Doomsday Clock #9: The World is Rudderless

“The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy or the grey aliens or the 12 foot reptiloids from another dimension that are in control. The truth is more frightening, nobody is in control. The world is rudderless.”

“The Mindscape of Alan Moore” (2003)

From the mind of the man who has shaped the direction of comics possibly more than any other single talent of the late-20th century springs a quote in direct contradiction to his most famous text. Watchmen is built on conspiracy and a blindness towards it until it is too late. Here, Geoff Johns takes that foundation and distinctly provides a rudder. With the direct links now established to Manhattan’s interference in history– the erasure of the JSA and the Legion of Superheroes– the greatest conspiracy of the DCU seems laid bare for all to see. But Manhattan is not the rudder. Ozymandias is driving the ship, using Manhattan as a weapon once again. The final confrontation between Superman and Doctor Manhattan seems inevitable at this point but their fight also seems primed to take place less in a physical space and more on the battlefront of morality.

Johns and Frank team to craft a near perfect tale that beautifully illustrates the moral dilemma of the 21st century. When the pair evoke the Tweets of Donald Trump they capitalize on the magic of Moore’s clever criticisms of American politics through the 70s and mid-80s. Where Moore used Nixon in his alternate timeline, Johns fearlessly structures his world in the very real contemporary setting. A world, divided and fragmented, pitting “us” against “them”, acted out by the gods of our mythology– this is the sandbox Johns and Frank are playing in.

I’d like to make special note of Leigh’s lettering throughout this issue. From the very first line (see above), I felt as though I was reading a continuation of the original text and that tone persisted throughout in small part thanks to Leigh’s lettering.

Delays of Doomsday Clock have clearly, at this point, affected the overall narrative structure of the “Rebirth” era, as the rest of the DCU marches forward with little to no regard given to the epic being crafted here, yet I felt it important to point out Johns’ many attempts to maintain continuity here. None of the victims of Heroes in Crisis make an appearance among the throngs of heroes featured in this issue. I can’t help but wonder what the state of the DCU would be currently had this book managed to stay on track but as it stands, Doomsday Clock has been worth the wait.