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A review by mschlat
Before Watchmen: Minutemen/Silk Spectre by Darwyn Cooke
4.0
I have never really been a fan of the Before Watchmen concept. One, I don't think the graphic novel needs anything else. Two, it felt to me like DC was trying to cash in.
However, this volume is quite readable. Most of that (I'm guessing) is due to the influence of [a:Darwyn Cooke|61386|Darwyn Cooke|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1202672820p2/61386.jpg], who wrote both miniseries and illustrated the Minutemen tale. The stories obviously rely on the Watchmen setting, but there's enough originality that I never thought I was reading a simple spin-off.
The Minutemen series is set both in the 1960's (where Hollis is starting to write Under The Hood) and the 1940's (when the Minutemen first appeared). In other words, it's one of those American period pieces that Cooke excels at. The art is nothing like Watchmen (except for some design elements), but it's appropriate and gorgeous. In addition, Cooke emphasizes the most minor members of the Minutemen, including the very touching and tragic tale of the Silhouette. The result is a layered work that adds nuance to what little we saw of the Minutemen in the original work. The only problem is that Cooke has to explain why much of his tale does not make into Hollis's book, and the explanation is somewhat kludgy.
The Silk Spectre series shines with the artwork of Amanda Conner. Dave Gibbons' artwork has always been somewhat... fleshy --- his characters always have an air of solidity and presence. Conner's art has the same emphasis on the human form, but she gets across the characters without being slavish to the original work. In particular, she portrays the young Silk Spectre wonderfully, weaving in aspects of both her father and mother. The story seems a bit slight at times, but it brings in a good bit of 60's culture and makes an interesting coming of age story.
If you liked Watchmen, this is a worthwhile read that doesn't unnecessarily impinge on the original plot.
However, this volume is quite readable. Most of that (I'm guessing) is due to the influence of [a:Darwyn Cooke|61386|Darwyn Cooke|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1202672820p2/61386.jpg], who wrote both miniseries and illustrated the Minutemen tale. The stories obviously rely on the Watchmen setting, but there's enough originality that I never thought I was reading a simple spin-off.
The Minutemen series is set both in the 1960's (where Hollis is starting to write Under The Hood) and the 1940's (when the Minutemen first appeared). In other words, it's one of those American period pieces that Cooke excels at. The art is nothing like Watchmen (except for some design elements), but it's appropriate and gorgeous. In addition, Cooke emphasizes the most minor members of the Minutemen, including the very touching and tragic tale of the Silhouette. The result is a layered work that adds nuance to what little we saw of the Minutemen in the original work. The only problem is that Cooke has to explain why much of his tale does not make into Hollis's book, and the explanation is somewhat kludgy.
The Silk Spectre series shines with the artwork of Amanda Conner. Dave Gibbons' artwork has always been somewhat... fleshy --- his characters always have an air of solidity and presence. Conner's art has the same emphasis on the human form, but she gets across the characters without being slavish to the original work. In particular, she portrays the young Silk Spectre wonderfully, weaving in aspects of both her father and mother. The story seems a bit slight at times, but it brings in a good bit of 60's culture and makes an interesting coming of age story.
If you liked Watchmen, this is a worthwhile read that doesn't unnecessarily impinge on the original plot.