Who watches the Watchmen?

More importantly, who reads them?

Well, you should. And there's no better time to get into the universe of the Watchmen than now, with the release of the Before Watchmen series.

Acclaimed for its psychological depth and realism, Watchmen takes place in an alternate world where superheroes have changed history: The US won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect.

But what happened before the Watchmen?

The Before Watchmen series features four long-awaited prequels to the best-selling graphic novel of all-time. For over twenty years, the back stories of the now-iconic characters from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's landmark graphic novel had been the subject of much debate and theorizing. Now, DC Comics has assembled the greatest creators in the industry to further paint the world of Watchmen. Newly collected in trade format and released this month, there are four volumes in the Before Watchmen series: Minutemen/Silk Spectre by Darwyn Cooke, illustrated by Darwyn Cooke & Amanda Conner; Ozymandias/Crimson Corsair by Len Wein, illustrated by Jae Lee & John Higgins; Comedian/Rorschach by Brian Azzarello, illustrated by J.G. Jones & Lee Bermejo; and Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan by J. Michael Straczynski, illustrated by Adam Hughes & Joe Kubert.

You can find all four volumes in both our Winnipeg and Saskatoon stores. Buy online, or visit your nearest McNally Robinson bookstore to pick one up. Call or email ahead to get a copy held for you!