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http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/02/01/before-watchmen/

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2012/02/01/dc...chmen%E2%80%9D/

The reaction to this project has been interesting to watch. I think Alan Moore's daughter, Leah, captured my feeling about it best in that it would be amazing to see the time and resources put into encouraging creators of this calliber to create something new.

I don't take Alan Moore's work to be sacred. He's an extremely talented man who became famous largely by reinterpreting other people's works. I don't say that with scorn. I love reinterpretations that actually do what the people behind Before Watchmen claim they want to do: make an old concept that's been sitting on the shelf relevant again.

And maybe I could believe that this is what another Watchmen project from DC could do, if I felt that Watchmen was somehow no longer relevant or that DC announced one project from one really stellar creative team as opposed to a whole line of books. The creative teams are high caliber because they have to be, not because DC wants to make a relevant reinterpretation.

I'm very much looking forward to Morrison/Quitely's Pax Americana. In that arena, a single story by a single, high caliber creative team, I think it's fine to play with and reinterpret Watchmen. Based on the fact that there hasn't really been any negative reaction to the idea of Morrison/Quitely reinterpreting Watchmen for Pax Americana, I don't think I'm alone in seeing that sort of distinction.

And Alan Moore speaks again

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1679856/alan-m...-v-big-business

While I appreciate his points on artistic integrity, more and more I find myself against Alan Moore on this. He didn't create these characters. They're all based on pre-existing characters like Captain Atom and The Question. In fact, I believe Moore intended to use those characters are first.

Second, comics are a business. What does he expect?

I still think Watchmen is a great, top 5 of all time story. If someone ever said "Where should I start reading comics" Watchmen would be one of the first things I'd suggest. But I think Moore is just screaming into the void at this point.

I haven't read anything about what other people have said.

My personal opinion is that regardless of which characters Alan Moore may have ripped off to write Watchmen, it was his story to tell and he told it. I feel there was more than enough history in the original to make me not care about anything else.

I mean, why would I want any more background on any of the other characters? I feel like a story was told, and that's the end of it.

The simple fact is that, yes, some of the people involved may want to do justice to the work in whatever way, or they may actually even care about what they're doing instead of just having their name attached to the 'next big project', but...the only reason DC are doing it is because the trade is their biggest property and someone at Warners has said to them 'what the hell are we sitting on the biggest selling trade in history for and not exploiting it? Get the shrimp that's the head of DC to get on to it'

I believe that must be pretty close to the truth.

Maybe it will be an excellent venture, but personally - NOT INTERESTED.

"Solicitations" are up at MTV Geek, but really it's just covers and tag lines....

http://geek-news.mtv.com/2012/03/12/before...citations-june/

for example:

Didio and Lee talk Before Watchmen

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/before-wat...ival-books.html

Anyone thinking of following this?

Alan Moore's opinion of himself and his work is stunningly overblown.

I don't like the idea mainly because prequels do little for me since you know the character's ultimate fate.

I was thinking about picking some of these up, but I read V for Vendetta for the first time and realized how much they butchered it in the movie (I really liked the movie too). Now I'm a little wary of people touching the man's work. He does have a legitimate gripe about them butchering his work. The contract dispute I really can't get behind. He signed a bad contract and it is what it is.

Like said above, his daughter said it perfectly. Why not have these creative teams work towards original works? Or have them build new stories in a new universe? Hell, why not put these teams on some mainstream DC characters? Green Arrow sure could use some help right about now. You look at the sucess of Walking Dead, Sin City, Kick a** and you wonder when are they going to catch on to what's going on? Spend some energy on some new properties you can spin off into franchises. There's a lot of money out there to be made.