Before Watchmen: Minutemen/Silk Spectre

Minutemen was like fan fiction in the best possible way. I really liked how it expanded on Under the Hood, and while it had some parts that were very odd, they were odd in keeping with the original Watchmen. It's obvious the writer took his time and made sure to pour over the original graphic novel and movie, and it's all in keeping with the spirit of the original story, while filling in, in explicit detail, things that were previously only hinted at or alluded to. Also, I really like the modern take on the artwork, that's a pleasant mix of realism and cartoony, without the garish color scheme of Watchmen that made it stand out in its time but which looks extremely dated now. Finally, I'd like to mention that I genuinely liked Hollis Mason, and could really feel for him. He's a stand-up guy trying his best to do the right thing in a morally ambiguous world where there aren't a lot of easy decisions to make, and one where superheroes don't have superpowers, aren't invincible, and sometimes get things completely wrong, just the same as all other humans.Silk Spectre, on the other hand, I was far less enamored with. The style and story grated on me in a way that Minutemen didn't. First, the storyline strays from the peculiar world of Watchmen into full-blown nonsense. Worst of all was the plot where a rich businessman extorts The Beetles into peddling drugs a hippy scientist made that induces mindless consumerism in its subjects and makes them want to go buy tons of stuff. Granted, the original Watchmen had a plot where a rich businessman genetically engineered a huge space monster which telepathically killed half a million people after dying after being teleported, but I found that the dumbest part of the original Watchmen anyway, and loved how the movie took out that subplot and shaped the movie into something more logical. So, maybe dumb stuff like this IS in keeping with the original Watchmen, but if so, in the worst possible way. And when Minutemen never strayed so far into the absurd, the trek into the absurd in Silk Specre is unwanted.The other major issue with it was there wasn't one single character in Silk Spectre I was rooting for. Sally Jupiter was a domineering mother who beat up her daughter on a regular basis to toughen her up, and Laurie Jupiter is an odd combination of impulsive, stuck up, naive, irresponsible, and immature, who assaults The Libby after she gives Laurie a tongue lashing, bolts out of town before she's even graduated, and shacks up with a random dreamboat from school to live a hippie life. I personally didn't like her and wasn't interested in her very much.So, at least on subjective enjoyment, I enjoyed the story of the Minutemen a lot, and love how it expands on something hinted at in the graphic novel but very much in the background by the time of 1985. For Silk Spectre, I personally found the plot very dumb, and thought it was trying to be weird and absurd because the writer thought that would be interesting, and I found I could neither like Laurie Jupiter, nor could I relate to what she was going through in any meaningful way.

When I first heard that DC was attempting to create a series of works based on the Watchmen characters with the aim of backfilling their stories and details, it sounded like a cheap cash grab and like many fans of the original Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons work, was not receptive to it.I took a wait and see attitude and decided to give it chance when I saw the high quality of the artists involved. It was well worth it.This volume collects the issues concerning The Minutemen and the Second Silk Spectre.If you don't know about the original work, who The Minutemen were and why there are two Silk Spectre, stop here and go read Watchmen by Moore and Gibbons.Otherwise, this is a hard copy collected edition. The production values are nice although the inner binding is tight so it cuts a bit into the inner edge of some of the art.Darwyn Cooke wrote and drew the Minutemen installment. He co-wrote the Silk Spectre part with Amanda Conner who many might recognize as having worked on Archie, Power Girl and Birds of Prey. The Minutemen part is wonderful. Cooke's earlier efforts on the Justice League: The New Frontier and the superb adaptation of Richard Stark's Parker series helps with his depiction of the 1930-1960's. Having lived through some of those years, I can vouch that he captures that whole hat wearing era. The whole series could have been a derivative mash that would barely qualify for fan-fiction but Cooke brings real subtlety and nuance to Hollis Mason, Byron Lewis, and the Silhouette. He adds a wonderfully appropriate extension to the tale of how "Under the Hood" was written and the final fate of Hooded Justice. It is simply terrific. If you are a fan of Watchmen this tale is worth getting.The second tale concerns the life of the second Silk Spectre. It has a lot less "action" than the first because it is focused on why Laurie, the daughter of the first Silk Spectre, Sally Jupiter chose to follow in the same line of work being an adventurer. Amanda Conner's art helps convey the mixture of goofiness, hormone driven confusion and simple good heartedness along with a realization that life is complicated and sometimes there are no easy answers just hard decisions one has to live with.Again, this is a collection which I think would be enjoyable to anyone who liked the tone of the original work - Cooke really has done a terrific job. Many fans and I believe Alan Moore himself noted that Hollis Mason is probably the most normal person and the one hero that he would enjoy knowing were he a real figure. Cooke gives us all more reasons to still like Hollis and appreciate there are often many truths and not just a truth. A great work.

Perhaps the most damning thing about Before Watchmen is the fact that it exists at all. Watchmen is such a monumental pillar of the comics industry that was allowed to stand on its own for a near-uniquely long time until Before Watchmen was released. I can't really say that these stories about the Minutemen and Silk Spectre really added to the original Watchmen, but they were an enjoyable read.The Minutemen story in particular did take its cues from some interesting aspects of Watchmen and explore them more expansively here. It's written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, which is an all too rare treat as well. The Silk Spectre story is not bad by any means either, but doesn't quite hold as much intrigue for me personally.Overall, this book was worthwhile for me, though I still think inessential to the overall Watchmen story.

So the first story, a six issue series about the Minutemen told from the point of view of the first Nite-Owl, is very enjoyable as it fleshes out these minor characters in a way that makes them just as interesting as the heroes of the original comic. Silk Spectre however starts out mediocre and ends badly, and makes most of the characters seem one dimensional. While the premise of Laurie running away to figure out who she is has been seen in other prequel type stories it's not bad, and it is cool to see her at a different stage in her life. The problem is the boring villain, the author possibly forcing his own views on the story and characters as there are scenes that I feel go beyond "trying to write the characters in a way that matches the time they were raised in", and the ending which makes Laurie seem really inconsistent.Both stories portray the Comedian as being a far more sympathetic character, Minutemen providing a reason why Laurie's mother started a relationship with him that lasted from before and after her wedding to another man while Silk Spectre has him force Laurie's boyfriend to leave her in an attempt to get her to go home. I'm not sure if the writers were fans of the Comedian or just the 2009 film, but that doesn't fit with the version shown in the original comics and is uncomfortable to read as it feels like we are supposed to forget what he does in the original comic.

A few people have said this isn't a great comic, I beg to differ. It's a dark journey that can't help but invoke an emotional response much like many of the stories incorporated in the original Watchmen comics. The Silk Spectre side deals with a coming of age storyline linked with a look at the seedier side of 60s hippy culture. The Minutemen storyline gives a great look behind the curtain of the original watchmen.If you like your comics on the darker side of life, this is for you. It also works great on Kindle

These Watchmen Books are great. It's my opinion that you do need to have read Watchmen first, despite the fact that these books preceed that novel. Nicely illustrated and for me woth every penny.

As soon as i read the first five pages of the book i realized that by reading this it will change how i view watchmen. Watchmen is just too good. The art is nice though and I'm sure the book is reasonably good too. I just don't want to change the way i see characters.