Doomsday Clock is a 2017 superhero comic book limited series published by DC Comics, being written by Geoff Johns, with art from penciller Gary Frank and colorist Brad Anderson. It is the direct sequel to the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and also concludes the New 52/Rebirth storyline.
Video Doomsday Clock (comics)
Background
Doomsday Clock is part of the DC Rebirth campaign and continues the narrative that was established with 2016's one-shot issue DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 and 2017's crossover events "Superman Reborn", "The Oz Effect", and "The Button". It is also the direct sequel of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's seminal work Watchmen (1986-1987), and introduces its characters into the DC Universe, alongside a few original characters designed for the book.
Doomsday Clock was revealed on May 14, 2017, with a teaser image displaying the Superman logo in the 12 o'clock slot of the clock depicted in Watchmen, and the series title in the bold typeface used for Watchmen.
The story in the book will include many characters but has a particular focus on Superman and Doctor Manhattan. Geoff Johns felt like there was an interesting story to be told in DC Rebirth with Doctor Manhattan; he thought there was an interesting dichotomy between Superman--an alien who embodies and is compassionate for humanity--and Doctor Manhattan--a human who has detached himself from humanity. This idea led to over six months of debates amongst the creative team about whether or not to intersect the Watchmen universe with the DC Universe. He explained that Doomsday Clock was the "most personal and most epic, utterly mind-bending project" that he had worked on in his career.
Johns also explained that Doomsday Clock is a stand-alone story with no tie-in material. However, it "will have an impact on the entire DC Universe. It will affect everything moving forward and everything that has come before. It will touch the thematic and literal essence of DC." So by the time the final issue releases, "the rest of the universe will have caught up to it -- and the repercussions of the event will become known."
Release
The first issue of Doomsday Clock was released on November 22, 2017, and is planned to last 12 issues. The series was originally scheduled to release monthly and end in December 2018, with planned breaks in March and August 2018. However, in January 2018, it was announced that the series would take a break in March and April 2018, before releasing again in May 2018 and switching to a bi-monthly schedule, with the series ending in July 2019.
Maps Doomsday Clock (comics)
Plot
Issue 1
On November 22, 1992, seven years after the events of Watchmen, Adrian Veidt's plan for peace has failed after the details of Rorschach's journal are publicized. Consequently, Veidt becomes a fugitive as the U.S. stands on the brink of war with Russia. As preparations for nuclear war begin, a new Rorschach breaks into prison to retrieve Erika Manson, a.k.a. the Marionette, and Marcos Maez, a.k.a. the Mime. Rorschach takes them to the lair of Nite Owl and introduces them to his partner Veidt, who is dying of brain cancer. Veidt offers the couple the location of their son and $2 million if they help him locate Doctor Manhattan. Meanwhile in another universe, Clark Kent has a dream about the night his parents died in a car crash. Clark's wife Lois wakes him, concerned, as she cannot remember the last time Clark had a nightmare. Clark states he does not think he has ever had one.
Issue 2
Marionette joins Mime, Rorschach and Veidt aboard the Owlship. Just as nuclear war between countries commences, Veidt activates a machine that transports the Owlship to the most recent location of Manhattan's electron particles. After crashing into an abandoned fairground and cuffing Marionette and Mime, Veidt and Rorschach explore Gotham City, noting the parallels between both universes. After conducting research at a local library, Veidt discovers that this Earth is going through its own political crisis due to a conspiracy theory accusing the U.S. government of creating metahumans, which has put them at odds with Russia and Markovia. Additionally, public opinion has turned against Batman while Wayne Enterprises is under threat of a takeover from LexCorp. Looking for allies in their search for Manhattan, Rorschach confronts Batman in the Batcave while Veidt confronts Lex Luthor. Veidt and Luthor are then attacked by a seemingly-resurrected Comedian, while Mime and Marionette escape the Owlship.
Issue 3
In a flashback, it is revealed that Manhattan intervened in Veidt's murder of the Comedian and transported the latter to Metropolis. In the present, Veidt escapes, and is badly injured after a brief fight with the Comedian. Meanwhile, Rorschach tries to convince Batman to help locate Manhattan by presenting him with the first Rorschach's journal. Batman tells Rorschach to make himself at home while he reads. In a retirement home, the elderly Johnny Thunder stares out the window during a thunderstorm while waiting for his family to take him out to dinner, but they never arrive. Elsewhere, Marionette and Mime explore Gotham and stumble into a bar in Joker's territory, killing several of Joker's men. After drinking a toast to finding their son, they decide to go in search of the Joker. Rorschach has a nightmare of Veidt's engineered monster attacking New York. When he awakens, Batman tells him that he has tracked a temporal anomaly to Arkham Asylum. However, Rorschach discovers that Batman has tricked him when he is locked up in Arkham, being told by Batman that he belongs there.
Issue 4
While incarcerated at Arkham, Rorschach recalls his past as Reggie Long, the son of Malcolm Long. When his parents were killed by Veidt's monster, Reggie was driven insane by the monster's psychic trauma and ended up in the same mental asylum as Byron Lewis. Lewis befriends Reggie and gives him physical training so that he can defend himself. Shortly after Veidt's crimes are exposed, Reggie sets fire to the mental hospital. Byron states that the fire is "calling to him" and walks into the burning building. Using a map given to him by Byron, Reggie travels to Veidt's retreat in Antarctica to exact revenge. However, Reggie decides to spare Veidt when he shows remorse. Back in the present, Reggie is evaluated by a therapist named Dr. Mason Matthews. A "Jane Doe" in an adjacent cell, revealed to be the Pre-Zero Hour version of Saturn Girl, frees Reggie and escapes Arkham with him. Inside the Batcave, Batman tells Alfred Pennyworth that he now understands Reggie, having impersonated Dr. Matthews all along.
Issue 5
Lois and Clark agree that someone is behind the anti-metahuman conspiracy theory, which has triggered an international "metahuman arms race." Veidt escapes from the hospital and returns to the Owlship, where he is confronted by Batman. As they flee the Gotham police, the two argue over how their respective heroes treated their worlds, with Veidt believing Manhattan came to the DC Universe because of its heroes' simplistic "pulp hero" morality. Batman falls out of the Owlship and into a rioting mob. Lois confronts Lex, who denies being behind the "Supermen Theory," but claims that a metahuman and former member of the Justice League did create superbeings for the government. Johnny leaves his rest-home and travels to Pittsburgh to locate Alan Scott's Green Lantern at a ruined steel factory. Despite the Comedian hot on their trail, Mime and Marionette locate the Joker, who has a beaten Batman delivered to him. Saturn Girl agrees to help Rorschach find Manhattan, and together they save Johnny from a group of junkies.
Reception
Doomsday Clock has been well-received. On the review aggregator Comic Book Roundup, it holds an average rating of 8.5 out of 10 from professional critics, based on 204 reviews.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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