More Watchmen — WWTF??!!??
3 Feb
As promised in a tweet earlier today, Rich Johnston unpacks plans for more Watchmen. There’s no delicate way of putting it. With Paul Levitz gone, Dan DiDio is pursuing plans to exploit the Watchmen, which despite being owned by DC (and created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons) have never had any spin-offs, sequels, prequels or Baby Watchmen Go To Florida whatsoever. But that may be changing, Johnston reports:
Well, it seems to be happening a lot sooner than I thought. I understand now that this considered a pet project of Dan DiDio, SVP-Executive Editor. That he is determined to impress new bosses by building on DC’s biggest selling comic book of all time with multiple prequel comic miniseries and spinoff ongoing projects.
I understand that both Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have to be offered first refusal before any of these titles could be published. But if they don’t want to work on them themselves (and Alan Moore is never going to agree), DiDio has been sounding out people who might be willing to take on the task.
While there’s no question that playing in the fields of the the Gone With The Wind of superheroes might be terrifying and daunting…it might also be irresistible to some.
It also follows DiDio’s pattern as DC showrunner of wringing every single drop of IP juice from every franchise he can. Because the idea of developing talent who can deliver NEW IP seems to have fallen by the wayside, the uncharitable might sniff. Anyway, it’s likely that some notable comics talent might be attracted to working on the comics equivalent of “The Pitcher in the Barley.”
Alan Moore, it is safe to say, is likely to give several highly entertaining, quotable and cranky interviews while dismissing the entire idea.
Shame.
SHAME.
SHHHHAAAAYYYYYMMMMM-AAHHHHHH.
//\Oo/\\
This is one train wreck I’ll enjoy watching.
Due to story decompression, the NEW WATCHMEN will have all three-panel pages.
/cranky
Oh, no. No, no, no. No. Oh, dear.
The collective e-groan might actually break the internet.
Well – no big deal. It’s not like if they were making a movie out of Watchmen… erk…
Oh man.
Were I a comics professional, I would avoid this.
1) If it fails, it’s a permanent Mark of Cain, a dead albatross, on your resume.
2) How can this succeed? How can you match the success of DC’s best selling graphic novel? Has a “classic” prose novel sequel ever matched the success of the original material? Especially “commissioned” sequels written by different authors?
3) Would the people involved be considered pariahs by other comics professionals?
4) If DC wanted to capitalize on a cool Alan Moore Watchman-like story, why not develop “Twilight of the Superheroes”?
5) Why not take Moore’s model (archetypal super heroes in the real world) and create a “Watchmen-like” work? Just as the Charlton heroes were left unscathed by Moore, so could the Watchmen characters be left unscathed by DiDio. If it works, DC gets another property to merchandise. If it doesn’t work, you banish it to World #53, to be re-developed twenty years later by some hot writer.
Of course… this could be the massive publicity disaster that brings the vultures home to roost, and leads to the creative staff changes fans have been clamoring for.
Logic says this would be a Vertigo project, but if I were in the Vertigo office, I would demure to Mr. DiDio. “It’s superheroes… Let Wildstorm handle it. They published Moore’s other titles.”
Okay, who remembers the officially-sanctioned sequel to Gone with the Wind from the early 1990s? Title, author, etc? What do you think are the chances of finding it in a physical, brick-and-mortar bookstore?
On the other hand, I’d be willing to bet they made a ton of money 20 years ago…
The only way any creative team that would agree to doing this project would emerge out of this without being considered the dirtiest of the dirty is if they donated their pay for working on this and got DC to donate one million dollars (at least) to the Alzheimer’s Foundation (and I’m not trying to make a joke). Then if this sequel was actually good, those creators would be in even more demand.
I almost mentioned The Wind Done Gone. I remember it because my friend Charlene was the cover model:
Oh man.
Who in their RIGHT MIND would think this is a good idea?
If all bets are off, can Sandman be far behind?
There has been one official prequel to Watchmen, and it was even sanctioned by Alan Moore. It was a game module for the DC Heroes Role-Playing Game, one produced by Mayfair Games.
http://onceuponageek.com/2009/03/16/watchmen-mayfair-rpg-stats-1987/
Yeah, but Gaiman’s issue is money. If they want more Sandman, they’d probably end up dumping some cash into his account and everyone involved would go home with a reasonable chance of being happy.
