Who watches the Watchmen? Well, DC Comics does, and so do the revolutionary comic's legions of fans. In fact, they love the classic Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons tale so much that Watchmen has remained in print since it was first released in 1986. In addition to the perennial graphic novel best seller, there was a Watchmen film, the Before Watchmen prequel comics, and soon there may soon be both an R-rated animated adaptation and an HBO series.

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The DC Universe of the comics has also been in the midst of a Watchmen-centric revitalization during the current Rebirth initiative. The implications are that Doctor Manhattan altered reality in the DC Universe, and he's since seemingly manipulated the heroes behind the scenes. Plus, a character heavily hinted to be Ozymandias has also been seen over the last year (though CBR is pretty sure Mr. Oz is someone else). In November 2017, Johns and Gary Frank will begin to answer all the lingering questions of Rebirth with the 12-issue event series Doomsday Clock.

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In addition to bringing the Watchmen into the DCU-proper, DC Comics has crafted the unique opportunity to celebrate a previously ignored part of the Watchmen legacy; namely, the Charlton Comics Action Heroes, Moore and Gibbons used as templates for the Watchmen characters. In continuity, DC has ignored the connection the Question, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Peacemaker and Nightshade have to one of its most successful stories of all time, but by embracing the heroes' place in history, the publisher has a chance to really get people to buy comics starring them.

Who Are The Charlton Comics Action Heroes?

Charlton-Comics-The-Atom

In the 1980s, longtime publisher Charlton Comics went out of business. Seeing some interesting characters for the taking, DC Comics bought the rights to the Charlton Comics Action Heroes: Captain Atom, The Question, Blue Beetle, Peacemaker, Nightshade, Thunderbolt, Judomaster and Sarge Steel.

Many of these characters were, in fact created by legendary artist/writer Steve Ditko, and they reflected heavily the era in which they were conceived. Captain Atom was a nuclear-powered superhero typical of the 1950s and '60s. The Question was a investigative journalist and vigilante. Ted Kord was Ditko's version of the Golden Age Blue Beetle, but without any of the superpowers. Nightshade was introduced as the shadow-wielding partner and love interest of Captain Atom.

Other, non-Ditko characters included Peacemaker, a government super agent who dealt with the ghosts of war, and Thunderbolt, a man who achieved mental and physical perfection. There was also the martial artist Judomaster, and the hardboiled detective Sarge Steel.

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Alan Moore took interest in many of these characters, and used them in his original Watchmen pitch, feeling that he needed established heroes within a preexisting continuity to make the story most effective. However, when DC editorial saw his plans for its new intellectual property, the publisher convinced him to create new characters using the Action Heroes as templates.

The level of near-omnipotence Captain Atom possessed seemed to interest Moore enough that he used him as the basis for Doctor Manhattan. The characters' origins were similar, with the former a scientist who became accidentally locked inside an experimental rocket and was atomized when it exploded, and the latter a scientist who was locked in an Intrinsic Field Subtractor only to be atomized. In both cases, the experiences gave them superpowers, not the last of which was to reconstitute their bodies.

Ditko created the comic book character Mr. A in 1967, who was noted for his uncompromising principles and incorruptibility as a vigilante and journalist. By Ditko's own admission, the Question was created as a Comics Code Authority-friendly version of Mr. A. Moore used both characters as the basis for Rorschach, especially the character's unflinching dedication to the truth.

Blue Beetle was a non-powered superhero who used gadgets and an airship to fight crime, which inspired Moore to create Nite Owl. He used a combination of Nightshade, Black Canary and Phantom Lady as the basis for Watchmen's Silk Spectre. More also used Peacemaker as the template for the Comedian, and turned Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt into Ozymandias.

It's been about 30 years since Watchmen was released and the Charlton characters were first introduced into the DC Universe, and since then, the publisher has done relatively little to celebrate or take advantage of the connection these two groups share. As a result, the former Action Heroes have failed to find consistent success.

