Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #4 Review

Comic: Ozymandias#4

Written By: Len Wien

Pencils By: Jae Lee

Publisher: DC Comics

Release Date: OUT NOW IN STORES & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (VIA COMIXOLOGY)

rating: 3

Ozymandias's retelling of the events than lead up to his master plan in Watchmen continues and we are now beginning to see the mounting frustrations he has with the world around him and the inevitable destruction that faces mankind in the future. The Ozymandias mini series continues to be well written, beautifully illustrated and manages to keep that steady Adrian Veidt mood despite the exciting visuals that are thrown at us. This issue takes us down more historic events, such as Veidt's relationship with JFK and his feelings on Marilyn Monroe. His ever growing concern over Dr. Manhattan is kept in focus and of course Eddie Blake is always the trigger to infuriate Adrian's cool exterior. However this issue is largely retreading Watchmen ground. Adrian talks about Hollis Mason revealing his identity to the world, the rise of a new generation of costumed heroes and even the story behind Adrian's Nostalgia perfume line. of course the big focus point here is the Crime Busters meeting and it really should be given the significance of the event in Adrian's master plan. Rather than glimpses we get the full meeting and as has always been the case with Watchmen re-reads, after you know what Adrian does, the importance of what is being said is felt. Once again, we are left with a sense that the next issue is where the real insight in Adrian's plans will be revealed but I've been saying that for that last few issues with Ozymandias, so who knows? This title is always a good read but this one really felt like it was repeating itself somehow. Hopefully this will be the only filler in the miniseries and the last two issues will really shine.

Before Watchmen: Week 22 Overview

"I'm not sure if its the weeks off of Before Watchmen titles or just that Ozymandias feels as if it's a potentially great title that feels like its treading water before its final issue comes about but this weeks instalment felt a little loose to me. Every month Ozymandias hints that we will start to see behind the curtain of his master plan in the original Watchmen but every month we get more fleshing out of events we know inside and out already. The momentum feels somewhat lost on Before Watchmen at the moment. We had a few weeks of no titles, then Moloch turns up, then another gap and then Silk Spectre ends in a fizzle and Ozy just feels like its filling for time. I'm hoping next week will get the ball rolling properly again but this midway-ish point of Before Watchmen feels like it's lost a bit of focus somehow."