Interestingly, Eddie Blake's story is rendered in a much-more photorealistic way than Silk Spectre's or Hollis Mason's, which fits the character well. The use of real historical figures (or at least the implication of them) makes the story feel more immediate for me, tying it to a specific place and time as successfully as Watchmen itself is locked into the mid-80s. The art throughout the issue is very well-done, with subtlety in detail (the appearance of a Joe DiMaggio autograph, for instance) and great facial expressions throughout the issue. Before Watchmen: The Comedian #1 continues DC's streak of well-crafted and thought-out issues, and even though part of me didn't think when this project was announced that these stories were necessary, I want to read more about Eddie Blake, as this issue earns 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. Read Full Review

Of the three issues so far, this is the darkest - but like the others, it's very well done. But not recommended if you're a Kennedy fan. Read Full Review

The Crimson Corsairback up continues, and I'm loving the art. While the story is slightly hard to follow, considering only two pages can be read at a time, the art is leaving an impression. Read Full Review

I think this is a very interesting angle and its one thats going to propel a lot of talk going forward. The other two Before Watchmen have been really fun so far, but this is the first issue Ive read that really has me interested in seeing something different. Heck, maybe I even will like Brian Azzarello by the time this is all done. Read Full Review

Azzarello does a great job blending the real world into the fictional Watchmen world, something Moore himself did well. There are some nasty politics involved but Eddie's loyalty towards the Kennedys and his patriotism is somewhat admirable. Jones art is perfect for the type of book this will turn out to be . The violence is no doubt coming and his work on Wanted proves that he's able to handle it with fantastic realism. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next issue heads as Eddie begins to unhinge and turn into that oh so loveable man that appeared in Watchmen. Read Full Review

Brian Azzarello does a fine job here. He makes Blake more of a character you sympathize. He has had a troubling life, and Mr. Azzarello tries to bring that out rather than leave his anger as the thing motivating him. The only troubling thing is that in the graphic novel Watchmen, the Comedian is hinted at being the one who killed JFK. However here, we have Blake taking down Moloch as it happens. It doesnt add up but yet again, Azzarello may just be writing this page in history down as Eddie being innocent. Backing Azzarello up is JG Jones who does a magnificent job capturing that past era of American history. He really manages to capture every detail of that time but also capture the Watchmen-esque take on that era made famous by Dave Gibbons. While it had an issue with continuity, I cannot fault the issue for that. Mr. A may have wanted to clear Blake of that crime to make him a more sympathetic person Who knows All I know is that it is a good re-entry point for Comedian. Read Full Review

The shortcomings aren't a deal breaker; Comedian #1 is a surprising approach for one of the most maligned characters in the history of comics that lets the reader interested in Eddie, rather than disgusted by him. Read Full Review

I think DC have the right team with Brian Azzarello and J.G. Jones. I'm anxious to see where they take this series. I do feel like we are still not going to get the whole picture of Edward Blake (a.k.a The Comedian), but that we will get an interesting look at how he became the violent, womanizing, maniac that we all know. Read Full Review

Trying to make a character piece out of someone as flat as The Comedian was a difficult task for Brian Azzarello, but he tried and he doesn't totally fail. While the concept is a good idea for a book, it just seems to lack the spark of greatness that we've come to expect from Azzarello's work. It's not a total loss since it's the first issue and maybe it will serve better as a completed miniseries, but I'm expecting something more from the rest of the issues and I hope I'm not wrong. Read Full Review

Other than that a good issue. But praying that it gets better as it progresses. Read Full Review

Overall, Before Watchmen: Comedian # 1 is a nice book. But ultimately it flounders because of the blatant changes. I was clearly expecting that DC enrich the story not make some major overhauls. Read Full Review

It’s hard to say how the “fans” are going to take this book, let alone this entire Before Watchmen venture , I’m pretty sure the purists are going to hate it ( I know they already do just from the announcement) and they’re going to tell you these stories don’t need to be told unless it’s the bearded master Allen Moore. Well Allen didn’t write that Watchmen movie and it fucking sucked but you saw that, so what’s stopping you from reading this? Read Full Review

Jones also falters on human faces. His versions of the Kennedy’s look more like a caricature, something you’d see being drawn at a street fair. The cover for Comedian #1 is spectacular but it doesn’t translate to the interior of the book at all. Before Watchmen rages on and leaves the trampled corpse of Alan Moore’s genius book behind it. Read Full Review

