Advanced Review: Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 (of 6)

Whether you refuse to by into DC’s prequel series, or are absolutely loving the new tales of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ creations, one thing is for sure — everyone’s talking about it! Controversial to say the least, these books have been hit or miss with the fans. Personally, Before Watchmen: Ozymandias is the best of the bunch so far and is sure to make a fan of even the most skeptical reader!

Len Wein takes his time, weaving a story of the man that will become the greatest enemy to his allies. We are shown his life from birth, to the eventual donning of his “super hero” costume, never missing an opportunity to flesh out every nuance of Adrian Alexander Veidt. It is a stunning tale of an amazing child that must live in the throws of submission to inferior humans in order to live a “normal” life. It is emotionally jarring and yet, enthralls the reader to venture through Adrian’s life, just to catch a glimpse as to how he will overcome obscurity. And when he does, it is with a flourish of pomp and circumstance that has rarely been seen!

Jae Lee is the perfect choice as artist for this well crafted tale. He has always amazed the eye with his skill, but he has truly reached the pinnacle of his career with his work on this book. Every page is flawlessly crafted, a true wonder for the eye to behold. Using the word “beautiful’ to describe this work is under rating it. It is most definitely — stunning!

If you were at all nervous about this series not living up to Mr. Moore’s “holy grail” of comics history, fear no more. It is handled with the utmost care, and dare I say, professionalism. If you are to read any of the prequel series, I highly recommend this book to be your gateway!