Before Watchmen
[1] DC offered Moore and Gibbons chances to publish prequels to the series, such as Rorschach's Journal or The Comedian's Vietnam War Diary, as well as hinting at the possibility of other authors using the same universe.
[2] Gibbons was more attracted to the idea of a Minutemen series, because it would have "[paid] homage to the simplicity and unsophisticated nature of Golden Age comic books—with the added dramatic interest that it would be a story whose conclusion is already known.
"[3] In 2010, Moore told Wired that DC offered him the rights to Watchmen back earlier that week, if he would agree to prequel and sequel projects.
DC Comics co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee responded, "DC Comics would only revisit these iconic characters if the creative vision of any proposed new stories matched the quality set by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons nearly 25 years ago, and our first discussion on any of this would naturally be with the creators themselves.
Every issue featured a two-page installment of the backup series "Curse of the Crimson Corsair" written by Len Wein and drawn by original Watchmen colorist John Higgins.
[7]Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke[8] Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl, recounts his exploits with The Minutemen during the 1940s, while in the midst of his retirement, he faces opposition to the publication of his tell-all autobiography, Under the Hood in the early 1960s.
Although it heavily retconned certain characters' backstories by suggesting that a large part of Under the Hood was dirty lies and cover ups, it debuted to positive reviews.
Artist: J. G. Jones[8] The story reveals the Comedian's history with the Kennedy family during his exploits in the violent Vietnam Era.
Nite Owl inadvertently allows seduction into his world of vigilantism, courtesy of the dominatrix madam The Twilight Lady, while Rorschach turns toward religion, bringing the duo back together to solve the case.
Artist: Jae Lee[8] As he awaits the final moment for his master plan to come together, Ozymandias reflects on what brought him there and makes an autobiographical recording of his life that spans 1939-1985 (when the story of Watchmen takes place).
Artist: Lee Bermejo[8] The story follows Rorschach in New York City, 1977, where his crime-fighting activities cause him to be targeted by a crime lord running drugs and prostitution in the sordid Times Square.
Artist: Adam Hughes[8] The story explores the different universes that Doctor Manhattan alias Jon Osterman simultaneously perceives.
It also adds a notable new element to Osterman's backstory by revealing him to be a half-Jewish German immigrant who escaped with his father from the Third Reich to America; in the original Watchmen series, he was not implied to be anything other than American.
