The third book in the prequel series ‘Before Watchmen’ hit comic book shops today, and in this series we get to know Eddie Blake, the man known as The Comedian, a little bit better.

My first reaction after finishing the book is “What did I just read?!”. To be clear, I mean that in the best way possible. Writer Brian Azzarello presented a crazy story that revolved around the crime fighter’s relationship with John F. Kennedy, and I was into it the entire time. That generation had such a love for JFK, and being a part of that generation, as did Blake, so to see how he reacted on that infamous day in history, despite the fact that he was about to engage in battle, was super interesting to me.

Azzarello’s use of music was excellently done as well. I’ve tried to work music into some comic book stories that I’ve written before, and it is no easy task, so many props go to that man for doing it well. I want him to teach me his secrets.

I also enjoyed Eddie’s mission from Jackie O. It was probably my favorite part of the book. That was such a Comedian thing to do, and one of my favorite parts of the original ‘Watchmen’ was the variation in the events from history, so I’m glad to see more of it in ‘Before Watchmen’.

Overall, the writing is what really sold me on this particular book. I’m really excited to get into the next issue to see what the Comedian will do next after such a life-shattering event. So far, I’m not finding DC to be ruining this iconic character just yet, which is what many feared would happen when ‘Before Watchmen’ was announced, so I’m definitely going to keep on reading.

However, if I remember correctly, in the original story, it was implied that Blake was in Dallas, TX on the day of the shooting and he may have had a role in it, not off dealing with Moloch the Mystic over some drugs. Because this series seems to be ignoring that fact and rewriting Comedian’s history, I could see some diehard fans getting really upset over it. But, the way I look at it, it only enhances the character and sets up for what looks like so far a pretty good story. Plus, it was only implied that Comedian was involved in the assassination. It was never flat out revealed as a fact and could have been an assumption made by someone who was not informed of the whole story, so I don’t think anyone should get super worked up about it.

Verdict: Buy

BEFORE WATCHMEN – COMEDIAN #1
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by J.G. JONES & ALEX SINCLAIR