The announcement of a new prequel to Watchmen has caused quite a stir among fans, in particular upon knowing that it was done without Alan Moore's consent. Before Watchmen will be based on characters from Alan Moore's popular comic Watchmen.
The Watchmen have been declared one of the best graphic novels ever written and was the only comic to be listed by Time magazine as one of the top 100 books of the 20th century. It is not surprising that fans might refuse a prequel, especially without Moore's involvement and blessing.
J Michael Straczynski, writer of 1990s science fiction TV show Babylon 5 and a participating author of the upcoming Before Watchmen, Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan, seeks to defend the work before its release.
He said that a prequel is written because Moore doesn't want to do so. Although DC Comics have asked Moore to continue developing the characters from the popular comic, he has declined every time for the last 25 years.
In addition, the writers he works with have interest in developing prequels for the Watchmen. He said that in the New York meeting held with some of the brightest lights in the comic business, there was great passion and creativity displayed and no money or deals where mentioned. Len Wein, a writer from the original Watchmen, was there as well. The prequels seek to solve some of the mysteries involved in the Watchmen, such as who was the Twilight Lady? Why did this other character dissolve into madness and alcohol? The writers are all excited and dedicated on preserving the quality of characters presented by Moore.
DC Comics will be releasing the new series this summer.