DC and Watchmen characters collide at last! The story that began in DC Universe: Rebirth #1 comes to a thrilling and unexpected crescendo in the pages of this titanic twelve-issue series! In this second chapter: The Dark Knight discovers another relic from the Watchmen world. Lex Luthor pays a devil’s bargain. And killer clowns trek through Gotham seeking a madman.

Doomsday Clock #1 exceeded expectations and while not as good, Doomsday Clock #2 eases us into the story and brings us what we’ve expected and are here for, the collision of the Watchmen and DC Universes. And, if that’s what you’re here for, this is what you’ve been waiting for.

But, before writer Geoff Johns gets us to that point, we’re delivered more info on Veidt’s plan and why Mime and Marionette have been chosen for the mission. It’s interesting and through it we get the world of the Watchmen fleshed out even more.

But, the real show is what happens when the group gets to the DC Universe. That’s where things get interesting. We get Veidt and Rorschach interacting with some key characters of the DC Universe. What Johns sets up is fascinating in how it’s presented splitting our “heroes” off into two groups diametrically opposed to each other. It reinforces how derivative the Watchmen characters are in the archetypes but also how well the two worlds will blend together.

The art by Gary Frank again emphasizes the art style of the original work focusing mainly on 9 panel pages with variations on the grid. While I expected the series to transition a bit in the layout as the two worlds come together, so far it hasn’t materialized sticking to the same formula that works and works well. The only thing updated really is the color which is handled by Brad Anderson.

Back material is present here adding to the depth of the world and series and providing insight into events yet to come. How this impacts the greater DC Universe will be interesting and should make for some entertaining ongoing series.

The second issue isn’t quite as good as the first but is a slow burn that transitions the story to more of what we expected while keeping the formula that works. The series is one you can dismiss easily, read for the story, or dive into the depths, and for Johns to pull that off, even slightly is impressive and makes this one to check out.

Story: Geoff Johns Art: Gary Frank Color: Brad Anderson
Story: 7.95 Art: 8.05 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review