Are we actually ready for Doomsday Clock? If the lenticular cover for Doomsday Clock #1 didn’t get you excited enough, DC Creative Officer Geoff Johns revealed Gary Frank’s covers for the second issue and it features none other than Lex Luthor.
The first cover shows unfamiliar costumes falling out of a box on the floor, but Watchmen fans will notice the Nostalgia logo in multiple places. That’s Adrian Veidt's cosmetics line, so if you had reservations about whose hand is on Lex’s shoulder in the second cover that should clear things up.
In the second, you’ll notice what looks to be Adrian Veidt a.k.a. Ozymandias’ hand. (Well played, DC.) While Lex Luthor’s appearance doesn’t come as a surprise considering Johns teased his appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, nobody was expecting to see him so soon. Ozymandias is considered one of the brightest minds in the Watchmen world. Considering the body language, it looks like Luthor has found an ally. One can only imagine what those two are capable of ...
Also exciting is Comedian’s famous smiley face button, last seen during The Button, a four-part Batman and Flash crossover series, below Luthor’s hands. There’s no telling how or why the duo has the button, which only adds to the excitement for the Doomsday Clock New York Comic Con panel next month.
“One scene in particular, one interaction I love, is seeing the smartest man from one world talking to the smartest man from another,” Johns, who is also writing the series, said at SDCC. “And the smartest man from this world is Lex Luthor. It goes beyond Doctor Manhattan because this is a once in a lifetime thing and we are going for the best story we can tell and that’s what the story calls for.”
Johns says “Superman is the story” of Doomsday Clock. Dr. Manhattan, he said, is the only person who can challenge hope in a way that will “lead the DC Universe into tomorrow.” With Lex Luthor, Batman, Ozymandias and Rorschach appearing in a story that’s supposed to bring Watchmen and the DC Universe together, it’s clear just how ambitious this comic is going to be. There’s sure to be even more surprises on the way.
See all the covers and art we have from Doomsday Clock in the gallery above, the panels Johns teased at SDCC here, and stay tuned for more clues about what to expect when the series arrives Nov. 22.
