Rich Johnston over at Bleeding Cool is reporting some rather alarming news for comic fans: rumors are swirling that DC Comics is going to not just sequelize Watchmen, but turn it into a veritable cash cow of mini-series.

You can read the details at Bleeding Cool, but the story seems to be this - when Paul Levitz was Publisher and President of DC Comics, he went out of his way to block any attempts to even touch the undisputed champion title of super hero comics, even if Alan Moore did completely disown Levitz and DC as a whole. Yet when Levitz stepped down, Senior VP and Executive Editor Dan Didio saw an opportunity. He, to quote Johnston,
"is determined to impress new bosses by building on DC’s biggest selling comic book of all time."
Evidently Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have the right of first refusal with this project, so there is the smallest of chances (can't emphasize that enough) that they may be able to mitigate this epic disaster. But the odds on that happening are likely about the same as myself becoming the President of The Sentry's fan club. In other words, it ain't happening.

As this rumor starts coming together or falling apart, we'll keep you up to date. Definitely visit Bleeding Cool because Johnston is the man for rumor mongering and scoops.

If they actually make a Watchmen 2 and/or prequels, you can bet fans will likely riot and effigies of the creators who take it on will likely be sacrificed. You can also bet it will make DC boatloads of money.

I can't wait for Matt's review of Watchmen 2: Electric Boogaloo. I'm fairly certain he will turn into a Red Lantern while writing it, spitting up acid blood in the general direction of DC Editorial in hopes of harming Didio. Perhaps in some ways this will be worth it.

Note: This story is reflecting a rumor. No confirmation or even any suggestion of truth has come from DC Comics. However, Johnston is often right. Let's hope this is not one of those times.