Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan - DC Comics Preview

Over at Blastr, DC Comics shared an exclusive first look at tomorrow's Before Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan #1 by J. Michael Straczynski and Adam Hughes. It's the final new #1 that fans will see as part of the Before Watchmen initiative and widely expected ot be one of the best of the series. In an interview with ComicBook.com conducted at last month's San Diego Comic-Con International, series writer J. Michael Straczynski talked about the unique challenges of writing a character whose point of view is a near-omniscient one and whose sense of time tends to be as relative as Dr. Manhattan's. "Part of the fun of the characters is, Dr. Manhattan is the most powerful character in the Watchmen universe," Straczynski explained, "but he can see all of his past and future decisions have already been made, so he loses free will in the process. He can't choose differently, because that's the way he chose." That particular aspect of the character is clearly on display in these first five pages, with the good doctor spending time contemplating his childhood, his time on Mars and of course the funeral of The Comedian, a catalyzing event in Watchmen but one which is still years away as of the time that Before Watchmen is taking place. Check out the preview pages below--this series appears to have the most potential for controversy, as the outspoken Straczynski takes on literally some of the very same panels that Alan Moore has already worked in--and in that way it might be emblematic of the whole project.