Diamond Comics Distribution's PREVIEWSworld has a new interview with J. Michael Straczynski and he covers everything he's currently working on for DC Comics and his own "Joe's World" line with Image Comics. While JMS, as he's known to fans, is working on the third volume of Superman: Earth One, he said he's done with the Before Watchmen books after the current group of series ends, and he's pretty sure DC Comics is, too.
"Insofar as I know, this is it for the Before Watchmen books," JMS told PREVIEWSworld. "Dan [DiDio] had a very specific vision of the cycle he wanted to investigate, and never once mentioned anything about this turning into some kind of long-term franchise. Not to say that might not happen someday, but I don't think it's on his or DC's radar at this juncture, and if it's not on theirs it's sure as heck not on mine."
The current run of Before Watchmen books ends in January and February, 2013, with the final issues of four mini-series (including JMS's Dr. Manhattan) landing in February, and no other series have been announced or even hinted at set in the Watchmen world.
While the initial announcement was mired in controversy due to Alan Moore, the original creator of the Watchmen characters and setting (based on the Charlton Comics character lineup), not approving of new stories set in that universe or told with those characters, the books themselves have been critically well-received. Nearly every series have also routinely landed in the top 25 in sales each month in the direct market, and DC Comics has high hopes for the collected editions in bookstores.
Before Watchmen was billed by DC as an "event" and has been their biggest event comic of 2012, as no line-wide story crossed over their titles in the first year of the New 52. While nothing may be planned in the immediate future, with the sales success of this grand experiment, it would only be logical that the door is open for more Watchmen someday.
