For years, Watchmen has been considered one of the most influential graphic novels of all time. Thirty-three years after the success of the original comic, Watchmen has once again become one of the most important stories in the world of comic book storytelling, albeit for an entirely different reason.
Damon Lindelof crafted a nine-episode television series of the same name for HBO last year, and while it generated it’s fair share of controversy, it was a massive critical success. That success was bolstered greatly with the announcement of this year’s Emmy nominees, with the series receiving 26 nominations. These nominations include, but are not limited to, best outstanding limited series, outstanding lead actress/actor in a limited series, and multiple nominations for best supporting actress/actor. The full list of Emmy nominations can be found here.
DC has massively increased the amount of Watchmen stories as of late, with comic books such as Doomsday Clock, Dark Knights: Death Metal, Generation Zero, and the upcoming Rorschach series.
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While their capitalization on the popularity of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s creation has yielded a positive commercial and critical response, one has to question how ethical these Watchmen continuations are. Alan Moore has expressed his disapproval of adaptations and sequels to his original story on numerous occasions, and frankly, the way in which DC retained the rights to the Watchmen universe was highly unethical.
Watchmen’s Sticky History
There was a reversion clause in the contracts signed by Moore and Gibbons wherein the rights would revert back to them from DC after the series was out of publication for the length of one year. DC has never stopped publishing Watchmen, nor does it seem that they ever intended to. Their use of this sleazy legal loophole eventually led to Alan Moore severing ties with DC Comics. Realizing this, one has to ask, is it right for DC to continue these characters’ stories? More than that, is it right for us as consumers to support them?
Simply put, no, it is not. Regardless, morals matter a lot less to fans than exciting new content, and so they are going to consume the new, corrupt media all the same. (This is coming from a huge fan of the comic, film, and TV series.) DC realizes this, and so they’re going to keep creating Watchmen stories, which brings us to our headline. While Watchmen season one is a self-contained story that needs no continuation, however it sounds like a second season could still be in the cards.
Damon Lindelof On Watchmen Season 2
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Damon Lindelof explained his feelings regarding a second season.
“The big incentive for me would have been not to do more Watchmen but to work with that same group of artists, and they’ve all scattered to the wind. So I hope there’s more Watchmen. It’s one of those rare comic books that transcends what people think when you say ‘comics.’ The idea can hold real cultural conversations or deep dives into American history, or criticisms of, of law and order—those things are evergreen. I really feel like that space is now open for others to come and play in, and I really look forward to what they do with it.”
-Damon Lindelof
Between his comments, the Emmy nominations, and the upcoming Watchmen panel at DC Fandome, it’s seeming increasingly likely that Watchmen season two will happen after all. Whether or not it picks up with the cliffhanger ending of season one is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain; Watchmen season two will be an entirely different beast than season one, if it does officially enter development.
Would you be interested in a second season of Watchmen with a new creative team at the helm? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media.
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