Watchmen, created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, first appeared in the 1985 issue of DC Spotlight, the 50th anniversary special. It was eventually published as a 12-issue maxiseries from DC Comics, cover-dated September 1986 to October 1987.[4]
| No. | Title | Publication date | On-sale date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "At Midnight, All the Agents..." | September 1986 | May 13, 1986 | [5] |
| 2 | "Absent Friends" | October 1986 | June 10, 1986 | [6] |
| 3 | "The Judge of All the Earth" | November 1986 | July 8, 1986 | [7] |
| 4 | "Watchmaker" | December 1986 | August 12, 1986 | [8] |
| 5 | "Fearful Symmetry" | January 1987 | September 9, 1986 | [9] |
| 6 | "The Abyss Gazes Also" | February 1987 | October 14, 1986 | [10] |
| 7 | "A Brother to Dragons" | March 1987 | November 11, 1986 | [11] |
| 8 | "Old Ghosts" | April 1987 | December 9, 1986 | [12] |
| 9 | "The Darkness of Mere Being" | May 1987 | January 13, 1987 | [13] |
| 10 | "Two Riders Were Approaching..." | July 1987 | March 17, 1987 | [14] |
| 11 | "Look on My Works, Ye Mighty..." | August 1987 | May 19, 1987 | [15] |
| 12 | "A Stronger Loving World" | October 1987 | July 28, 1987 | [16] |
It was subsequently collected in 1987 as a DC Comics trade paperback that has had at least 24 printings as of March 2017;[17] another trade paperback was published by Warner Books, a DC sister company, in 1987.[18] In February 1988, DC published a limited-edition, slipcased hardcover volume, produced by Graphitti Design, that contained 48 pages of bonus material, including the original proposal and concept art.[19][20] In 2005, DC released Absolute Watchmen, an oversized slipcased hardcover edition of the series in DC's Absolute Edition format. Assembled under the supervision of Dave Gibbons, Absolute Watchmen included the Graphitti materials, as well as restored and recolored art by John Higgins.[21] That December DC published a new printing of Watchmen issue #1 at the original 1986 cover price of $1.50 as part of its "Millennium Edition" line.[22]
In 2012, DC published Before Watchmen, a series of nine prequel miniseries, with various creative teams producing the characters' early adventures set before the events of the original series.[23]
In the 2016 one-shot DC Universe: Rebirth Special, numerous symbols and visual references to Watchmen, such as the blood-splattered smiley face, and the dialogue between Doctor Manhattan and Ozymandias in the last issue of Watchmen, are shown.[24] Further Watchmen imagery was added in the DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 second printing, which featured an update to Gary Frank's cover, better revealing the outstretched hand of Doctor Manhattan in the top right corner.[25][26] Doctor Manhattan later appeared in the 2017 four-part DC miniseries The Button serving as a direct sequel to both DC Universe Rebirth and the 2011 storyline "Flashpoint". Manhattan reappears in the 2017–19 twelve-part sequel series Doomsday Clock.[27]
