Where do I even start with this? This story was first teased back when I was in my first year of high school (DC Rebirth #1, the first DC comic b3.5/5
Where do I even start with this? This story was first teased back when I was in my first year of high school (DC Rebirth #1, the first DC comic book I ever read), then officially announced right after I finished my college entry test, and the story itself was completed around the time I began writing my bachelor’s thesis. So to say that this story took a long time to finish might be an understatement.
And as expected from a story like that, it is a complicated and multi-layered story. I'm going to approach this review by stating the stuff I dislike first, then the good stuff, and finally my conclusion.
Knowing this was written by the biggest DC lore nerd, Geoff Johns, should’ve made me realize that this wouldn’t be a straight up sequel like the brilliant HBO miniseries.
A lot of the problems I have revolve around the fact that there’s a fundamental difference between the world of Watchmen, and the DC universe. And while at times the contrasts make for good story, I feel like most of the time it flat out doesn’t work. The tone of this book is very… wonky. It goes from the gritty realism of Watchmen’s world, then immediately switches into this idealized version of the DC universe, something that is the complete opposite of Watchmen’s world. Not only that, the book even attempts to make this idealized DC universe dark and gritty, but a lot of the time, it just becomes edgy instead of compelling.
This tone problem becomes even clearer when you compare it to the original. The original is a deconstruction (not in the Derridean sense of the word, but in the TV Tropes sense of the word) of superhero tropes that were common back when it came out. There are moments that feel like the book is trying to deconstruct something related to DC’s canon, but mostly it just either fall flat or really confounding to the point where I had to keep rereading bits in order to understand it, this is exacerbated by the second major problem...
And that is the lack of focus. While the other (better) sequel, HBO’s Watchmen, takes a contemporary concept (race issues) that is not only well-fleshed out, but is NOT a retread, Doomsday Clock began by retreading the same grounds as the original (cold war), but instead, Doomsday Clock replaced the nukes with superheroes and supervillains Then as it continues on, it began putting out so many different ideas and themes, many of them are never really fleshed out.
HBO’s Watchmen on the other hand, worked for me partly because it followed the spirit of the original. Cold War was a big thing in the 80s, and race issues have never been more relevant than today. In doing the retreading (and the subsequent thematic confusion), I think Doomsday Clock didn’t completely work as a Watchmen sequel.
Not to mention, the closer to the end I was, the more I felt like this was less of a Watchmen sequel, and more of a convoluted attempt to rationalize the inherently (due to the nature of the medium) inconsistent and unstable DC Universe, and I'm not really sure what to think about that.
That said, I rated this 3.5, so there are even more stuff I liked. For starters, the art is amazing, it’s probably part of why it took so long, and if it was, it’s totally worth it. The use of 3x3 panel structure, while not quite at the level of Moore/Gibbons, still elevated the storytelling and provided a necessary constant in the story, and like in the original, every time the format is broken, it’s always intriguing and brings further insight to the story.
Another thing I love is the choices for the titles/quotes for each issues, all of them very relevant and sometimes insightful, in that aspect, I think Doomsday Clock equals the original.
There’s even something that I liked more in Doomsday Clock than I did in the original, and that’s the story-within-the-story. I never really understood what’s so good about the Black Freighter subplot in the original. I know why it’s there, but I never particularly liked it, it felt dragging in many parts. But the story-within-the-story in this one is always relevant to the main stories, and not only that, it never dragged and it’s always entertaining.
Now, despite the things I said earlier, I want to give props to the writing in general. When the book finally did reach a thematic clarity, what it had to say is a powerful thing, and I really liked it, even if it might have been introduced a little too sloppily. Plus, all the many introduced subplots, while most of them aren’t fleshed out as far as I wanted them to, they were all very interesting and sometimes, the deconstruction did work well and made me think.
And just in general, the skill needed to carefully juggle all these different characters and stories from different parts of the DC Universe is something that I’m in awe of, despite the execution’s imperfections.
Which brings me to the main point of the good stuff. Once I stopped trying to compare it to the original and the HBO sequel, I couldn’t stop reading. Generally, a story this complicated wouldn’t be a page-turner for me, but somehow, this was. The characters, both old and new, are all very engaging and memorable, and the original characters seem pretty consistent to what I remember from the original. The cliffhangers and the pacing are generally perfect, the slow revelation of the mystery just made me keep wanting to read more and more.
Johns has always had a knack for balancing epic, world-ending stakes with engaging characters and packaging them into a page-turning story, this is just another one out of many in his oeuvre.
Overall, Doomsday Clock is a messy attempt at incorporating Watchmen into the DC universe, and as a direct sequel, it didn’t live up to neither the spirit nor the quality of the original, however, if I see it as it’s own thing, I had a blast reading it, and ultimately, isn’t that what really matters?
