It's the been almost a month since the debut of BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN #1, marking a point in which the entire first round of Before Watchmen titles are on shelves and available on the Interwebs for digital download. Along with Minutemen, that includes the first issues of SILK SPECTRE, THE COMEDIAN, and NITE OWL—and only one issue in and we're already on watch for more Watchmen.

If you haven't gotten a chance to read these first forays back into the world of Watchmen, well, you're in luck because today we're breaking down the 5.2 Reasons We Love the First Round of Before Watchmen!

1. Darwyn Cooke

Darwyn Cooke wrote and illustrated one of the most fan-favorite comics of all time—the amazingly beautiful period piece DC: THE NEW FRONTIER. With Before Watchmen: Minutemen, Cooke returns to both creative double duties and the 1940s-1950s era. Golden Age greatness really resonates well with the romanticized style and tone of the time period, and Cooke captures that sentiment perfectly.

And Minutemen isn't the only Before Watchmen book Cooke is writing. He's also co-scripting Silk Spectre with artist Amanda Connor, and speaking of which...

2. Amanda Conner drawing Silk Spectre

This goes without saying, but Amanda Conner is a phenomenal artist. Her style is incredibly unique and she conveys emotion and character brilliantly through facial expressions and body language. Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre contains all of this, but Laurie's fantasy scenes easily stand out as some of the best parts.

3. Set Up to the Punchline

The ironically named Comedian stands as one of the most deplorable characters in WATCHMEN. He's a tough character to approach, but if there's one person we're confident can pull it off, it's writer Brian Azzarello. With the first issue, he's already laying fascinating groundwork into the history of the character and the history of the world, such as with the Comedian's involvement with the Kennedys and a certain blonde bombshell. 

4. Joe and Andy Kubert

Legacy plays a big role in the DC Universe—and Before Watchmen: Nite Owl directly reflects on that idea. So, what better artistic team to have than the real life father/son duo of the legendary Joe and Andy Kubert? A legacy book done by legacy artists. It's metamazing!

5. The Past is Present

One of the most fun aspects of Before Watchmen is the subtle references the series makes to the original graphic novel. Here are two awesome ones from Silk Spectre and Nite Owl. Be sure to keep an eye out for more!

5.1 Jim Lee Variant Covers

5.2 The Entire Thing Gets Us Excited for What's Next

Sound off below about what you’re loving about Before Watchmen, what you’re looking forward to, and any other cool references you may have caught so far! And don’t forget to check out the Crimson Corsair backup feature—which you can view online for FREE right here!