Before Watchmen Panel To Reveal New Details

The controversial "Before Watchmen" prequel mini-series doesn't hit shelves/digital until June, but readers who want to find some early juicy details are in luck. DC Entertainment will host a panel alongside a film screening of "Watchmen" at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Saturday, April 21st at 1:00.  The "Before Watchmen" panel will include Dan DiDio and Jim Lee from DC and will be moderated by comic book expert Geoff Boucher.  Boucher edits the Times' "Hero Complex" blog that many of us read.  The panel is titled "DC Entertainment Presents: Watchmen – It's Not the End, It's the Beginning. Sure, that might be the case—these are telling some back stories of the legendary characters.  But the question is, do fans want DC to take that route? "The frenzy surrounding BEFORE WATCHMEN mirrors what we saw preceding our recent DC Comics - The New 52 launch, and the level of interest in the talent line-up for the prequel titles has been spectacular" said DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio. "The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is a great opportunity for us to take a closer look at the WATCHMEN phenomenon, both in print and film, and talk about what fans can expect from the prequels." Gotta disagree with Dan on this one.  While there was some negative vibes surrounding The New 52, the general consensus was excitement.  So far, with "Before Watchmen" we're just seeing—and hearing—a boatload of ticked off fans that don't want these stories created. We'll see how sales go come June.  If "Before Watchmen" is a critical and commercial success, look for additional controversial prequel titles to come out for other classic titles.