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Feb 01, 2012 Alan Moore By Mike Hilleary Photography by via Wired

Even The Simpsons Comic Book Guy would be speechless at the announcement today that DC Entertainment will begin publishing all-new stories expanding on creator Alan Moore‘s beloved Watchmen universe. This new series, entitled Before Watchmen, will span through seven inter-connected prequel mini-series following characters such as Rorschach, The Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, and the original Minutemen.

With former Watchmen editor Len Wein overseeing and original artist and co-creator Dave Gibbons acknowledging the new stories as a “tribute to our work,” co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee issued a statement saying, “It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant. After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”

In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Moore was not shy about his displeasure at the news, describing the whole thing as “completely shameless. I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago.” You can read the full list of writers and artists working on the controversial project below, as well as Under the Radar‘s own interview with Moore from 2009 discussing his past and his continued work with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Before Watchmen:

RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo

MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke

COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones

DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes

NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert

OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee

SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner