DC Comics Announces Doomsday Clock From Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Geoff Johns returns to writing DC Comics this November paired with artist Gary Frank for the “Doomsday Clock” 12-issue maxiseries.

Johns continues his story from the Rebirth one-shot that sees the Watchmen a part of the DC Comics universe, and Superman will be going head-to-head with Doctor Manhattan.

“There will be DC characters throughout this, but this focuses in on only a handful. There is a lot of focus on Superman, and Doctor Manhattan,” Johns tells blastr.com. “Doctor Manhattan is a huge focus, and his reasons for being here, and doing what he does, ultimately have to do with Superman. And there are many, many more characters to be involved, but it is a bit early to discuss.

“We’re not going to do a story like this unless we one-thousand percent believe in it,” Johns says. “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.”  

DC also released the following details, and more about “Doomsday Clock” can be found in today’s issue of The Flash #22, featuring Part 4 of the epic “The Button” crossover.

COUNTDOWN TO DOOMSDAY CLOCK BY GEOFF JOHNS

In the most anticipated story of the year, New York Times bestselling writer Geoff Johns confirms Watchmen will make an epic return to the DC Universe this November. As “The Button” crossover comes to a close in FLASH #22 this Wednesday, the four page epilogue affirms the mystery will continue with DOOMSDAY CLOCK from Johns and legendary artists Gary Frank and Brad Anderson.

“It’s time. Last year, the DC Universe confronted the legacy of Watchmen in Rebirth the way Watchmen confronted the legacy of superhero comics three decades ago,” explains writer Geoff Johns. “Thematically, and metaphorically, there was no better choice than to use Dr. Manhattan. If you’re going to have a conflict between optimism and pessimism, a battle between the very forces of hope and despair, you need to have someone who personifies the cynicism that has leaked into our hearts and also has the ability to affect the entire DCU. It’s all paying off this November with DOOMSDAY CLOCK.”

“DOOMSDAY CLOCK is a story for fans who love the DC Universe and Watchmen and want to see what a master of this genre creates when he puts them together,” says Frank. “As for my artistic approach to the series, each panel is extremely detailed and I am constantly thinking through the position of every single element.”