Comic Review: Doomsday Clock #1 (DC Comics)

Since the beginning of DC Rebirth, it was revealed that the cause for the tampering of events within the DC Universe timeline all pointed back to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons groundbreaking classic, Watchmen.

Geoff John’s has been foreshadowing this connection ever since his New 52 run on Superman, and now it’s finally time for Geoff John’s with the assistance of Gary Frank to finally deliver the answers to the mysteries that have developed since DC Rebirth and every DC title since Rebirth.

It’s the Year 1992, years after the events of Watchmen, a lot of things have occurred across the globe but the biggest story that is plaguing the world is the global manhunt for Ozymandias. Since the events of Watchmen, Ozymandias has gone into hiding, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre have long vanished, and somewhere out there, Rorschach is investigating all of it by breaking The Mime and The Marionette out of prison as the supposed end of the world counts down. But is this the Rorschach that everyone knows? Or is this someone else? Who is behind the turmoil that is plaguing the world? And what does this have to do with Superman and the rest of the DC Universe?

Geoff John’s couldn’t be more perfect than he already is to be the sole writer to tell a tale of epic proportions such as this. John’s has written legendary stories such as Green Lantern, Infinite Crisis, Blackest Night, Flashpoint, Forever Evil, Darkside War etc and he’s always one to make sure to weave great stories out of continuity. In regards to this story, John’s makes great effort to channel the kind of tone that Alan Moore delivered within Watchmen. The world has gotten darker, rotten and colder since Watchmen, and it feels like a natural, organic progression from the original take.

Johns seems to nail all the grim and grit and introduces two characters, The Mime (dude) and the Marionette. Part of me feels as though they may possibly be a parallel or an analog of two Rogues that are well known within Batman’s wheelhouse if you catch my drift, but that remains to be seen. The writing is great, luring the reader in, and casting readers in a shroud of mystery that only then starts swinging with intrigue and surprises as the story unfolds within this issue. At times I was concerned with how this book would read, but it seems that Geoff John’s seems to know what he’s doing. Which is great and I only hope within the span of 12 issues, John’s can stick the landing in telling a tale that will be cohesive, make sense, and be a great story that will hopefully be remembered in all of comicdom.

Gary Frank’s artwork is glorious and gorgeous in every way possible. His artwork in regards to the overall theme, narrative, and tone is spot on with Geoff John’s writing that it perfectly sets up the visual aesthetic that’s required for the execution of this tale. His artwork manages to capture the spirit of Dave Gibbons Watchmen era style, and with the help of Brad Anderson’s wonderful hand at coloring, it makes the book all the more immersive and beautiful as a potential successor to Watchmen.

If you’ve been reading DC Rebirth and any of the titles that carry the plot threads that’s from it (whether it’s Titan’s, Detective Comics, Superman, Action Comics, The Flash etc), or if you’ve read Watchmen and are curious to see how this will potentially connect the DCU to Watchmen, then I think the comic is worth the read and investment. This seems like it could easily be a gimmick, and it most definitely could be perceived that way if it had been written by any other writer, but thankfully it’s in the good hands of Geoff John’s. I feel that John’s has a general idea and direction for this story, and I feel that John’s, Frank and Anderson are promising a story worth reading that may or may not stand the test of the time. As for now, no one knows other than that this is a solid preliminary issue that holds a lot of promise, raises a lot of questions, and provides some answers that will be worth the time investment to see where John’s, and Co go next for the DC Universe.