # 1

Reviewing Before Watchmen Minutemen # 1 by Darwyn Cooke, Len Wein and John Higgins.

DC Comics’ answer to AVX is now here. And what better way to start this whole debacle than with a look at the original masked heroes who walked the world of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s “Watchmen”.

Alright before you and gripe about this project, I’m telling you guys to give the books a try. I mean sure its not a book with Moore’s name stamped on the cover but you have to look at the caliber of the creators involved.

Minutemen is done by Darwyn Cooke and Len Wein (with the Minutemen’s art done by Cooke and Higgins on the Crimson Corsair backup). If you’re not familiar with this guy, he did a lot of books but really made it big with DC’s New Frontier book as well as the Parker GNs.

So going back to the review, this book focuses on the lives of the Minutemen but is told through the narration of the first Nite Owl Hollis Mason. It actually makes perfect sense that Mason was chosen mainly because when we get to meet him in Watchmen, he was already done publishing his autobiographical book entitled “Under the Hood“.

I’ll tell you something, the book provides a fresh look at the world which Moore and Gibbons wrote back in the 80s. If you’ve read the book or saw the movie, your interest might have been piqued by these heroes and heroines this is definitely for you.

One thing I can commend on this book is the paneling. It was very apparent that Cooke was channeling his inner Gibbons when he was drawing the book. The first and second page alone was very Gibbon-esque and it was something that both fans and creators alike can look at for a few minutes and then look back after finishing the book.

Again the narration and the dialogue were spot on. Thoroughly enjoyed this little tome. As for the plot, it kinda takes a back seat in favor of introducing all the key players not to mention their motivations. Most importantly we get to see what the older characters were like before we see them.

The first Silk Spectre for example was seen as more of a hybrid between a pinup model and a crimefighter who’s in it for the fame and money. The Comedian’s appearance in # 1 also showed how much of a “damaged goods” he is.

Overall, its a good read and fans of Watchmen should try checking this out before branding this book as a lousy way for DC Comics to grab money from their readers.

This review is powered by Comicx Hub. We got our Before Watchmen Minutemen # 1 from Comicx Hub!


Earl Maghirang