(as if it wasn’t obvious from the allusions in my review, if you want a fantastic Watchmen sequel, just watch the HBO series)...more
Okay, now that's closer to what I'd expected. Very weird and out there, even for a comic book. However, this weirdness are presented in such a way thaOkay, now that's closer to what I'd expected. Very weird and out there, even for a comic book. However, this weirdness are presented in such a way that it's still very much understandable, even if it takes the readers a while to get. The plot is very fast paced and despite its strangeness, it never gets bogged down in overexplaining or overexposition, however, there were some dialogues that felt way to expository and out of place. The characters were great, once again, Cliff/Robotman and his whole "audience surrogate" role really stole the show. Willoughby Kipling is like a more fucked up version of John Constantine, and I loved it. The way the book portrayed the different versions of Crazy Jane was fascinating and they really delved deep into her character(s?) in this one. The art was actually good too, and I say this as someone who normally doesn't like old school comic book art.
It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're looking for some batshit crazy comic book story starring some very fucked up people, this is for you....more
I'd had some doubts about Wonder Woman's role in this, but this was a pretty good start. Both the writing and the art had horror influences, which I lI'd had some doubts about Wonder Woman's role in this, but this was a pretty good start. Both the writing and the art had horror influences, which I liked. I liked the writing just enough, Tynion knows how to write a team book. It felt very much like a set up issue but there were enough great character interactions to keep me entertained. But the true star of the issue was the art, it was absolutely spectacular. Really liked the new Zatanna design and there were some pretty fucked up body horror that I didn't expect in a JL book. Will definitely continue reading this....more
Despite the very interesting premise, I didn't expect this to be this good. It has some glaring flaws (boring parts of dialogues, some very on the nosDespite the very interesting premise, I didn't expect this to be this good. It has some glaring flaws (boring parts of dialogues, some very on the nose political commentary), but other than that, I'm really liked it. The relationship between Batman and Joker reminded me of Lego Batman, but it was deconstructed in such a mature way, highlighting the aspects of these characters in a way that hasn't been done before. Also, the art is absolutely beautiful so that's always a plus....more
I'd already known that Gerard Way is a terrific author (because I read Doom Patrol), and this is just another confirmation. I guess it has a lot in coI'd already known that Gerard Way is a terrific author (because I read Doom Patrol), and this is just another confirmation. I guess it has a lot in common with his Doom Patrol books, it's about a very dysfunctional superhero group, and everything about it is really fucking weird (in the best possible way). That said, it was still pretty original. I was confused at some parts of the book, mostly because there are a lot of characters, but thankfully they end up really distinct and unique characters. Also, the pacing of the story was a little weird in some places, as if it was confined by the format (22 pages per issue), but despite that, I think this book is worth checking out, even if you don't like the story, Gabriel Ba's art is truly beautiful.
I can't believe that it's gonna be made into a TV show, the budget would need to be insanely high. Anyway, I'm excited to read the second volume, I heard it's much better than this....more
How can anyone write something like this (and most of this Batman run) after writing actual masterpieces like Vision, Omega Men and Mister Miracle?? IHow can anyone write something like this (and most of this Batman run) after writing actual masterpieces like Vision, Omega Men and Mister Miracle?? I just don't get it, Tom....more
After some frustratingly subpar story arcs (subpar by King's standard) Tom King finally delivered something great in his Batman run. With this charactAfter some frustratingly subpar story arcs (subpar by King's standard) Tom King finally delivered something great in his Batman run. With this character-driven arc, he delved deep into the psyche of Batman and some characters around him (particularly Robin, Nightwing, Superman, and of course Catwoman). This arc really had it all, it featured some of my favorite romance and bromance moments in Batman history, it gave some great insight on the dynamic between Catwoman and Batman, it had a lot of funny moments (usually involving Alfred or one of the Bat boys), not only that, it also had some tearjerking moments, particularly on the Annual #2 issue. So yeah, basically a perfect arc....more
Possibly my favorite issue so far. The plot is actually moving and characters we know are actually doing interesting stuff and meeting other characterPossibly my favorite issue so far. The plot is actually moving and characters we know are actually doing interesting stuff and meeting other characters in interesting ways.
I just hope there won't be anymore delays......more
I'm just so glad that [Redacted] is back, I thought everyone in DC has forgotten about him.
Reading this, I could tell that Scott Snyder writing 90/100
I'm just so glad that [Redacted] is back, I thought everyone in DC has forgotten about him.
Reading this, I could tell that Scott Snyder writing Justice League (which frankly has been terrible in the Rebirth era) is a going to be a great decision. He gets each character and he put them in such a desperate and bleak situations that when you finally see them regain hope, it's satisfying and it makes total sense.
There were a lot of funny stuff in this issue, some of them really dark (which fits the Nightmare Batmen/Barbatos).
I feel like every issue ends with things getting even worse than before, and it's the same thing here, props for consistency I guess. But one thing is for sure, it'll be interesting to see how this gets resolved.
I've said it before but I'll say it again, this series is the most comicbook-y thing I have ever read, it doesn't shy away from it, but it totally embraces it. And I like that.
I still have major problems with the art. I liked Capullo's work on new 52 Batman, but this is nothing close to that, for something that got delayed for a while, I expected something much better. But it's not so bad that it makes me unable to enjoy this.
Next issue (Wild Hunt) involves Grant Morrison so I'm even more excited...more
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