8 stories
Watchmen
In an alternate world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history, the US won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the cold war is in full effect! Watchmen begins as a murder-mystery, but soon unfolds into a planet-altering conspiracy. As the resolution comes to a head, the unlikely group of reunited heroes—Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias—have to test the limits of their convictions and ask themselves where the true line is between good and evil. In the mid-eighties, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created Watchmen, changing the course of comics' history and essentially remaking how popular culture perceived the genre. Popularly cited as the point where comics came of age, Watchmen's sophisticated take on superheroes has been universally acclaimed for its psychological depth and realism.
Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan
Jon Osterman is a meticulous and methodical man of science who, after a horrific accident brought on by his own experiment, is reconfigured into the atom-splitting DR. MANHATTAN. The former scientist glides in and out of the past, present and future. Free from the limitations of time and space, he watches over timelines of what has happened, what might have been and what may yet be. With powers that make him akin to a god, Dr. Manhattan wrestles with his tenuous grasp on his own humanity and his ability to change the world with the merest gesture.
Before Watchmen: Rorschach
It was clear to Walter Kovacs from a young age that he had an innate sense of right and wrong, even if no one else did. Frustrated by the surrounding sin of the world and motivated by his unshakable morality, he became the vigilante known as RORSCHACH. As a masked hero, Walter is able to see the stark contrasts of good and evil in black and white and uphold justice as he sees fit.
Before Watchmen: Comedian
Edward Blake's moral code, much like his sense of humor, is darkly ambiguous. Though he's a man of dubious principles and ambition, there's no doubt he's the man for the job if it's a dirty one. Dispatched by the shadow workers of the government in a time of international crisis, the COMEDIAN enters the theater of war to have the last laugh.
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias
To what lengths won't Adrian Veidt go to become the world's smartest man? What sacrifices won't he make? Who won't he push out of his way? BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS paints an uncompromising portrait of a man whose altruistic desire to right a corrupt planet might come at the cost of his humanity.
Before Watchmen: Nite Owl
Dan Dreiberg's hero was the NITE OWL --- the ultimate defender of justice and a symbol of integrity. His desperation to escape a troubled home life leads him to the doorstep of his idol --- Hollis Mason, the true identity of the man behind the mask. Impressing Mason with his techno-whiz abilities, Dan dons the mantle of Nite Owl. But has the world changed so much that the caped hero is now obsolete?
Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre
As a straight-laced and studious teenager, Laurel Jane Jupiter has been in training since birth to take up the mantle of the SILK SPECTRE from her mother. No longer able to endure Sally Jupiter's restrictions, demands and curfews, Laurie runs off with her high school sweetheart, out to map her own path to heroism. Now out of the protective shadow of her mother, Laurie finds that blazing her own trail is more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
Before Watchmen: Minutemen
As the predecessors to the Watchmen, the MINUTEMEN joined their abilities to fight injustice in an ever-changing world. They represented a new brand of crime-fighting super heroes with names like the Nite Owl, Silhouette, Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, The Comedian, Dollar Bill, Mothman, and Captain Metropolis. But who among them will ultimately question where the line between hero and villain is drawn? Will their differences of opinion mean the difference between life and death?