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The Charlton Heroes DC Comics Success...and Failure

DC Comics made an initial attempt to bring these characters into continuity in the mid-to-late-80s. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which the heroes played a role, several of Charlton's characters were given series within the DC Universe, which saw various levels of success.

The only title to achieve widespread acclaim lasting to this day was Dennis O'Neil and Denys Cowan's The Question, where the title character learned martial arts and embraced eastern philosophy. The book lasted 36 issues between 1987-1990; it was briefly continued as a quarterly series in the early '90s, and has been revisited several times over the years.

DC - The Question

In his DC Comics series, Captain Atom was given a new look and was sent through time by the creative team of Cary Bates, Greg Weisman and Pat Broderick. This book ran for 57 issues between 1987-1991 before he moved onto a recurring player in several versions of the Justice League.

Blue Beetle's solo title was launched by Len Wein and Paris Cullins and lasted just 24 issues, between 1986-1988. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis picked him up, and he became a popular character in their Justice League International run.

Meanwhile, Peacemaker starred in a four-issue miniseries in 1988, and Nightshade appeared within the pages of Suicide Squad and then Shadowpact, much later down the line. The rights to Peter Cannon were retained by creator Peter Morisi, and reverted back to him after a 12-issue series was cancelled in the early '90s. DC finished out the '90s with a five-issue miniseries in 1999 called L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons) that starred the Charlton heroes.

The 2000s proved to be a bad decade for this collective. Captain Atom was sent off to the Wildstorm Universe and was then turned into the evil Monarch. Ted Kord was killed off in order to give way to a new Blue Beetle character. Vic Sage received another miniseries in 2005, but died of cancer a few years later, handing off his legacy to Renee Montoya.

Things didn't get much better for them in the New 52. Captain Atom was turned into a Doctor Manhattan-like god, which never seemed to entice readers. The Question, meanwhile, was transformed into a supernatural character before appearing as the leader of the Suicide Squad for a time. Everyone else pretty much disappeared.

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DC's Doomsday Clock Offers New Opportunities

But no superheroes stay gone forever, and Rebirth has given DC Comics the opening it needs to reintroduce the Charlton heroes. Ted Kord is now serving as a mentor to Jaime Reyes in the pages of Blue Beetle. His past as a vigilante has been reestablished, and the potential for future adventures is there. The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom miniseries revamped the New 52 concept in order to bring the character back to his military roots. The Question, Nightshade and Peacemaker have yet to show up, but Johns and Frank will be telling their story of Superman fighting Doctor Manhattan over the next year, so DC has plenty of time to re-introduce these characters as well.

In much the same way the publisher loaded Before Watchmen with unavoidable talent, DC could do something similar with the Charlton Comics characters, perhaps crafting a series of one-shots or miniseries that team each of the former Action Heroes with their Watchmen counterpart. Make people come for Watchmen, but stay for Charlton, essentially. This project would help serve as a new stage for these characters while also allowing creators and readers to explore the similarities and differences they share with their counterparts.

DC Comics Doomsday Clock Superman comic book cover.

DC could also launch new ongoing series for a few of them, with marketing aimed at targeting fans of Watchmen and the Rebirth storyline. Much in the same way the publisher has Young Animal and the coming Dark Matter titles, establishing an Action Heroes line that can create a thematic connection to the Watchmen material would be a smart way to reestablish Ted Kord and Captain Atom as major players in the superhero community, and ignore the ghastly changes made to the Question while returning Vic Sage back to his old self. Meanwhile, "lesser" characters like Peacemaker, Nightshade, Judomaster and even Sarge Steel can once again be utilized across the DC Universe in key roles.

The marketing would be smart to play up the connection to Watchmen, but it's important that these characters remain true to who they are; keep in mind the failure Captain Atom became when he was too much like Doctor Manhattan. Grant Morrison did a cool thing in Multiversity where he established the Charlton heroes on Earth 4 of the Multiverse as döpplegangers of the Watchmen characters. It was a fun idea, but it's not really a concept that can sell comics or stand on its own. These characters have fans and an audience, DC just needs to attract attention and hit the right notes to make these comics a success.