‘Watchmensch’ Ships This Week

By John Freeman on March 16, 2009

Rich Johnston and Simon Rohrmuller’s Watchmensch — a parody of a certain legendary graphic novel and recent blockbuster movie, as well as a trip through time to the beginnings of superhero comics — ships Wednesday 18th March in the USA and Thursday 19th March in the UK.

Written by London-based comics gossip industry columnist Rich Johnston, drawn by newcomer Swedish artist Simon Rohrmuller and published by American publisher Brain Scan Comics, “Watchmensch” seeks to compare and contrast the legal wranglings over the recent movie, with the comics industry as a whole, from the creation of Superman in the 1930s to the present day.

Featuring a large half-naked blue man (modestly covered) as the omnipotent voice of business, 1700 Broadway Manhattan, a vengeful and Hassidic-attired Spottyman, the rockstar billionaire Ozyosbourne, the legal eagle Silk Taker and the cross-dressing Nite Nurse, the Watchmensch have to fight against a global conspiracy that threatens
the destruction of comics’ creators rights.

“I laughed out loud at Watchmensch. Several times, in fact,” says Watchmen co-creator and artist Dave Gibbons. Referring to the amended end of the Watchmen movie, he added “[Watchmensch’s] climactic scene is more awesome than any squid!”

Shops stocking the comic can be found at www.watchmensch.com as well as art from the comic and reviews and interviews with the creative team.

We reviewed Watchmensch earlier in the year: it’s a savage take on US comics, laced with a decent amount slice of humour and visual gags. Read our full review here

• Visit the Brain Scan Studios website for more information. For sample pages, a list of stockists and other info, visit the book’s official web site: www.watchmensch.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.