According to Bleeding Cool, there will be. According to Nikki Finke, there won’t be.
There has been fevered debate throughout the interwebs regarding a rumor that DC EIC Dan DiDio was considering a spin-off and original comics based on the Watchmen universe. Obviously, this would be without the contribution of original writer Alan Moore, who has famously told DC to fuck themselves in a big, big way.
Some fans were fine with it and some thought it was blasphemy. After all, Watchmen is a comic that celebrates what’s wrong with superhero culture. But when you get down to it, it reminds me of a famous exchange with Stephen King during the heyday of his novels getting the movie treatment. When the reporter asked if he felt some of these adaptations destroyed his story, King pointed to the hard cover copies he had in his office and replied, “they weren’t destroyed, they’re right there.”
And I kind of feel the same way about this. Watchmen will always be Watchmen. Whether new stories are created or not, DC is not messing with the original work. I actually think it offers a lot of potential if you get the right talent involved. I mean, a Brian Azzarello-scripted monthly Rorschach could be some fun — and that guy would definitely get the voice of the character.
If it fails, everyone can say “I told you so” and quickly forget about it. But if it succeeds, then we get some great new stories with these characters, and I think there’s still a lot to explore. If you made the title a throwback to their adventures pre-downfall, there could be some interesting story telling there — especially since we know its tragic end. And even with the right talent they may still fall short, but a monthly Batman title is still interesting even though it may never measure up to a Killing Joke or Dark Knight Returns.
I understand those who hate the idea. To them, it feels like taking the Godfather and turning it into a weekly TV series. But if The Sopranos taught us anything, with the right creative team and company commitment, that kind of thing can work out, too.
(Photo Via: Dave Gibbon Fansite)
