'Doomsday Clock' Review Embargo Lifts Earlier Than Usual For DC

While the review embargo for movies -- the date or time after which reviews can be published -- has become a much-discussed topic in light of the increasing influence of review aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes, little attention is typically paid to the embargo date on comics. That might change now, as DC is breaking with their common policy to give reviewers a chance to evaluate Doomsday Clock a couple of days early.

Review copies provided to the press by DC typically come with the provision that reviews are to run on the day of publication; whereas this is generally seen as a red flag in movie reviews, for comics it is more or less business as usual.

Doomsday Clock arrives in comic book stores Wednesday, November 22 (a nod to writer Geoff Johns's childhood habit of reading comics over Thanksgiving dinner), but the review embargo lifts at 11:57 p.m. PT on Sunday, November 19.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's event series will feature the first meeting between Superman and the characters from the world of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen. The series is not about superheroes who meet up and punch one another, but about a clash of ideals where Superman represents hope and Doctor Manhattan cynicism.

Writer Geoff Johns has said that he and artist Gary Frank can spend hours poring over a single panel, and that effort shows in what has been released so far: the six pages made available to fans at New York Comic Con are packed with content, plot, dialogue, meaning, and politics.

The result will be available in stores in just over a week.