MONROEVILLE, Ala. – Sending shockwaves through the publishing world, it was announced today that best-selling author Harper Lee would be penning an official sequel to DC Comic’s Watchmen called Go Set a Watchman.
“We are thrilled and honored that Ms. Lee has agreed to venture into the dark, morally-conflicted world of Watchmen,” said DC president Diane Nelson. “We’re certain her lyrical prose and nostalgic tendencies will be a perfect fit for characters like Rorschach and The Comedian.”
Go Set a Watchman will be Lee’s first major literary publication since she released the classic To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960.
When asked why she chose this project to work on, Lee’s agent stated, “Harper’s read Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel over one hundred times. She just became engrossed in it—from the rape of Silk Spectre to the prison riot rescue to the moral ambiguity of Ozymandias’ actions—Harper’s come to see this world as her home, and she wanted to contribute to it.”
In her lone comment about the event, Lee said, “I always saw Dr. Manhattan as an extension of my Boo Radley character, in that they were both so removed from society, and yet so inherently good within. Also, I like that in Watchmen you get to see Dr. Manhattan’s thingie a lot.”
Pressed for details about the sequel, Diane Nelson revealed that the major plot thread will focus on Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II infiltrating the government to take down President Nixon, while subplots include Ozymandias attempting to resurrect The Comedian and Rorschach out of guilt, and Dr. Manhattan creating a quaint, 1930s southern town and its residents on a new planet called “Sizlok.”
Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore, still reeling from 2012’s Before Watchmen prequel series, had no kind words for the announcement.
“Harper Lee ran out of stories to tell fifty-five years ago, so now she’s putting her fingers in my pie. I think she’s a despicable person,” Moore said.
Moore did indicate, though, that he still plans to include Jem and Scout Finch in the newest installment of his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, in which the siblings will be incestuous, mescaline-addicted private eyes living in 1970s New Orleans.