In fact, dumping this bad idea and giving Gaiman a truckload to do a new Sandman GN for Vertigo is probably a much better idea than this. Sigh.
If Moore and Gibbons have right of first refusal on it, maybe they should just accept the assignment and then drag their feet on it. Given how late DC books like ALL-STAR BATMAN and PLANETARY tend to be, they could probably ride it out until there’s a change in management.
I don’t think I know anyone who would work on this. I’d get a day job first.
I really can’t get to upset at all of this. The book is still goin to exist, none of this will tarnish the original. Plus it hasn’t happened yet. It’s just speculation at this point. The only damage that would be done is if it is completely creatively bankrupt yet became immensly popular. Other than that I wouldn’t get to worked up. Not for nothing just cause Rich wrote it…..I mean still waiting for a substantial Marvelman announcement.
‘The Beat’s friend Charlene is pretty hot.
That’s the most reputable thing I’ve learned so far in this entire post.
I know rumors are rumors for a reason, but with Dick Johnson sometimes it’s best to always check your sources.
This would cause a nerd riot and earn who ever actually makes it a scarlet letter…unless it’s Dave Gibbons. Alan Moore is obviously not going to touch it, but Gibbons could do it without pissing anyone off and may be able to pull it off.
But really, this is just an abysmal idea and a blatant money grab.
Silver lining to this black cloud? Maybe “more Watchmen” means Frank Miller and Jim Lee doing ALL-STAR WATCHMEN.
“Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you htink I am? I’m the goddamn Comedian.”
Works for me.
DiDio’s desperation moves just keep getting more and more pathetic, don’t they? But heck, why doesn’t DiDio just do this sequel HIMSELF, since he seems so hell bent on proving to everyone that he can write comics these days? That way, nobody else will tarnish their reputations on it. And I’m sure he can find some third-grade level “rising talent find” that he found in some alley to work on it as well.
Actually, Scarlett is available at most B&Ns in New York, and I suspect, across the country. Why? Because people see the movie (but probably don’t read the book) and want more story with those characters. I saw the same thing with Wicked. They want Maguire’s book, but never thought to read the original texts. Same thing with all those Pride and Prejudice sequels. It’s fan-fiction for people who don’t want to bother with imagination or thinking. It might be faithful and well-done (lest the fans stay away), but it still pales in comparison to the original.
Yeah, we still have the original, but remember how kickass Superman II was, how everyone thought it was the best comicbook movie EVER, even better than Superman: The Motion Picture? Well, they made #3 and then #4 and then Supergirl.
I predict that Watchmen Babies will be a smashing success.
Hurm.
One thing I always wonder whenever something like this pops up is if any one is actually working to independently confirm the story. I’ve seen this story in several places but no one is saying “yeah, I’ve heard the same thing.”
Not that I doubt this particular story but it would be nice is there were other places and other sources.
Anyway, I would get angry over this but what would be the point.
Margret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind” is the #5159 best-seller on Amazon, while Alexandra Ripley’s “Scarlett” is #40,043
-B
A part of me wants this to happen for 2 simple reasons, first off Watchmen is so overated it’s incredible and second to see Moore and his fanboys heads explode that would be priceless.
This is hysterical.
Oh, hell. There are so many ways this could go wrong.
Not that no one should ever write anything Watchmen, but that there should be an “authorised” sequel / prequel / whatever when the creators themselves don’t authorise it… feels kind of sketchy.
I’d feel much, much more comfortable with a Wind Done Gone type take than anything trying to be a straight up ordinary sequel.
Yeah, Gaiman was supposed to have done a prequel to Sandman last year for the 20th anniversary of the Sandman but DC wouldn’t agree to his terms. The story would have been about what happened to Dream to get him to a such a weakened state that lead to him getting captured in Sandman #1.
I’m fuzzy on the details, but I think Gaiman wanted a bigger percentage of the profits, closer to what he would get for one of his novels, yet DC said no. Which is just insane, considering the last Sandman trade got on the New York Times best-sellers list, DC’s just pissing away money because they wouldn’t get a big enough cut.
But back to Watchmen, unfortunately while many would be turned off, it would still likely sell. Perhaps it would be forgetful and no one would remember it 10 years later, but it would still be a best seller when it’s first released.
