Publisher: D.C. Comics

J. Michael Straczynski: Writer

Adam Hughes: Art

Laura Martin: Colors

     DC Comics has expanded its stable of Before Watchmen titles by publishing issue #1 of a four-issue mini-series focusing on everybody's favorite blue-skinned scientist superhero, Dr. Manhattan.  For the uninitiated, we're currently in the middle of a DC mega-event which features a series of prequel comic titles to Alan Moore's acclaimed Watchmen comic series/graphic novel.  Each limited series centers on different characters from Watchmen, including Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias, Rorschach, The Minutemen and now Dr. Manhattan.  Again for non-Watchmen fans, Dr. Manhattan is scientist Dr. Jon Osterman, the victim of a 1950's science accident who can manipulate the laws of quantum mechanics to travel the timestream and to some degree manipulate probabilities and outcomes of events.

    The issue #1 storyline is entitled "What's In The Box?" and alternates between three sub-plots.  One storythread is a basic background primer on Jon himself, alternating scenes from various stages of his life, as such briefing the reader on the childhood, teen year and adult episodes of his life that molded the stoic personality that readers came to know in the original 1980's Watchmen series.  A brief second storythread connects this title to events also unfolding in the other Before Watchmen titles, as Dr. Manhattan slightly alters probability events to assure that his attraction to Silk Spectre blossoms into romance.  Our third sub-plot follows Dr. Manhattan in a risky experiment in which he timetravels back to observe the accident that created his altered state of being.  The issue ends in a surprise cliffhanger, as the good Doctor discovers a shocking difference in the accident completely at odds with his original experience.

     As a regular reader of most of the Before Watchmen titles, I've found the quality of those other titles ranging from average to above average, with none of them approaching the classic narrative and literary quality of Moore's original series.  But if anyone could near that level of storytelling greatness its A-plus writer J. Michael Straczynski and sure enough, he's pulled himself pretty darn close to Moore's writing level with this new series.  While the other series writers seek instead to add their own perspective to the Watchmen universe, Straczynski rolls the dice and immerses himself right into Alan Moore's take on Dr. Manhattan as a haunted and tragic story figure.  The same melancholy riffs on the nature of life and being are here, mixed-in with the soap opera issues that Manhattan, Silk Spectre and the rest of the Watchmen crew experience, all played-out against the tense, ticking backdrop of impending universal doom.

     Straczynski and the art team pull-off this Moore-like storytelling approach so well that in my opinion, one could read this issue and assume that Alan Moore himself had written this particular prequel.  While Moore most likely would be furious to read that observation given his well-publicized opposition to DC's prequel publishing event, that's a complement to this creative team that's very well-deserved.  Its also worth noting that of the four Before Watchmen titles that I'm currently reading, this series succeeds the most as both a stand-alone read and a component within the overall multi-title series narrative.

     So enough already with my praise!  Dr. Manhattan is by far the best piece of the Before Watchmen universe, so my review advice is to either focus on this title if you're selectively choosing among the series titles or alternately, savor this title amongst all of the titles as another major product from the keyboard of J. Michael Straczynski, proving once again that he's in a rare league of his own at the very top of today's comic book writing profession.

Publisher: D.C. Comics

Greg Weisman: Writer

Christopher Jones: Art

Zac Atkinson: Colors

     DC's Young Justice comic book title is up to issue #18 this month.  The series is a kid-friendly comic book counterpart to the Cartoon Network television show featuring a teenaged version of the Justice League.  The team make-up includes Superboy, Robin/Dick Grayson, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian and a female teen Green Arrow-type named Artemis Crock.  The series is scripted by Greg Weisman with art by Christopher Jones and colors by Zac Atkinson.

     The current multi-issue story arc is entitled "Monkey Business" and features an ongoing confrontation between the teen heroes and The Brain, a giant villainous superbrain (naturally!) who's assisted in his bad deeds by a bunch of scientifically-enhanced, super-intelligent gorillas including our old Flash storyverse friend Gorilla Grodd.  After a three-page introductory visual summary of the story to-date, the superteens get into an issue-long extended jungle battle with the bad guys.  After much back-and-forth maneuvering, the supergorrillas manage to capture most of the team, with the exception of Miss Martian and Superboy's pet wolf (named "Wolf," of course).  The issue concludes in an interesting twist of a bridge to next month's installment, as it appears that there are cracks in the unity of the villains, with Gorilla Grodd unexpectedly attempting to ally with the on-the-run Miss Martian against The Brain.

     DC markets the segment of its title inventory which includes Young Justice as comic books that are kid-friendly yet entertaining for readers of all ages.  I agreed with this pitch when I previously reviewed the "Batman: The Brave & The Bold" title and I agree even more after reading Young Justice #18.  This title has a bunch of good stuff going for it.  First-up is the writing skill of Greg Weisman, who gives us a story with a pitch-perfect blend of teen humor and comic book drama.  The television cartoon visual style of Jones and Atkinson also fits very well to this type of young teen comic book storytelling.  I also was impressed with the seamless weaving of old and new DC storyverse elements into this tale.  Entertaining old-school story elements included the featuring of Flash storyverse supergorillas (for which I have a major fan weakness!) along with secondary character use of Batman and Captain Marvel as mentors to the team.  Regarding new elements, I enjoyed the prominence of Miss Martian and Artemis in this series, who as female teenaged heroes embodied more loose, realworld teenlike personalities than their stodgy male senior counterparts.

     So a double thumbs-up positive review recommendation for Young Justice, both as an excellent comic book series for younger readers and also for living-up to its expectations as a comic book that truly can be enjoyed by fanboys and fangirls of all reading ages, from young kid to old adult and everyone in between!