DC's Doomsday Clock Disappointed Me (and why that's ok)

There’s nothing like your first major comic book crossover. They say you can always remember your first time, and I sure do. I remember when the slighter older man typing out this piece was in his late 20s, living from major motion picture to major motion picture, enjoying his fantastical stories of superheroism. I really dug superhero films and couldn’t get enough. In between those long stretches of film releases, I begin to feed my desire for stories of costumes heroics through serial and episodic TV programming and was ultimately semi-satiated with shows like Supergirl and the Justice League animated TV show. While shows like The Flash or Daredevil served as a fine resource for my superhero addiction, it proved to be a finite one. If one was ambitious enough, watching all episodes of the current comic book TV shows of the Arrowverse, or Marvel on Netflix would take only a few weeks. I was ready for something bigger.

Connected universes like the “Arrowverse” sparked my interest in comic books.

When the well of TV and movies ran dry, my hunger for the capers I'd come to love was still not satisfied. At this point, I made the conscious decision to jump into the intimidating world of comic books, a vast well of tales that for some, will never end. I did not embark on this challenge lightly. The superhero comic book lexicon is America's craziest never-ending story (whose cast includes a massive dog that teleports). Despite the many soft comic book reboots throughout the years, you're essentially walking into a story that's already started without you, with some starting nearly a century ago! Huge events have already happened, and then happened again, and then happened thrice over. You can start a story only to learn some notable characters have already died, while other change mantles or retire. Your favorite villains may overstay their welcome with retreads of familiar stories, while some tried and true villains are nowhere to be found.

It's that “leap before you look” kind of risk that can yield scary results. Am I willing to get lost in years of history and continuity only to be overall disappointed in the story? It was a hell of a gamble. These issues get worse when you finally find a book you like, but that book gets a bit too referential and depends on you knowing the details of what happened decades before to understand what is to come. Navigation through this flowerbed of content can be challenging, especially if you don’t have a solid starting point.

On May 25th, 2016, DC Comics dropped its first issue of "Rebirth", a company-wide status quo in the form of a comic that would set the stage for its reboot. The emotional story of Wally West trying to escape the speed force was a powerful tale, with the effort rewarded by Barry Allen, when he finally embraces him asking "How could I ever forget you?". The character of Wally up to that point had only existed in the memories of long-time comic book fans. Wally had been missing since 2011, deemed unnecessary when it came to the New 52. His return as part of DC Rebirth was a love letter to long-time fans and an invitation for new fans to fall in love with Wally all over again. Wally West was the true representation of a bygone era that was lost with the company’s New 52 initiative. The New 52, for many, was an alienating project that got to pick and choose what characters mattered. I guess our red-headed Wally wasn’t one of them.

Although it did wonders for new readership, the New 52 was ultimately seen as a betrayal for some, as they considered the reboot a heartless cash grab, that erased decades of history. Some comic book fans can trace their commitment to these characters and stories for generations, their loyalty deeply entrenched in the extended history of some of their heroes. Wally West was one of the heroes comic fans didn’t want messed with. Not only did West stand out by being one of the few “sidekicks” to ultimately usurp his mentor Barry Allen as THE Flash, for many comic book fans he was THEIR FLASH. For years Wally’s Flash was being introduced to children through animation and comics as a declaration of the evolution of the genre by moving past the old guard. The New 52 may have ignored Wally, but with his Rebirth return, the dream of a new status quo that could please every reader seemed closer to fruition.

Wally’s return to DC Comics sparked hope in its fan base after the New 52

Even with all the heavy lifting of the Wally story, something even more ambitious was going on in DC "Rebirth". In a series of panels, we see the Dark Knight, Batman, investigating a mysterious item. Suddenly it is revealed to be the blood-stained smiley face button synonymous with the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Not only did this reveal leave the reader with a reason to come back, but Watchmen as a story was almost untouched to that point. They wouldn’t honestly be planning a crossover, were they? Soon it was made official. In an announcement that would change everything, we were told the mainstay characters of DC were set to meet the characters of Watchmen, in an event book called Doomsday Clock. The news that the heralded Watchmen would crossover with the pantheons in the DC Universe was one of the biggest ever. I had just walked into a larger world of my favorite superheroes, and now I have seemingly walked into an event for the ages! I could not contain my excitement. That's when the Doomsday Clock started to tick down.