I’ve already begun work on this: (NSFW)
http://jaqrabbit.com/moore/DigitalWatchmen.php
I know… I’m going to burn in hell.
I’ll draw it if Phil Hester writes it.
I can’t believe all of you. There are TWO sequels to Gone With the Wind – Scarlett and Rhett Butler’s People (published by Macmillan of so much recent Amazon kerfluffle fame). The lot of you need to start paying attention to these important moments in literature (well maybe not literature, but certainly ink on pages bound into a book).
It’s no secret, Dan Didio has proved himself to be quite the Joker since the day he started at DC. I guess raping and mutilating the DCU characters didn’t sate his crude appetite for destruction; now the Clown Prince of Crime is going to attempt the molestation of the millenium.
But alas, some fools just think like its April 1st every day of the year.
You know, this might actually be a blessing in disguise.
They say success is failure turned inside out so when it flops, the boot he is trying to shove up Alan Moore’s ass will be the one used to bounce him out the door.
It’s true that DC and Neil couldn’t come to terms on a Sandman prequel, but the good news–and we’re breaking it here first!–is that artist Peter Krause and I will be doing SANDMAN #0 this fall! Hello, Eisners!
i will never buy a comic by anyone involved with the project if it goes through.
unless heaven and earth shift and Moore and Gibbons come back together for it.
New site looks good! Subtle and clear, easy on the eye, classy fonts and that 60’s Marvel style logo. Ni-i-i-i-ce.
I think that once Watchmen went Hollywood, Old School fans of the OGN (a.k.a. “cult members”) stopped being DC’s priority. As someone who got (back) into comics in 1986, I feel that Watchmen was an iconic classic not to be messed with. I think that Paul Levitz thinks that, too. But I don’t expect the new fans and the New DC to feel the same way.
And DC wants to make lots of money and market share.
I hope that Alan Moore either can stop this, or that he is able to guide it the way he did with his ABC titles in the ’00s.
With Levitz gone from DC, these just plain ain’t gonna be good years to be a 40+ year old comic fan. (I mean Barry Allen no longer dead, Jason [1-900] Todd no longer dead, now this… When’s the coyote from Animal Man #5 gonna come back as some sort of serial killer? Geez! )
NOT COOL. abysmal idea. hubris.
The thing of it is, I say go ahead and do it. It’s not like anyone is actually going to consider it “really” part of Watchmen. It doesn’t take anything away from the original. And let’s be realistic here, this is not going to get Dan DiDio fired. If anything this will make him the Golden Child to the suits. “At last,” they will say “someone in this job able to ignore the shrieks of the fanbase and just f***ing sell out everything super hard for a quick buck without respect for the art, the creators or the fans”. And then they will celebrate by, I dunno, having sex with corpses. Hey, hey, hey.. easy. Not ugly fat rotting corpses. Nubile well toned fresh corpses. I mean come on, they have SOME standards.
Hell–if DC can continue Jack Kirby’s FOURTH WORLD characters, merchandize and run them into the ground in the name of profit, then why would we think they would spare Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons?
This is the result of Moore’s insistence (though it is within his rights to) to have his name removed from all movie adaptations of his work and his refusal to work for DC–as a result, there is no bargaining chip…”What’s Alan going to do? Stop working for DC?” Whereas with Neil Gaiman, he maintains a business relationship with DC and has more control over spinoffs of Sandman…
>>i will never buy a comic by anyone involved with the project if it goes through.
And lo, the industry did tremble!
Here’s the thing…
DiDio could handle this respectfully. Get the best talent, have all the issues finished, print it on time.
The issues sell well in the direct market. Maybe it’s not that great a sequel, but the numbers are respectable. DC makes a profit, then issues the collection. Of the million or so owners of the graphic novel, enough buy the first printing of the graphic novel for DC to make a profit. In the publishing world, that’s a success.
Yes, there will be negativity. With fans there always is. Will the Average Pat care? Probably not.
So I’ll wait and see… this could be another “JLA Are The New New Gods” idea which never leaves the dry erase board. Or it could be something which takes an established milleu and offers a fresh perspective.
“DiDio could handle this respectfully. Get the best talent, have all the issues finished, print it on time.”
In your dreams. When has ANY hands-on DiDio project manage to do both of these things, and make it a long-term success to boot?
