The comic book event of the summer is nigh!  Before Watchmen, the much-anticipated prequel series to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, will consist of seven limited series and an epilogue one-shot.  Stay tuned, as the Fanboy Comics crew will be reviewing each title as it is released. Hurm. 

Darwyn Cooke continues to tell the backstory of the Minutemen in Issue 2. Hands down, this is the best of the Before Watchmen books so far. Now that all of the pieces are in place, Cooke picks up the pace and sets his team in motion. He manages to pack a lot of story in this book. Showing us the team’s formation, their first mission, a team meeting, and some of the dark secrets the team is keeping. Man, are those secrets ever dark.

Cooke again gives us a masterful blend of story and visuals. There are very few artists in comics today who can match his ability to layout panels and pace a story. In the final sequence, he weaves together 3 different stories in a masterful blend of panel work that would make Dave Gibbons proud. I have to mention the wonderful coloring that Phil Noto does in this book, as well. He does a masterful job of keeping some scenes bright and cheery, while making others dark and sinister. Whether or not Before Watchmen is a commercial or critical success for DC, Minutemen is definitely a book everyone should be reading.