Perhaps writer Len Wein and character Adrian Veidt make better narrators than Comedian or Silk Spectre. I found his personal journey modeled after Alexander the Greats fascinating. It will please readers who enjoy epic stories and world history, especially with the unique art. Adrian Veidt himself is a complex and intriguing character: cold, extremely logical and arrogant; yet there are moments in this issue where he shows emotion (pretty much just like in Moores Watchmen.) Since there is relatively little time spent on his character in relation to the others in Moores work, there is more to unravel and present in his Before Watchmen story. The writing and artist team behind Ozymandias #1 is by far the best of the Before Watchmen project. If you like stylized artwork that looks like a beautiful painting (similar to Alex Rosss work in Kingdom Come) and stories with complex, interesting protagonists, I highly recommend Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1. Read Full Review

Witness the rise and fall of a self-made hero. Outstanding. Read Full Review

But future issues may correct that impression, and I'll certainly be around to find out - this is yet another exceptional issue in this series. Will any of the Before Watchmen comics stumble? Read Full Review

This is the best Before Watchmen comic that doesn't have Darwyn Cooke's name on it, bar none. Read Full Review

Overall, Before Watchmen: Ozymandias gets off to a great start and does nothing to debase the original character and story. Along with Before Watchmen: Nite Owl, this book looks to be one of the best of the series. Read Full Review

"Not only is Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 an excellent addition to Watchmen but it's strong enough to stand on its own. Where these titles may be steeped in controversy over their existence, it's hard to complain about this book and its impact on the source material. Hopefully, from here on out, the Before Watchmen titles will be more like Ozymandias #1. Not only is Adrian Veidt the pinnacle of human perfection, but his solo series is conquering the other Before Watchmen titles. Read Full Review

But it still has to be the Watchmen of an alternate reality to be acceptable. This entire project would likely have been a little better received if they'd conceived it as such, rather than a straight prequel. It would have served the purpose of exploiting these characters without directly trying to change the original story. Sure, Alan Moore still would've thought it sucked, but fans could likely swallow it much more easily. Read Full Review

One of the most important characters in WATCHMEN finally has his own miniseries. We saw his origin in the original WATCHMEN but now we get to see more details with gorgeous art by Jae Lee. This is a good and bad thing. We already know the story but seeing it spread out like this is a way to feel more of a connection to the character. We get a better idea of what motivates him. He has become increasingly more interesting and it will be interesting to see where the rest of this series takes the character and if it will add anything new. Read Full Review

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 is a great start to one of the prequel books that I wasn't all that invested in upon its announcement, but if the remainder of the series can stay focused on Adrian and offer new context to his plot to save humanity, then this could wind up being one of the standouts. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a fun little reference to the creature from Watchmen. It made me chuckle. Read Full Review

I wasnt familiar with Len Wein before reading this book and Im actually embarrassed to say that. He co-created Swamp Thing, Wolverine, and most of the X-Men who first appeared in Giant Size X-Menwhy wasnt I familiar with him? Wein is a comic book legend, responsible for books and characters Ive enjoyed for a long time now yet Ive never uttered his name once. Im certain Ive seen his name before but didnt notice. Wein also edited the original Watchmen and worked with Moore on Swamp Thing in the 1980s. The mans knowledge of history and comic book writing make this inaugural issue of Ozymandias a good, intelligent read, paying homage to Moore and Gibbons creation rather than being mediocre fan-fiction. At this point Ill say this is probably the best title in the Before Watchmen series. Read Full Review

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias was a great read. I'm excited to see where this one goes and I really hope it doesn't start spreading into territory that made Comedian and Nite Owl boring and uninteresting. As long as Wein keeps up the cool, collected attitude of Veidt and Lee keeps crushing the art, it should be a great read. Read Full Review

Jae Lee's grand depictions perfectly capture Adrian's essence through out the book. Read Full Review

There was talk of also doing a monthly podcast discussing these with myself, David, and David's 4 Color News and Brews partner, Brandon Burpee. Be on the lookout for that once we get some time to throw it together. And we'll see you next with for our double shot of Darwyn Cooke, “Minutemen” #2! Read Full Review

Ozymandias #1 is not the warmest or friendliest of theBefore Watchmenbooks, but it is the most beautiful so far. Hopefully Len Wein will delve into all-new territory where he can break loose. Jae Lee could stand to loosen up a bit as well when it comes to the action scenes, but, honestly, I won't be at all disappointed if he keeps doing things exactly the same way. Read Full Review

My initial assessment that this would be my least favorite of the Before Watchmen project may have been a self-fulfilling prophecy, but that doesn't mean this issue is a bad one. Lee does some lovely work (especially the first two pages, where Adrian and Bubastis brood in the Fortress of Bastardtude) and all the pages featuring Miranda, and Len Wein gets the tone right enough that I believe this is the same Ozymandias seen in the original book. Some of his complexities seem to be smoothed down, and his matter-of-fact acceptance of violence throughout the book seem like the creators may be trying a bit hard to establish him as a man for whom the end always justified the means, but it's overall an interesting look into the mind of the character. Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 doesn't quite make me like it as much as the Silk Spectre or Comedian #1s, but it hangs together well enough to earn 3 out of 5 stars overall. Read Full Review

If you like character background then this is the issue for you. I'm not sure we get to know why Ozymandias turned bad, but this issue at least lets the reader understand why he put on tights. This is a very average origin story about a character that probably deserves something more special to be written about them. Read Full Review

The identification of the reader with both the nascent hero and with the catalyzing tragedy is crucial for this story to have pathos. It's impossible here, because both Veidt and the person he loses are at best shallow and at worst supremely unlikable. Veidt is god-like, calculated and morally ambiguous. Ozymandias' personality in "Watchmen" was defined by his utter rationality and ability to manipulate. He is motivated by the desire for greatness and also by a terrifying, strict utilitarianism in which noble ends are justified by any means necessary. Wein keeps this harsh persona wholly intact in Veidt's childhood, implying he was hatched with this persona and just had to find an idol and motivation. It's as if a psychopathic child prodigy was slotted into the outlines of a Batman-like origin. Thus, what Wein adds to the Ozymandias mythos manages to be both superfluous and jarring at the same time. Read Full Review

The artwork is the reason to pick this one up, and is the only point at which Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 can truly be called daring in any way. Read Full Review

While I was in Walt Disney World last week, I couldn't get around to writing a review for Nite Owl#1. But as you can tell from the first paragraph, it wasn't a good issue. Before Watchmen Nite Owl#1 gets 2/5. Read Full Review