If you were hoping for big movie news at San Diego Comic-Con, Hollywood’s combined writers/actors’ strike rained on your parade. As part of the union agreements, members are not allowed to promote current projects, which kept the A-listers away from the SDCC panels. Maybe it wasn’t live-action news, but James Gunn and DC Studios still managed to give the crowd something to cheer about, announcing that Watchmen and Crisis on Infinite Earths will be getting animated movies.
Between the two projects, Watchmen has raised the most questions. At this point, no one knows what DC has planned here. We’ve seen two Watchmen adaptations already: Zack Snyder’s 2009 movie and Damn Lindelof’s HBO Max series that aired in 2019. Will the animated movie be a continuation or will it stick closer to the source material? That’s the question. Of course, it’s sent buyers on the prowl for those all-important keys.
WATCHMEN #1
Regardless of the direction DC Studios takes, when it comes to collecting, getting your hands on Watchmen #1 is the first order of business. Moore’s masterpiece ranks on many comic readers’ Mount Rushmore of game-changing stories. That makes the first issue a go-to on any given day.
Factor in movie news, be it animated or live-action, and it ups the collecting ante. After all, you are getting the first appearances of all the major players in the Watchmen story.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #1
Five years ago, DC caused some controversy when the publisher brought the characters of Watchmen into the main timeline. After some teases of Batman finding the Comedian’s button buried in the Batcave, Geoff Johns, and Gary Frank introduced the full cast to Earth-One in spectacular fashion. Instead of a 1986 Watchmen adaptation, DC Studios could be gearing up for Doomsday Clock. That would give collectors a reason to track down Doomsday Clock #1 and its multiple variants.
Not only do you get the series’ debut issue, but it also features the first appearances of the homicidal couple, Mime and Marionette. We haven’t seen much of these two since the events of Doomsday Clock, but giving them featured roles in an animated movie could help change that.
In the comics, they crossed over with Joker and Batman, and that would be a fitting home for them. There’s enough potential to roll the dice on their first appearance in Doomsday Clock #6.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #12
In the series’ final issue, Johns introduced what could be the most powerful character in DC Comics, Clark Dreiberg. The son of Mime and Marionette, Dr. Manhattan took Clark to an alternate timeline. After Manhattan transferred his godly powers to Clark, he left the boy in the care of an all-American family, the Dreibergs, the surname of Watchmen’s Night Owl. Although it’s left unsaid, the idea is that Manhattan crafted a version of the Superman origin story.
Clark hasn’t been seen since this issue, but he’s too interesting of a character to leave him on the shelf permanently. A reintroduction via a Doomsday Clock movie could help set the stage for his return in the comics as well.
THE RIGHT CHOICE
Since the days of the Snyder-verse, DC’s live-action slate has been polarizing, to say the least. While movie fans may argue the merits of those flicks, the company’s cartoon entries have received universal praise for years. Putting a beloved classic like Watchmen in the hands of DC’s animated division should prove to be a wise decision.
