Before Watchmen Nite Owl #1 Review
“No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.”
It’s quickly being established that the “Before Watchmen” series is going for broke. I have yet to read one that’s bad, let alone just decent. Nite Owl #1 hit store shelves today, and with 3 more stories still incoming, I can’t imagine DC is going to turn down this furious momentum.
Nite Owl #1, taking place in 1962, has the original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason considering retirement. A very ambitious Daniel Dreilberg finds Nite Owl’s hideout, proving his intelligence and bravery to Mason, positive characteristics Mason was looking for in a replacement. After years of training under Mason, the new Nite Owl get’s an unexpected visit from Rorschach, and sets in motion events that will forever change his life.
Nite Owls character in the original Watchmen suggested a lot “father issues”, but these things were really never touched upon. In Nite Owl #1 J Michael Straczynski does a very good job showing a young man dreaming of bigger and better things away from home and his father’s anger. You can see his joy when he reads and hears about the original Nite Owl, and you can see his despair when his father tries to belittle and take these moments away from him. A certain expectation is created with a respected artist like Andy Kubert. In Nite Owl the team does not disappoint. You feel the action emanating from the page, words appear and stimulate sounds in your brain, and the all important emotions of each character can be seen as they’re supposed to, well except for Rorschach.
The comparison to Minutemen #1 will continue to be there for all of the “Before Watchmen” books, since Minutemen is still in my opinion the best. Nite Owl is still a great read and shouldn’t be missed so pick up your copy at Cosmic Comics! and #getyourfix today!
Burke of nerdfarmblog.com
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