Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1

My gut feeling is that it's wrong to be cashing in on this classic - but I have to admit that I love this comic just the same. Read Full Review

Cooke’s art is gorgeous. It helps that I love Golden Age work, so Cooke’s ability to marry that era with the modern world is always exciting for me. Even if you don’t love the era, Cooke’s work is still exciting. His pacing is good, his action jumps right off the page the same way Will Eisner or Jack Kirby’s work did. I’m happy Minutemen came out simply because I love Darwyn Cooke and he’s done a great job. That being said, this isn’t going to become part of the Watchmen lore because nothing outside of what Moore wrote ever will. Read Full Review

Admittedly, much of the narration is a bit wordy, and for the most part, the book feels like a history lesson on the characters we saw so briefly in the original. But Cooke excels in the small bits of dialog throughout the book. In particular, the scenes with Sally and Hollis are charming, and clearly showcase them as the most outwardly fun-loving of the masked avengers. By the same token, the brief-but-chilling Comedian sequence is unapologetic in the light it casts on the miserable Eddie Blake. Read Full Review

If Before Watchmen: Minutemen is representative of the quality of work that we will be getting from the rest of the series, then consider me signed up. If not, then at least we'll be getting a quality Minutemen comic. Do you consider yourself a fan of Watchmen? Ever wonder what life was like for the original heroes? This is the series for you and not just because you like the original or the characters, because it's a good comic. Read Full Review

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 is interesting, mixing the new and the familiar in clever ways, and doesn't create any major contradictions or dissonance to Watchmen itself, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. Certainly, if you feel the 12-issue original is sacrosanct and must not be trifled with, this isn't going to change your mind, but if you're able and willing to give BW: Minutemen a chance, it's good work. Read Full Review

While I was curious about this book, even the whole event, some of my weariness has subsided. If DC had editorially mandated all these stories onto the writers/artists, the quality would be quite apparent right away. But Minutemen#1 has made me rather optimistic about the event. It's way to early to tell if this is going to be an artistic success. If you were thinking of reading these books, at least give Minutemen#1 a chance. Read Full Review

Minutemen is the perfect choice to kick off this event since we saw and heard quite a bit about the masked heroes of old. Is it enthralling enough to make you change your mind if you cursed the ground that DC Comics walks on for green lighting this? Probably not. If you are able to read this with an open mind, you will see how good this book is and gain an appreciation for the creative talents of Darwyn Cooke. Read Full Review

When I said reading I mean reading, and not just watching the movie.Knowing what is to come just makes this better, but I would say even if you had no knowledge of Alan Moore's original work you would still enjoy it, just not as much as the rest of us. Read Full Review

The fact that Cooke so brilliantly pays homage to, while simultaneously jettisoning, the past with a scant 8 panels is just brilliant, and something that makes me want to read the rest of this series. Before Watchmen looks to be a worthy read simply because it balances something new with something legendary, and it works. Read Full Review

Generally speaking, Minutemen #1 isn't going to blow the doors off anything. It's subdued to help us get back into the mood of the world The Watchmen existed in. It might disappoint some expecting more of a bang, but this, honestly, was probably the best way to kick off the event. Read Full Review

Overall I am very excited with this series, and I am looking forward to seeing where they are going to take us. The Minutemen issues will set the tone for the rest of the prequels, and I think it's going to be an interesting few months as these issues roll out. Read Full Review

No effort was spared on this book and the result is a very fine product. Read Full Review

This is an enjoyable read, but the story doesn't knock your socks off, yet. It's setting the players up. Now I need to see what happens. Read Full Review

The "Before Watchmen" comics are certainly going to vary in terms of quality, but even without having read the rest I'll wager that "Before Watchmen: Minutemen" will turn out to be one of the top-tier comics in the bunch. If you were planning on buying just one of the "Before Watchmen" comics, "Before Watchmen: Minutemen" #1 seems like a good choice to make. Cooke's an immensely talented comic creator and this comic is no exception to that rule. Read Full Review

I think the question on everyone's minds is whether or not this series -- as well as the other BEFORE WATCHMEN books that will begin trickling out -- will do the original WATCHMEN series justice. I think, in a way, this one does. If you understand that this story is not being told in Alan Moore's voice, and that Cooke will be delving into the Minutemen characters that were barely touched in the WATCHMEN series, then it's easy to see how this acts as a great addition to the original story. It's a solid book told from the perspective of a different writer who managed to capture the true essence of the time period, and I enjoyed it. I'm definitely looking forward to reading about the adventures of the Minutemen in the coming issues. Read Full Review

There's a lot going on in this book, which ultimately feels as dense as the original Watchmen, if nothing else. There are some moments that don't feel as compelling as others, if you can call that a critique " Captain Metropolis and Dollar Bill are two heroes that even Cooke hasn't cracked yet, in terms of making them sound interesting " but the thing that makes this book even more slippery is that Darwyn Cooke is a top-notch creator who can bring excellent execution to a perfectly simple, straightforward introduction. Before Watchmen might not add any luster to Moore and Gibbons's seminal work, but it also doesn't take anything away. Maybe that's the big shocker for this title " for a prequel book, Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 stands, surprisingly, on its own two feet. Read Full Review

Brian: I'm genuinely excited for Cooke and Conner to be working together, and this issue was good enough for me to give it a try. Read Full Review

For those of you that are against the whole Before Watchmen idea this issue wont change your mind. Its not the groundbreaking work of the original but really is a fun read. Id call it a companion piece to the original. Cooke manages to give us a great take on some lesser known characters and proves the Watchmen universe can definitely be developed without tarnishing Moores masterpiece. Read Full Review

The two pages of the Crimson Corsair bonus comic caught the imagination as well. So all in all I would rate this a pretty satisfying comic book. Read Full Review

Before Watchmen: Minutemen is a good start to the event. Darwyn Cooke does a great job with the huge expectations that are put on his shoulders and he delivers for the most part. I am very interested in seeing where this goes now. Read Full Review

What I loved most about the book was Cooke's expansion on the characterization Moore brought to bear in Watchmen. The Minutemen (aside from the Comedian) were secondary characters, but Cooke reaps the harvest of the seeds Moore planted. He even adds new elements. Of all of the Minutemen characters, Mothman was something of a throwaway element in Watchmen, but Cooke offers a much different take on him that's consistent with what Moore did with him but makes him a much more interesting figure. Read Full Review

Although it doesn't really give any new information about the characters the setting and characters are a perfect fit for Cooke's writing and art. Worth a look. Read Full Review

Written for trade, this first issue is nothing to be excited about beyond the art. Once Cooke gains some traction on the characters I would think the story is going to really take off. However, for now, this is all set up with terrific pencils. Read Full Review

Given the talent involved in all these comics, there's no point in dismissing them en masse: any serious fan of Darwyn Cooke is going to want to see his latest project, regardless of what it is, and the same will hold true for fans of creators like Amanda Conner, Brian Azzarello, or J.G. Jones. And I don't doubt that some of them will turn in some great-looking stuff. I just don't know that it will add up to much; Minutemen #1 certainly doesn't. Read Full Review

Storm Winterfyre

Jul 23, 2019

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