During New York Comic-Con, I had the chance to speak with legendary comic book artist, Dave Gibbons. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, he’s the man who brought Alan Moore’s Watchmen to life through his masterful illustrations. Considering how big Watchmen is these days, I wanted to pick his brain about the various Watchmen-related projects released in recent years.
Zack Snyder’s Watchmen film released in 2009. It drew a mixed reaction from both regular movie-going audiences and fans of the original. Some praised its adherence to the source material while others decried it for the very same reason. Neither a hit or a flop, Watchmen now enjoys cult movie status among superhero films.
“I think Watchmen was a really difficult movie to make because of the shape of the comic book and the way the story didn’t fit comfortably in a movie,” said Gibbons. “I think Zack Snyder did a great job and I was really happy with it. The other thing about it is that we sold a lot of copies of the graphic novel. Which meant even people who didn’t like the movie were now reading Alan’s words or looking at my pictures.
HBO will soon release its Watchmen series. Unlike the movie, the TV show is taking the franchise in an all-new direction. Though based in the Watchmen universe, it is introducing entirely new characters and storylines. It’s a far departure from the source material, but it’s what Gibbons appreciates about the project.
“The TV series is sort of interesting because it’s actually set 30 years after [the events of Watchmen]. If you imagine you lived in a world where Watchmen happened back in the ‘80s, you’re now in that world today. The way it’s changed is completely unexpected. It was certainly unexpected to me. There’s enough distance where it doesn’t feel like it’s a pastiche or a rehash. It all feels completely fresh.”
“I’ve seen the pilot and I’ve read four or five of the screenplays and I’m absolutely blown away by it. If you’re familiar with Watchmen, there’s all sorts of stuff that’s going to make your little fanboy heart happy. If you’re not familiar with it, it stands alone as a really interesting alternate reality story.”
Those who produce TV or movie adaptations of superhero properties don’t always seek input from the original creators. That wasn’t the case with HBO’s Watchmen. According to Gibbons, the showrunners were very interested in his thoughts.
“I spoke with Damon Lindelof before he even really started working on it. He wanted to know what I thought about it and what my stance on it was. I think everyone pretty much knew Alan’s stance, which was he probably wouldn’t like it. Which is fine.”
“I gave them some notes on the screenplay for the first one. I got to see the pilot when I was out in Los Angeles and the writers asked me all sorts of questions to fill in the background. Some of my artwork will show up at various times. I’m really enjoying it. I’m really happy with it. They’re so respectful of the original material. They want to make it as good as they possibly can. It’s really exciting.”
In 2012, DC Comics launched Before Watchmen, which acted as a prequel to the original graphic novel. 2016 saw the release of DC Rebirth, which began to integrate the Watchmen and DC comic book universes. This process continues with the ongoing Doomsday Clock series.
Like Zack Snyder’s Watchmen film, DC’s efforts to fold Watchmen into the mainstream DC universe have met with mixed results. Some enjoy seeing characters like The Comedian, Rorschach, and Ozymandias make a return. Others believe Watchmen is its own thing and doesn’t need a continuation. Dave Gibbons seems to be of the latter opinion.
“I feel Watchmen is a stand-alone graphic novel. It’s like a science fiction story. You don’t need anymore before or after it. Before Watchmen had stuff that we kind of hinted at and that was almost enough. It’s more evocative to have something hinted at than to see it play out. It’s like explaining a joke too much. It isn’t funny.”
“For Doomsday Clock, I can see why DC did it. Obviously a lot of people who work on these things are friends of mine and I don’t bear them any ill-will at all. It’s kind of a way to integrate the Watchmen universe with the DC universe. I can’t see the point of that. I don’t think it does favors for either of them. So I’m not so keen on those.”
“I’m really excited about the TV series because it is set so far away from it. It’s almost like doing a take on a character like Peter Pan or Sherlock Holmes; doing it from a sufficient distance that it becomes fresh and isn’t just a dilution of the original material.”
Set in the modern DC comic book universe, Doomsday Clock has iconic heroes like Batman and Superman interacting with Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan. Though he isn’t exactly a fan of Doomsday Clock, Dave Gibbons has nothing but respect for those involved in the project.
“I know Gary Frank and I know Geoff Johns. Gary approached me at a comic convention and he said: ‘Dave, I don’t know if you know this but I’m doing this Doomsday Clock and I don’t want to piss you off.’ And I said ‘Gary, if you want to do it that’s entirely up to you. You’re a freelancer like I am. I can’t tell a fellow artist what they should or shouldn’t do. It won’t change our friendship.’ So he was fine with that.”
“I’m a fanboy. I remember when the Justice League first met the Justice Society and how cool that was. I understand seeing Batman and Rorschach in the same picture is a fanboy dream. If I had a criticism, is that it’s not interesting enough. What they’re doing in the TV series is really adventurous and unexpected and extreme. In the comic, it’s a bit too closed. It’s too much of a pastiche.”
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