NB of the Week

Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1 (of 4)
Written By - J. Michael Straczynski
Drawn By - Adam Hughes

Manhattan is not a complicated man. As he says, it's all a matter of perspective. It's all Schrodinger's Cat. Endless possibilities that can be altered until that lid is taken off. What Manhattan doesn't know is the why. He had time to grab his cost from the chamber so why did the door shut and things go that way?. Only one way to find the answer and that's to try and move himself into his past before he became the new him. As he watches the old him walk into the chamber, he's perplexed when he see's himself then walk out. Door seals behind him. We're left with a query of a final page:
"Boxes contain mysteries. Boxes are mysteries. Until we open them, we can never really be sure what's inside. I should be inside this box. At this moment.
But I'm not.
I'm not.
So where am I? Why am I?
What's inside the box?"
Besides that last line reminding me of Dean from Supernatural (fans know what I mean), this issue was pretty damn good. Straczynski helps redeem himself from the slow mess that Nite Owl has started with (though issue two was much better than one). He seems to grasp the monotone, know-it-all attitude that Manhattan has and it really plays out well. Not to mention the amazing art of Adam Hughes. This dude on interior is pretty rare and it shows just way. Pencils, inking, coloring. It all flows seamlessly and perfectly.
For the most part, the BW books are pretty top notch and this is another fine reason why. Skepticism is all over these titles and it's a shame because readers are missing some great reads.