So fast forward three years later, and I am burdened by disappointment. I lost faith in Doomsday Clock after only issue #6, once it was clear the book wasn't what I'd hoped it would be. Walking away from this story hurt because, in a lot of ways, I thought this story was mine. It was going to be my first huge comic book event and the first big event in my living journey through comic book storytelling. Unfortunately, it wasn't and after weeks of serious contemplation, and that's okay. As it stood, Doomsday Clock became the personification of my initial fears once getting into superhero comics. I was always hesitant to start comics because I feared I would feel punished for being a new reader, without having years of comic book history at my disposal. I felt DC’s Rebirth was, in many ways, a bridge between die-hard fans and myself. From my initial perspective, I felt misled. An avid Superman Rebirth reader, I was stoked when the finale of “BATMAN/FLASH: The Button" showed the Watchmen button slowly change into the Superman crest. There was going to be a book where my favorite superhero is leading the way? A huge story set to change the maligned New 52 initiative into a DC Comics people recognized? Sign me up! On top of that, this immense crossover will be built up strongly throughout books like Superman, Batman, The Flash, and even TITANS? It was easy to look forward to the event I was told would change the world. Sadly I didn't feel as I thought I would at the end of this journey.

Unfortunately, what I ended up getting was a Watchman sequel that full of new and old characters from a continuity that I had no interest in. I didn’t embark on this journey into Doomsday Clock simply for the Rorschach cameos, and besides some surprises, it's almost like nothing happened for more than half the story. There’s a storyline for the JSA that I simply have no reverence for, a political message that was muddied at best, and as all evidence points to, a rushed ending. Very little of the stories I was told would be essential leading up to this event, felt like they had any place in Doomsday Clock...and that's okay, I guess. I will get to why in a little bit.

First, let's talk about what plagued this story. The editorial problems behind the book were well noted and the delays admittedly did not do any favors. The story was originally set to unfold over a year, with an issue coming out once a month. This went off the rails almost instantly, as rescheduling and delays removed the tension of the story. It also presented another issue. Doomsday Clock had been advertised, like many a line-wide crossover event before it, as an event set to change the slate of DC Comics immensely. Then you had all of the currently printed DC stories, all trying to haphazardly catch up to this event taking place one year later. You couldn't help but feel that all the other comics in DC's line were being affected, simply to line up with this story. Suddenly, certain books were being delayed or stalled, just so they could "tie-in" to the overall Doomsday Clock narrative.

Tie-in culture within the comic industry is prevalent and often means reading outside stories that line up with the overall plot of what your reading. Whether a direct tie-in to an event or as works that are leading to a central plot point over time, when things do not go according to plan, tie-ins can fall apart very fast. These ingredients lead to a stew of ambition but overall failure. Expectations and misinterpretation are the slow-acting coughs of enjoyment. They are the symptom of a greater illness. All they do is build up over time & when you're ready to enjoy the victory, you're stuck in bed with the flu of underwhelming payoffs. A stretch of metaphor I admit, all to reiterate the singular point that I built this story up as my first real event.

It was a badge of honor to a comic reader, to be able to grasp the overarching narrative, and I felt a little duped by what I thought to be the culmination of all the stories I'd be reading, just to build to this moment, that in the end had little or nothing to do with those stories at all. What was supposed to be my “Flashpoint”, or “Crisis on Infinite Earths” simply became a vanity project for those who thought Watchmen needed a continuation. I had me "I was there" shirt printed and ready. I was the potential new reader they hoped to reach with DC Rebirth and I was proud of my time as an issue to issue fan. Alas, it was never really for me, and that's okay. For those of you that saw it as a beautiful story with a happy ending for Dr. Manhattan, the JSA and the Watchmen universe in general. I'm greatly pleased for you and salute your ability to find enjoyment in this tale. For me, it will always represent my first real stumble on my journey to the comic pages and beyond.

But what do YOU think? Did you like Doomsday Clock? Let us know below!