Exclusive: DC Comics’ Geoff Johns reveals teaser, details on Watchmen/Rebirth title Doomsday Clock.
Based on our exclusive reveal of the teaser image for Doomsday Clock below, the story behind Watchmen’s entrance into the DC Universe aims to be, well, super. It is an understatement to say that seeing the Superman shield in the top slot of the clock from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal work raises questions. Intrigue is further piqued by the title itself, its “D.C.” initials, presented in that yellow, bold Watchmen typeface – and the word ‘doomsday’, the same name of the villain who famously killed Superman 25 years ago.
Based on what Johns told me, there is a lot (I mean, a lot) that will unfold in this title about forces from Watchmen who have been meddling with our DCU heroes’ timelines and history.
1.This is not a Watchmen sequel
“It is something else. It is Watchmen colliding with the DC Universe. It is the most personal and most epic, utterly mind-bending project I have ever worked on in my career. With Rebirth, I opened the door to Manhattan. Part of that was I loved the real-world influence Watchmen has. I put Manhattan out there, and always thought there was a Manhattan/Superman story to be told, but then … it grew. And grew. It took my heart and soul over. Still, at the core of it, there’s a being who has lost his humanity, and distanced himself from it, and an alien who embodies humanity more than most humans. I love the idea that Watchmen influenced DC, but what would that look like in reverse? And it goes well beyond that.”
2. This is a standalone story
“We’re not going to do a story like this unless we one-thousand percent believe in it. It is all about the story; it is only about the story. There are no crossovers. No watered down one-shots or mini-series on top of this one. This is a standalone story. There is only Doomsday Clock. We had no interest in doing a crossover with this. We didn’t want to see Doctor Manhattan facing off against Superman in Action Comics, with all due respect. That is not what this is about. It is about something different … 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.”
3. What characters are involved in the story
“There will be DC characters throughout this, but this focuses in on only a handful. There is a lot of focus on Superman, and Doctor Manhattan. Doctor Manhattan is a huge focus, and his reasons for being here, and doing what he does, ultimately have to do with Superman. And there are many, many more characters to be involved, but it is a bit early to discuss.”