Doomsday Clock No. 10: The world according to Dr. Manhattan

Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (with timeless spoilers)

• Even as B-grade film noirs go, the resolution to The Adjustment makes no sense. If Sgt. Murray was in on the murders, why did he ask Nathaniel Dusk to look into the case? Was he acting under Joyce Gulino’s orders? Why did she want Nate looking into it? Even Nate asks her that question according the screenplay in the comic’s back-matter, and she doesn’t give him an answer.
• Also, how did Joyce fake her own murder? Nate says she’d been gunned down by her mobster husband. Does he not know what bullet wound look like? Did he even see her body? Doesn’t sound like he’s much of a detective, if you ask me.
• Fun Hollywood facts: Jacques Tourneur was a real director, who made such classics like Cat People  (1942) and Out of the Past (1947). Hedy Lamarr was also a real actress, star of such films like Ecstasy (1933), Come Live With Me (1941), and Samson and Delilah (1949). She also pioneered wi-fi during World War II and was the real-life the inspiration for Catwoman.
• Wrong, Dr. Manhattan. The 25th Academy Awards was held on March 19, 1953, not 1952. And you’re seriously telling me Carver Coleman beat Gary Cooper for Best Actor that year? Speaking of which, if Carver also starred with Cooper in The Westerner (1939), who did he play in the DC Universe’s version of that movie?
• “The people on this world are different.” Yes, Dr. Manhattan. How dare Carver be a bigger person by seeing if the cop who beat him is all right.
• Well, glad to see Dr. Manhattan didn’t kill all of Earth’s heroes like Doomsday Clock No. 9 had us believe. But that still doesn’t mean the DC Universe isn’t changing again by the end of this.
• What’s this? Dr. Manhattan overpowers Hal Jordan? Are we sure Geoff Johns wrote this comic?
• Oh, so Dr. Manhattan doesn’t have to look like a hairless blue naked man if he doesn’t want to? Then why have him in the buff all the time, eh comic?
• Okay, how many of those pictures of himself and Janey Slater does Manhattan have?
• Wait? If Carver didn’t have any money, and Manhattan didn’t have any money either, then how did Carver end up paying for his meal?
• I just now realized that even without Alan Scott becoming the Golden Age Green Lantern, the Golden Age versions of the Flash, Hawkman, the Atom, Dr. Fate, Sandman, the Spectre, and Hour Man would’ve still been around regardless. Couldn’t the JSA still have formed without Alan Scott just like they formed without the Golden Age Superman?
• “I don’t have much interest in fiction.” Along with a lot of other things, Dr. Manhattan.
• Okay, if I’m understanding this right, Dr. Manhattan isn’t affected by any changes to the DCU’s timeline. Hence why he can see multiple iterations of Superman’s origin. But given what he eventually does to change history, how can he still witness Clark as Superboy recruited by the Legion of Super-Heroes?
• Also, remember when Manhattan told Laurie in the original Watchman that he’s incapable of changing what’s already been predetermined, that he’s just “a puppet who can see the strings?” Well then, he shouldn’t be able to “change the past to challenge the future,” should he?
• Oh, so Wally West does know Dr. Manhattan was responsible for the New 52… even though in Heroes in Crisis he still think’s Barry Allen’s fault.
• All right, so Carver’s own mother was blackmailing him, threatening to expose to the press that he’s gay, thereby ending his career, unless he gave her money. But then she kills and robs him anyway? Or maybe she doesn’t actually kill him, only robs him?
• Furthermore, according to Dr. Manhattan, Carver left home after his mom brought home one of her gentlemen callers, not because she threw him out after catching him with “Billy.” So is Manhattan mistaken or is Carver’s mom lying?
• “I am a being of inaction.” Except for the times you actually did act, Jon. Like when you took away the Green Lantern power battery that kicked off this whole thing? Or when you plucked various characters out of their respective times and imprisoned them? Or when you curb-stomped all of DC’s heroes last issue? Yeah, you’re the epitome of inaction, all right.
• “I solved the chess player murders 35 minutes ago…” Okay, based on that Watchmen callback, I guess Nathaniel Dusk represents Ozymandias, and the murder victims represent Superman and Dr. Manhattan. Then who do Joyce and Murray represent?
• Also, no way did Nate survive that gunshot. This “Jonathan Law” is such a hack.

What are your thoughts about Doomsday Clock No. 10? Did you enjoy the “canonical” reasons behind DC’s sliding timescale? How do you imagine the fight between Superman and Dr. Manhattan going down? And will we really see the DC Universe change again by series’ end? Only two more issues of Doomsday Clock left, except issue No. 11 doesn’t come out until August! What are we supposed to do for the next three months?