For example, he keeps slagging 52 because he wasn’t directly involved, and of course, it worked. Blackest Night doesn’t really count either, since he’s been pretty much hands-off whenever it comes to any Geoff Johns projects (although he did manage to bloat the crossover with unnecessary filler tie-ins and one-shots).
Now if Mark Chiarello (Wednesday Comics, Solo) were spearheading this thing, then DC might actually have something going here. Otherwise, it’s just another printing disaster waiting to happen. The only reason Warners would possibly fall for this idea is the movie franchise potential…which I suppose we’ll find out about shortly with the next round of announcements.
Mark Waid’s Tweets on this subject have been hilarious.
http://twitter.com/markwaid
I just don’t see the big deal here. DC is part of Warners and Warners is a big corporation. It’s the corporation’s job to wring every cent they can out of their holdings, so it just makes sense that a lucrative item like Watchmen be “sequelized” and “prequelized” until they can’t make any more money out of it. We as lovers of comic books may not like it, but that’s the way of the world. The solution isn’t to post on web forums as if the world will end when the first page is printed. Just don’t buy it. Then they’ll leave it alone.
Actually, I’m amazed they had enough respect (where afraid of the backlash?) for the original to wait this long. They managed to bastardize the entire line to somehow shoe horn in the future events of ‘Kingdom Come” about ten minutes after the last issue of that came out.
Waid and Krause should not be doing Sandman. Rather, in the tradition of such comics as Wally Wood’s THUNDER Agents, Walt Kelly’s Pogo, and Will Eisner’s The Spirit, they should be doing Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.
Adventures of the Watchmen in the 1950’s. Or other issues of the EC-tribute Black Freighter series, this time based on Incredible Science Fiction. I can see the sales numbers now, looming up like icebergs out of the foggy mist of the back of the store bargain bins. ^Choke^.
I expect that some of the fans who protest the loudest would be first in line to buy a copy.
Why not just cut to the chase – Gravity’s Rainbow 2: Electric Boogaloo!
Nah, I don’t think the fans who protest the loudest will be the first in line to buy it.
Didio and Quesada have made it very easy for many of us to vote with our wallets and not buy.
As a result, you see the sharp decline in readership for many, many titles across the board.
“Actually, I’m amazed they had enough respect (where afraid of the backlash?) for the original to wait this long.”
According to Rich, that was Paul Levitz.
Plus, with no offense to Alan Moore or Dave Gibbons, I truly hope Didio goes ahead with this because in the end, it will secure his own demise… something many, many people have been wanting for a very long time.
If you read Rich’s original article, it clearly states that Paul Levitz never pursued sequels or prequels because he believed it would be an advertisement for creative bankruptcy, something Dan Didio has excelled at for nearly ten years.
So this is right up Didio’s alley; dark, polluted and wretching with the stench of urine and garbage.
Does it really matter? I mean most of us have a fondness for a franchise that is uneven in quality & the part we like the best IS the real part of the franchise.
Why not? Nothing is sacred anymore anyways…
Bucky came back, Barry Allen came back, Wolverine’s origin was told… 15 – 20 years ago, these would have been unthinkable.
Will it be terrible?… Of COURSE it will be terrible. But, I say go for it and wring every last drop out of it you can.
“I’m fuzzy on the details, but I think Gaiman wanted a bigger percentage of the profits [to do Sandman #0]”
Read the Gaiman interview in PRINCE OF STORIES for a detailed explanation straight from Gaiman, but yes, he tried to get DC to slightly increase the royalties for the whole Sandman library (still not nearly to prose publishing standards) so that in 15 years he might get as much as another publisher would pay him as an advance for a prose book. DC countered with a proposal a small fraction of that.
Although I agree with Alan Moore on many things, I very much disagree that despite the contract he signed 25 years ago, he should be given ownership WATCHMEN on moral grounds. If not for DC editors shooting down his original proposal, the book would have starred Blue Beatle, Captain Atom, and The Question, making it obviously not a creator owned project in any way.
If Moore had owned WATCHMEN from the beginning it still would have been made into a movie (and therefore open to sequels and prequels), because he would have sold the rights just like he did with FROM HELL and THE LEAGUE OF EXTAORDINARY GENTLEMEN.
His outrage over DCs more-than-fair treatment of WATCHMEN seems to stem from his inability to admit that something he doesn’t control is more of a success on every level than anything else he’s written. He will most likely die being best known as the writer of this corporate owned product.
