Minutemen #2
Not only do we get to see the progression of Hollis’ book in this issue but also important life events of other members of the original vigilante team.
Minutemen #2 begins with a diner scene involving the original Nite Owl (Hollis Mason) discussing the possibility of his yet to be published expose, Under the Hood. The tag line DC pumped for this issue occurs in one of the last panels when a character states, “It’s strictly dynamite, Hollis. This isn’t a book. It’s a bloody confession.”
With that, writer Darwyn Cooke sets the stage for another brilliant issue of Minutemen. As Cooke begins the rising action in Minutemen’s story arc, fans of the original Alan Moore series begin to see the progression this prequel is taking towards the events of Watchmen.
Not only do we get to see the progression of Hollis’ book in this issue but also important life events of other members of the original vigilante team. For example, readers are shown a few panels of the budding relationship between Sally Jupiter (the original Silk Spectre) and her PR man Larry. Readers of the original will take note that Larry and Sally eventually have a bit of a fling, and viewers of the film will remember the powerful scenes where Larry is belittling Sally for her relationship with Comedian a.k.a. Eddie Blake.
Fans of the original Alan Moore series begin to see the progression this prequel is taking towards the events of Watchmen.
One thing I want to draw to everyone’s attention is Cooke’s use of panel-heavy story. I actually found the reading of both Minutemen and Silk Spectre rather daunting in terms of length. This is by all means a good thing. Panel heavy stories give readers more comic for their buck as there is obviously more story when there are more panels in a comic. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last comic I bought that came close to Cooke’s Before Watchmen titles in terms of the number of panels.
I know I stated in my previous review of the Before Watchmen #1’s that I wouldn’t be reviewing the 2 page Crimson Corsair titles in the back of each issue until the conclusion of the series. However, I feel compelled to note that this issue is important in terms of Crimson Corsair as well because it features the introduction of the title character, The Crimson Corsair!
Silk Spectre #2
I LOVED this issue! We see young Laurie Jupiter taking on a gang of thugs as a letter to her uncle Hollis Mason is captioned simultaneously.
Much like Minutemen, Silk Spectre #2 is another panel and text-heavy story by Darwyn Cooke. I don’t mean to rub anyone the wrong way, but I’ve liked Silk Spectre much better than Minutemen and I think it has to do with the art. Cooke is a very talented artist and writer, though I feel his strong suit is writing and Amanda Conner definitely steals Cooke’s thunder when considering the difference in art.
I LOVED this issue! We see young Laurie Jupiter taking on a gang of thugs as a letter to her uncle Hollis Mason is captioned simultaneously. This particular issue is very much a tale of Laurie’s transition from the troubled youth rebelling against an overbearing mother and her blossoming into womanhood.
Laurie is now independent and living with her boyfriend. Now free from her mother’s shackles, Laurie spends her days with her lover and friends living in a shared house and experiencing the things typical of many 1970’s young adults.
This particular issue is very much a tale of Laurie’s transition from the troubled youth rebelling against an overbearing mother and her blossoming into womanhood.
Cooke’s use of the 1970’s setting is spectacular and maintains continuity in the Watchmen storyline but also shows us a different Laurie at the same time. Conner’s art also compliments the time period and one of my favourite panels from this issue was a living room scene where the décor and style of dress are spot on.
The rise of hallucinogenic drugs is also portrayed in this issue and Cooke does them well. Psychedelics such as LSD play a major part of the storyline and we get to see our young heroine experiencing the wondrous joy of marijuana with her friends.
What Cooke did to make me really enthralled in this issue of Silk Spectre was the reference of Ken Kesey in both the storyline as well as a quote at the end. I was a big fan of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and just a big fan of Kesey in general. Cooke’s use of the Kesey quote near the end of the story is fitting both in terms of its relation to his own story as well as the prevalence of Kesey’s writing at the time. This particular period gave voice to many of my favourite writers: Kesey, Hunter S. Thompson and William Burroughs. It’s excellent to see the intersection of comic book fiction with prose literature, the mirroring of the two mediums is something that always fascinates me both as a reader and as a writer.
Comedian #2
I honestly haven’t seen a Vietnam comic done as well as this since Jason Aaron and Cameron Stewart’s The Otherside.
Comedian #2 grabs you from the get go, beats the living shit out of you and then takes you further through the brutally violent narrative that is par none in the Before Watchmen series thus far. I was saying to a friend the other day that #1 didn’t blow me away but this issue definitely served me up all I was looking for.
The story opens with 4 beautiful pages by JG Jones of the Ali vs. Liston fight depicting Comedian at the fight alongside Bobby Kennedy. I love boxing, and Ali is a personal favourite so this really blew me away and sucked me right into the story. I really enjoy Azzarello’s use of real historical events with his characters written in to important world history.
The story opens with 4 beautiful pages by JG Jones of the Ali vs. Liston fight depicting Comedian at the fight alongside Bobby Kennedy.
From the fight, Comedian makes his way to ‘Nam. JG Jones does an excellent job of drawing this theatre of war. Vietnam and war comics in general are some of my favourite and most compelling narratives. This story doesn’t disappoint at all. There’s a lot of action in the jungle, and Eddie Blake is in the thick of it.
There is also great historical authenticity on Azzarello’s part in his explanations of communism, how the war began and how Washington doesn’t seem to give a shit hence a lack of funding.
I honestly haven’t seen a Vietnam comic done as well as this since Jason Aaron and Cameron Stewart’s The Otherside. I’m enthralled in this series and will definitely be writing my thoughts about it when the next issue is out.
Nite Owl #2
Straczynski’s story takes a dark sexual twist as Rorschach and Nite Owl encounter a dominatrix with some poor sap bent over her horse.
The first appearance of my favourite character in Before Watchmen: Rorschach! The issue begins with Nite Owl (Dan Drieberg) and Rorschach chasing a perp. From there, Straczynski’s story takes a dark sexual twist as Rorschach and Nite Owl encounter a dominatrix with some poor sap bent over her horse.
We get a bit of a peek back into the events of Rorschach’s past and Dan’s friendship with one of comic’s most remorseless characters. This issue gets real noir, grimy and gritty with Rorschach and Nite Owl taking on the investigation of a murdered call girl. Not going to spoil it any more (ok… maybe it’s a high-profile murder case… but I won’t say any more!) for you because you should definitely be buying this issue from www.inter-comics.com! There is much exposed about Dan’s past pre-Nite Owl as well as the current story taking place during a team up with buddy Rorschach.
Commenting on the art, I believe Andy and Joe Kubert are producing the series best artwork in terms of its relativity to Dave Gibbon’s art on the original Watchmen.
Commenting on the art, I believe Andy and Joe Kubert are producing the series best artwork in terms of its relativity to Dave Gibbon’s art on the original Watchmen. I also think that Len Wein and John Higgins’ Crimson Corsair short in the back of this issue had an awesome tie-in with Straczynski’s story and that this is becoming more and more apparent as both Crimson Corsair and Before Watchmen continue.
If you want to catch a review of Before Watchmen by a different set of eyes, check out Resident of Gotham’s blog postings.
Follow me on twitter: @JamesMClark87 or check out my website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com reviewing only the most bloody and visceral comics!
Posted on August 4th, 2012
Category: 50 SHADES OF BLOOD AND VISCERA, REVIEWS
Tags: 50 Shades Of Blood and Viscera, Alan Moore, Before Watchmen Comedian, Before Watchmen Minutemen, Before Watchmen Nite-Owl, Before Watchmen Review, Before Watchmen Silk Spectre, Comic Review, Darwyn Cooke, DC Comics, James M. Clark