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Long ago, there was a small company called Charlton Comics with a strange assortment of characters. DC Comics bought them in the 1980s and superstar writer Alan Moore intended to write their swan song in a story called “Who Killed the Peacemaker?” DC told Moore they had plans for the characters, so Moore created new heroes based on the old and wrote the story he planned from the start -- a 12-issue series called "Watchmen" that broke a lot of rules and provided the source material for Zack Snyder's blockbuster adaptation.

Previously, we introduced you to the characters who inspired "Watchmen" characters Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias, as well as the characters The Comedian and Silk Spectre were based upon. Now, to finish our three-part article, let’s talk about the last two members of the cast, Nite Owl and Rorschach. Read More...

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Before they were Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre and the rest of the "Watchmen," the characters in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' groundbreaking comic book series were a group of lesser-known Charlton Comics characters. Today, they're the stars of blockbuster adaptation of that series hitting theaters this Friday and already selling out across the nation.

As the story goes, Moore intended to write the characters' swan song when DC bought the rights to Charlton heroes like "Peacemaker" and "Captain Atom" in 1983, but ended up creating a new team of characters based on Charlton's roster for the story he had planned -- a story that eventually became "Watchmen."

Previously, we took a trip down memory lane with Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias (originally "Captain Atom" and "Thunderbolt," respectively), and today we look at another dynamic duo from the pages of "Watchmen": Silk Spectre and The Comedian. Read More...

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Any comic book fan can tell you the live-action "Watchmen" movie hitting theaters this Friday is based on a 1986 DC Comics series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons -- but did you know the "Watchmen" characters were based on pre-existing heroes, most of whom were in a team called "The Sentinels of Justice," originally published by Charlton Comics?

After DC bought the rights to the Charlton heroes in the 1980s, Moore intended to write a story titled "Who Killed the Peacemaker?" as their final adventure. However, DC told Moore that they planned to integrate the new characters into their own comic universe. So instead of scrapping the idea, Moore created new heroes loosely based on the Charlton characters, and wrote the story he intended from the start -- a story that became "Watchmen."

Check out Splash Page each day this week leading up to Friday's release of "Watchmen" as we introduce you to the characters that inspired Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Rorschach and the rest of the heroes featured in Zack Snyder's much-anticipated adaptation. Read More...

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