I actually look forward to seeing what other creators come up with for WATCHMEN sequels, prequels, and spin-offs, and if it all turns out to be crap it’s probably because the real talent shies away from it for fear of being ostracized, leaving only the opportunists to do the work.
In any case it will stand as a warning that if you don’t want a corporate entity to rework, remake, or expand on a story of yours, don’t sell it to them. But if you want something to live beyond you, you may have to let go of it.
Watchmen Babies take Dr. Manhattan
Watchmen Episode I: The Phantom Penis
Watchmaniacs
Watchmen Meet Abbott and Costello
I’d say shame on DC, but clearly they have no shame.
Since Moore and Gibbons apparently have it in their contracts that they “have to be offered first refusal before any of these titles could be published”… wouldn’t it be fantastic if they took the job and made something completely absurd and unpublishable?
Why is any of this a surprise? This is how the entertainment industry works. (Sadly)
There’s only one writer who could possibly do this justice…that’s right, Chuck Dixon.
Dixon would be a good choice for books about the Comedian killing foreigners and for Rorschach getting creeped out by gay people!
Torsten wrote:
“Were I a comics professional, I would avoid this.
“1) If it fails, it’s a permanent Mark of Cain, a dead albatross, on your resume.”
Really? I think many comic book creators have things in their resumes that aren’t that great and that they are less than proud of. Comics seems quite forgiving of creators’ past fiascos.
“2) How can this succeed? How can you match the success of DC’s best selling graphic novel? Has a “classic” prose novel sequel ever matched the success of the original material? Especially “commissioned” sequels written by different authors?”
Very few sequels/spin-offs in any medium match the success of the original. That’s OK–all they have to do is make a profit and the publisher will be happy. If they can make a profit on a spin-off project, that will mean that they will have leveraged a bit more return on an intellectual asset than they would have otherwise.
“3) Would the people involved be considered pariahs by other comics professionals?”
I don’t know–but I think most people in comics are cognizant of the need for their colleagues to have paying work. They might feel sorry for the guy who has to write “Watchmen Year 1″ or whatever, but not disgust. At least, I would.
“4) If DC wanted to capitalize on a cool Alan Moore Watchman-like story, why not develop “Twilight of the Superheroes”?”
Because they probably feel they can leverage more value out of the Watchmen property.
“5) Why not take Moore’s model (archetypal super heroes in the real world) and create a “Watchmen-like” work? Just as the Charlton heroes were left unscathed by Moore, so could the Watchmen characters be left unscathed by DiDio. If it works, DC gets another property to merchandise. If it doesn’t work, you banish it to World #53, to be re-developed twenty years later by some hot writer.”
This is a business decision. So let’s look at if MBA-style. Let’s say DC is cash-constrained. They can only do one project in addition to the ones they are already committed to. So it will either be a Watchmen spin-off or “archetypal superheroes in the real world” (ASRW for short). The two projects cost exactly the same to produce. Which do you produce? (Remember, you are a beancounter–not an editor or a fan.)
It’s hard to imagine this coming out anything other than a failure, but I can’t work up a lot of indignation given how Moore’s plundered so many pre-existing stories to build his own career.
As long as it keeps DiDio’s mind off T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents, I’m ok with it!
~
Coat
“They Rob your Grave before you’re dead!!!!”
Jim Carrey on Jonathan Ross BBC, when asked about Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
It just goes to show there is no originality anymore. But while Alan me palan will never do this, I say pull a Frank Miller. Take the money, sit back, relax, take your time, build the anticipation, get everyone’s hopes up and wallets out, then put out a mirror to Dark Knight Strikes Again. If Miller could pull one over on DC and us, Moore could create the greatest comic ‘con’ ever.