Following the excessive exposition of Darwyn Cooke's Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 and the teen angst of Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1, Brian Azzarello's take on the hard-hitting Comedian filled us with the potential for hope. Sadly, despite some lovely art from J.G. Jones, Azzarello falls into the same traps that the rest of the series has so far, in explaining that which never needed an explanation. Read Full Review

Maybe Im placing my own biases in the forefront, allowing my love for Watchmen to cloud my judgment and see these books as subpar before they mature. Then again, maybe theyre nothing more than DCs attempt to make a quick buck by cashing in on one of the most celebrated comics of the 20th century. I said something similar in my previous reviews of the Minutemen and Silk Spectre titles and I still believe its true, regardless of who is writing and drawing these titles. Nonetheless, unlike the Minutemen book and like the Silk Spectre comic, Im interested to see where Azzarello and Jones are going with this series, even if its a bit foolish. Read Full Review

Brian: I feel sorry for your employer, what with you being drunk before noontime. Go sober up, Harper, and we'll be back next week! Read Full Review

I really want to see where this story goes, but this is the first time I've found myself underwhelmed in this big event. Read Full Review

"Before Watchmen: Comedian" #1 isn't necessarily a bad comic, it just doesn't do enough sufficiently to warrant existing. The plot is thin, the emotion is borrowed and the direction is lacking. Great art can't save a story that lacks a true center. Seeing such a lackluster book rise from the ashes of greatness is an unfortunate misstep. At least now we know it doesn't ruin the original, it just makes us wish the standards were higher. If you were curious on this one, skip it and go spend your money elsewhere. Read Full Review

Overall this was a very disappointing. I really cant even see much potential in it. It really just comes off as your everyday run-of-the-mill political thriller. Im not saying its terrible its just not original enough to merit the Comedian. Read Full Review

This book has dug itself into a tremendous hole. I am anxious and hopeful that Azzarello can dig himself out of it. However, I am skeptical. If you are looking for a reason to hate Before Watchmen here is a good example. If you haven't read the original and are looking to get into Before Watchmen you might want to hold off on this one. Read Full Review

I desperately wanted to like this comic. I truly did, but there's just too many contradictory elements straying from the original character for me to enjoy it. If this wasn't a Before Watchmen book, and the main character wasn't Eddie Blake, this book would work a bit better. I really like Brian Azzarello's writing and J.G. Jones' art most of the time. The art was good here, but the writing wasn't nearly as solid as it usually is. Read Full Review

You can't win all of them, and it seems that the third time is not the charm for Before Watchmen. Whereas the first two installments stood on their own two feet as accessible, standalone stories, Azzarello and Jones lean a little too heavily on Alan Moore's original text, leading to a story that emulates the tone but never really hits the right note. And that's the sad punchline for Before Watchmen: Comedian #1 " we're not laughing on the inside. We're not even crying. The reality is even worse " we're not reacting at all. Read Full Review

Sadly, I now fear for the next installment, which is the one that Ive been waiting for. My favorite character in Watchmen is Nite Owl II. I wrote an essay about him here at ComicBookBin during my early days as a comic book commentator that I still stand by. Hopefully, the character that Alan Moore built up in Nite Owl II will be reinforced by J. Michael Straczynski like Silk Spectre and the Minutemen were by their writers, not damaged almost irreproachably as The Comedian was here. Read Full Review

Alan Moore strongly hints that the Comedian assassinated JFK through a cruel turn of events that made the weak-looking Kennedy a liability in the eyes of the US government. Zak Snyder's 2009 film adaptation explicitly shows Eddie Blake shooting the President before finishing his giant cigar. But none of this matters to a Brian Azzarello who probably said, "But what if the Comedian was framed???Huh, guys? What if?" to an unresponsive audience. It's a stupid idea. With one page, Azzarello has managed to deconstruct the history of Watchmen while simultaneously proving the critics' point and pissing off millions of fans. And why does he do this? I guess I'll have to read Comedian #2and see if Azzarello is intent on fucking up one of the greatest characters in comic book history. I'm also scared for theRorschachmini-series now, knowing that Azzarello might turn our favorite detective into a news reporter or something... Read Full Review

I learned nothing about the origin of this character. I went on a trip that seemed to go against the previously shown nature of this character. I just did not like this. Read Full Review