Why do you think we should value the unwarranted insults and self-contradictory opinions of a mean-spirited, rude troll like yourself?

Unwarranted. No.

Insults. Yes.

Self-contradictory. No.

Opinions. Yes.

Mean-spirited. Perhaps.

Rude. Certainly.

Troll. Only by your arbitrary made-up definition.

Taking personal shots at artists, name calling, using derogatory terms including "sleazebag" and "piece of shit" when refering to the artists, is rude, childish and unwarranted in a discussion about art.

Rude. Certainly.

Childish. Children don't use such language.

Unwarranted. Again, no. Cooke is the prime example of an opportunist. The critical praise for his unoriginal and derivative garbage is what's unwarranted.

What planet are you from?

At the risk of being one of those jerks who wanders into a thread late and then declares himself to be uninterested in the subject -- that's me.

Regardless of how you feel about Alan Moore, BEFORE WATCHMEN is a waste of resources that should have been invested in something new and different. This may be the most naked grab for cash by one of the Big Two publishers so far; and as such, it's a discouraging herald of what's coming.

I assume that, by the end of 2013, the Watchmen characters will be fully enrolled in the DC Universe, with Batman and Rorschach team-ups and Dr. Manhattan joining the JLA.

Ideally I would hope that sometime between now and "Before Sandman" or whatever someone at DC glances over a book shelf with copies of Why I Hate Saturn, Watchmen, Sandman, 100%, Y, We3, Preacher, etc. and has the thought, "Hey! We've published some fucking cool original comics over the years. Why don't we just give up on the reboots and prequels and just try focusing on doing more of that."

Hey, it could happen.

DC has made decent money on original comics and graphic novels, particularly in the bookstore market. WATCHMEN, WE3, SANDMAN, Y: THE LAST MAN, FABLES, SLEEPER, PREACHER and others.

Unfortunately, rather than publishing more original work, it seems simpler to milk the existing winners for as much as as possible. The DC that took a gamble on WATCHMEN in the 1980s (and RONIN and other weird projects) no longer exists.

BEFORE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES BACK?

Gah!

The DARK KNIGHT sequel is a great example of why these old classics should be left alone. And in that case, it was the original writer/artist who came back and wrecked everything!