Everyone knows WATCHMEN and Dark Knight Returns have hurt the medium far more than helped in nearly a quarter century since their respective releases. This isn’t the fault of Moore and Miller, though. They were just giving us their best stories in a Vertigo-esque way. The fault lies with DC and Marvel, who have driven the medium as a whole, down a path of excessively dark and increasingly mundane imitation. The very fact that there are so few noteworthy stories even beginning to approach that level of work, indicates that DC and Marvel have been about as creative and original as the music industry in recent years. A prime example is religion, which is a subject with lots of potential, that i would guess has not been gotten into much at all. Even if old ideas are recycled and repackaged, new comics lack vision and excitement that creators with imagination and passion can give if they are inspired and allowed to do so. Remember Walt Simonson’s Thor? Never cared much for his art style, but he did have vision and brought an excitement to Thor. John Byrne also brought excitement to the Fantastic Four. That kind of excitement and fresh vibrance is not seen in comics anymore. I know there must be exceptions, but i don’t notice them when i browse the new comics at my local comics shop. You know why comics are lacking that level of creative vibrance? Because today’s comics are too serious and full of doom and gloom that stifles the excitement and diversity of stories that can be written. Can’t have a happy story after so many sad ones have been written (remember Thunder Frog?). It just doesn’t work. Too much killing and blood. Too many demons and darkness. Where is the true diversity of stories that would inject new life into a cesspool of seriousness? Where are happy stories amongst all the drama and darkness that continues to dominate the medium? DC and Marvel have gotten too serious and too one dimensional, and it’s been reflected in the sales figures. True diversity of ideas in story and genre are necessary for comics to survive in the 21st century. The doom ‘n gloom tone of comics needs to change.
huh, man, some of these comments, you’d think it was the bible!
That’s about as pretentious as the idea this book would actually kill superhero comics the first time. From what I’ve read in his interviews, Alan Moore has gotten over that idea long ago, i’ll take his lead.
It’s going to come down to the right talent, and leaving them alone. That’s the reverence it deserves, not being put in a box.
Also what’s with the crap about it having to come out on time? I was one of the many kids who were put off the first time when the original series was delayed, many times, the last half took a while to get done.
And man, we still freaking bought every one of them and love it today still. Whatever.
If they do this, the last thing they should do is give 2 F***in’ sh*t* about schedules.
Take your time,
take your time.
Those better be damn good scripts!
Oh, and yeah, career suicide? man, i’d be nervous as hell, but if they called me to do something like that i’d freaking do a jig!
Got into comics because that and a few other books came out at the time i had to pick something to do for a living. Lot of us did.
I don’t know many working people who would NOT jump at this, crap a brick too, but damn yes.
There is already Watchmen 2:
http://kevinbolk.deviantart.com/gallery/#Watchbabies
Sean, there’s no excitment because the industry is hostile to anything that would appeal to young boys. There’s more interest in attracting female manga readers and women in general. I’ve been told that it’s an advantage to be a female artist than male at right now. I wasn’t told why but I’m guessing it’s because there’s some evidence that women read more than men. Getting back to the original subject, I hate to say it but Marvel and DC, like other businesses in other sectors , have lost signifcant ground to publishers in Asia. When Marvel, DC, other publishers make an attempt to attract young boys and women they imitate manga which tells me they have lost all vitality.
Yes, I know am I suggesting that America has lost all its vitality?
I’ll let the last Superman film answer that.
Mike, i think that’s a good observation. A progressive Superman is not the Superman that has been defined and established as being all about “truth, justice and the American way” for over a half century in the comics and movies. To redefine an already defined iconic character, is a disastrous move, and the movie proved that beyond question. The dingy costume…the “truth, justice and all that stuff” instead of saying “truth, justice and the American way”…and the creepy similarity between Routh and Reeve just ruined it. Plus, bringing back the tired plot of Lex Luthor and land, just added insult to injury. If Hollywood wants a winning Superman formula, they ought to look to the old ’50s Superman show with George Reeves. That’s what Superman is all about. Not the progressive, toned down version that people don’t relate to. Superman is as all-American as Coca-Cola, but Hollywood obviously didn’t get the memo on that. They feel a need to tweak things and try to put their creative twist on a winning formula that shouldn’t be twisted at all. Change is only good if the essence of the character is preserved. Maybe Hollywood has learned from their mistake, but i doubt it.
I didn’t see the WATCHMEN movie, but ironically, i heard that it was too faithful to the comic book and lacked the necessary characterization, and that’s what made it dull. Of course, the complexity of WATCHMEN is a polar opposite of the simplicity that is Superman. Superman is a proven formula for success, that’s very much needed in this time of uncertainty when Americans are longing for the America they remember before Wal-Mart and president Obama came along. What an opportunity, but Hollywood seems clueless.