Last year, DC Comics did something very… odd. Rebirth, it turned out, was much more than a one-shot special designed to herald its relaunch. It also explained why, in this universe at least, a lot of the ‘New 52’ titles that had preceded it felt a little… off.  The unusual creative choices and odd absences of iconic characters were, Rebirth revealed, down to the machinations of an external force.

An external force that appears to be the characters from all-time classic graphic novel, Watchmen.

This is a massively eccentric idea and one that, given Watchmen’s status, seemed to be flirting with disaster. However, a recent Batman/The Flash comic crossover , The Button’, has moved the story along in surprising and interesting ways. Now, writer Geoff Johns has confirmed what’s next.

Along with artist Gary Frank, Johns will continue the story with Doomsday Clock. A miniseries, whose length has yet to be confirmed, it will put Superman and Doctor Manhattan on course for an ideological clash. Talking to Blastr, Johns has played down the idea of a physical confrontation between the two characters. 

“That is not what this is about. It is about something different… It will have an impact on the entire DC Universe. It will affect everything moving forward and everything that has come before. It will touch the thematic and literal essence of DC.”

In our opinion, the idea still feels potentially ill-advised but those words from Johns have started to win us over. And that image, of the Watchmen clock and Superman’s shield, is just chilling. Doomsday Clock will launch in November but it’ll clearly be part of DC’s presence at San Diego Comic Con this year. More as and when we have it.