DOOMSDAY CLOCK Will Be Geoff Johns' Magnum Opus

In a tweet put out yesterday, Geoff Johns expressed that everything he's done in comics has led to November's big event: DOOMSDAY CLOCK.

In an interview with SyFyWire, Geoff Johns wanted people to know that the big event was not a sequel to WATCHMEN, and that it will not crossover with any other titles. It will be a self-contained story with "No watered down one-shots or mini-series". That being said, he made sure to note that it will "affect everything moving forward and everything that has come before".

I like that this is a standalone that will affect the entire universe. It's a bold step and hopefully one that will be so successful, it inspires future events to be self-contained yet still send ripples throughout the entire line of books.

This is how events should be done. It allows readers to enjoy their stories without fear of being interrupted. It allows creators to continue their work without having their schedule disrupted for a line-wide event.

So what is DOOMSDAY CLOCK about?

From the interview, it appears that Johns views this story as a commentary on today's society, though he calls that "low hanging fruit", through the contrasting eyes of two extreme views. With Dr. Manhattan, we have a being whose humanity has been lost and therefore he's distanced himself from it. On the other side of the coin is Superman, an "alien who embodies humanity more than most humans".

Putting Superman front and center of a story that will affect the entire DCU is taking the company back to their roots, as Superman is referred to many as the world's first (and greatest) superhero. He is the inspiration for so many other heroes.

Gary Frank will be tackling the art duties and was instrumental in Johns continuing on with the project. He refused to do the book if Frank wasn't involved. Because of their work history since 2005, Johns could not envision another artist helping him tell this story. Calling Gary Frank 'the director'.

Every aspect of the story, even down to the title, has been carefully crafted. Originally titled THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK, Geoff mulled it over and eventually decided that 'THE DOOMSDAY' brought back memories of Superman's epic battle with the humanity destroying alien. He liked the implications of DOOMSDAY and the memories it drummed up so he dropped 'THE' from the title. Giving DOOMSDAY CLOCK a more ominous tone that contains the initials "DC".

The big showdown between Dr. Manhattan looks to test Superman and challenge him at the core of his being. Johns wants to explore how far Superman can fall and expose his flaws. As we've seen in the past (All-Star Superman, Superman for All Seasons), some of the best Superman stories aren't about how much punching he does, but the exploration of who he is as a hero. This is sounding very much like that kind of story. Although I would love to see Superman absolutely demolish Dr. Manhattan into a tiny blue pulp. Sorry, not sorry, WATCHMEN fans.

DOOMSDAY CLOCK, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank will be released this November. Stay tuned for more information as it's made available.

For the entire interview, visit SyFyWire at blastr.com.