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In Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons; groundbreaking graphic novel, the story climaxes with the appearance of something unexpected in New York’s Times Square. Here in the real world, something almost as surprising is showing up in the same location: A jumbotron ad for Before Watchmen, DC Entertainment‘s series of prequels to the 1985 classic.
The 30-second advertisement is the first time any comic book or graphic novel has been promoted on the Jumbotron, and after its broadcast to hundreds of unsuspecting New Yorkers starting July 16, it’s going to go national; airing during commercial breaks on cable channels including IFC, TNT and TruTV according to a report in the New York Post.
Showcasing art from Jae Lee, Adam Hughes, JG Jones, Amanda Conner, Andy Kubert, Darwyn Cooke and Lee Bemejo, the ad links the various Before Watchmen collections not only to the original comic, but also to Zack Snyder’s 2009 movie adaptation, perhaps in light of his current Man of Steel success.
This isn’t the first television commercial that DC Entertainment has created for its comic output; when the company relaunched its core superhero line in September 2011 as “The New 52,” that launch was also promoted with television ads, along with radio spots and widespread mainstream media coverage.
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