Award-winning creator brings talents to 'Before Watchmen'

Cooke previously took on a revamp of “The Spirit,” the character most associated with Will Eisner, and created a critically acclaimed work. And his graphic novel adaptations of Richard Stark's “Parker” novels have frequently found their way onto year-end “best of” lists. The next Parker adaptation, “The Score,” is due out in July.

So Cooke was perhaps a natural choice for DC Comics when looking for a creator of unassailable credentials to work on the prequels to the “Watchmen” graphic novel.

“Before Watchmen” is a prequel to the graphic novel “Watchmen,” in multiple miniseries with multiple creators.

Alan Moore, who co-created the work with artist Dave Gibbons, has said he wished DC wouldn't have proceeded with the prequel project.

Set in an alternate 1985 on the brink of nuclear war, “Watchmen” is one of the medium's most acclaimed graphic novels.

The mature, complex storyline was created Moore and Gibbons in 1986-87.

It was adapted into a Zack Snyder film in 2009.

Cooke is writing and drawing “Before Watchmen: Minutemen” for the publisher and collaborating with artist and longtime friend Amanda Conner on “Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre.”

“Amanda and I have always kind of quietly watched one another do our thing, and think, yeah, you see? He gets it. She gets it,” Cooke said in a recent interview with The Oklahoman. “We kind of approach things in the same obsessive way. And this just was an ideal opportunity. They had asked me to look at ‘Silk Spectre' as a character. And while I could look at her as a character, I couldn't in full confidence say I'm the guy to write a 16-year-old girl. And once I had an idea, which I really was in love with, I kind of made it a condition that we bring Amanda in.”