Everything I have done in comics has led to #DoomsdayClock @1moreGaryFrank @DCComics https://t.co/YEoYmG86Uk pic.twitter.com/i5CLpjW2jx
— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) May 15, 2017
And just like that, we’re off. The next big Rebirth shoe is set to drop in “Doomsday Clock” a standalone four-part crossover starting in November. This marks the return of DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns to comics after last year’s “DC Universe: Rebirth” #1, and is also Frank’s first interior work since the ‘Rebirth’ special as well. The crossover will have no tie-ins and will follow up on the “Watchmen”-related plot threads revealed in the one-shot and continued in ‘The Button’ crossover which wraps up in “The Flash” #22 this Wednesday. The story, while featuring other DCU characters, will focus on Superman and Doctor Manhattan as the title suggest, evoking Doomsday (the character who killed Superman and was recently kidnapped by Dr. Oz) and the clock imagery from “Watchmen.”
Johns described the series as follows:
We’re not going to do a story like this unless we one-thousand percent believe in it. It is all about the story; it is only about the story. There are no crossovers. No watered down one-shots or mini-series on top of this one. This is a standalone story. There is only “Doomsday Clock.” We had no interest in doing a crossover with this. We didn’t want to see Doctor Manhattan facing off against Superman in “Action Comics,” with all due respect. That is not what this is about. It is about something different … It will have an impact on the entire DC Universe. It will affect everything moving forward and everything that has come before. It will touch the thematic and literal essence of DC.
For Johns this story is very personal, and this collision doesn’t appear to have been taken lightly, having only become a complete reality in the post-election aftermath. This is a story of two extremes. Superman vs. Doctor Manhattan as the Watchmen universe collides with the DCU.
If ‘Rebirth’ brought hope back to the DCU, will the grime of “Watchmen” infect it?
That’s exactly the point of the story. Will it? Can it?
I believe in the power of these icons. I believe in the power of hope, and optimism. I don’t think it’s fake. People tend to say if it’s grim, and gritty, it’s real, and grounded. I refuse that … And I don’t care if it stirs up drama. But I want it to be drama in the right way. I think Gary and I have earned the right to do a story we believe in. With ‘Rebirth,’ I think we proved we care, and take this seriously. We love “Watchmen.” We love the DC Universe.
The drama begins in November. Sound off in the comments and click here for the full interview (but beware of two spoilers for “The Flash” #22, due this Wednesday).
