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A review by sageorion
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias/Crimson Corsair by Steve Rude, Len Wein, John Higgins, Jae Lee
3.0
The ONLY REASON my review is three stars instead of TWO is because of Jae Lee. The freaking art is so damn beautiful it was like my head was going to explode. And not only is it just gorgeous by itself, but because it was for Ozymandias... that just makes it a million times better. All those beautiful watery lines and cloudy colors just would have made no sense if it was Rorschach or Dr. Manhattan or anyone else. But for Ozymandias -- perfect. Absolutely perfect. The beauty of the art seems to emphasize how grand and noble Adrian pictures himself, sitting on his throne at the top of the world. He moves and speaks almost without emotion, always solid, yet his mind is always going and going at full speed, just as the art is painted like a still life in the midst of an action sequence. I cannot possibly rave enough about how freaking phenomenal this art was.
That being said -- everything else about the book is lukewarm at best. Adrian's entire series is basically just the scene where he tells Rorschach and Nite Owl his plan at the end of Watchmen, except with a lot more detail. He's just explaining how he got this way, how the plan came into being, and how he did it. It's interesting at times but overall doesn't add anything to his story or his character.
Crimson Corsair just bored me to tears. I understand it's supposed to be a spiritual successor to Tales of the Black Freighter but come on. Tales of the Black Freighter was actually significant to the plot of Watchmen. It's a direct parallel for what's going on with the rest of the characters! Crimson Corsair, on the other hand, is just random little bonuses that you might find interesting but really have no relation to what you are reading otherwise. Booooooooooooring.
That being said -- everything else about the book is lukewarm at best. Adrian's entire series is basically just the scene where he tells Rorschach and Nite Owl his plan at the end of Watchmen, except with a lot more detail. He's just explaining how he got this way, how the plan came into being, and how he did it. It's interesting at times but overall doesn't add anything to his story or his character.
Crimson Corsair just bored me to tears. I understand it's supposed to be a spiritual successor to Tales of the Black Freighter but come on. Tales of the Black Freighter was actually significant to the plot of Watchmen. It's a direct parallel for what's going on with the rest of the characters! Crimson Corsair, on the other hand, is just random little bonuses that you might find interesting but really have no relation to what you are reading otherwise. Booooooooooooring.