I was skeptical of Doomsday Clock last fall. It sounded like a mistake to incorporate the Watchmen into the DC Universe. As I finished reading issue #7, it is shaping up to be a masterpiece.

I'll preface by saying that unless Marionette and the Mime turn out to be major players in the DCU, these comics aren't going to be major keys.

There's variants galore for every issue released thus far, and none of them are bringing sizable returns. Sure, Doomsday Clock #1, regardless of whether it's the standard cover or any of the variants, is averaging in the $50 range, which is enough to cover the CGC grading fees, but you're not going to make a fortune from these books.

And I'm fine with that. These comics have been such fantastic reads so far that I don't care about the fair market value of any of them. It's at this moment that the investor in me gives way to the fan, and the fan will collect all twelve of these issues and cherish them like they're the most valuable of keys.

Geoff Johns has channeled his inner Alan Moore, and he quite possibly has created an even more engaging story than the original as it has progressed. Granted it has a slow start, and I wasn't sure that the Watchmen belonged in the same universe as the likes of the Justice League. When I first read Doomsday Clock #1, I felt like Johns was almost trying too hard to recreate Moore's original opus. My initial reaction to the Johns version of Rorschach was that it was trite, and I refused to accept him as a replacement for my favorite character from Watchmen. Then I read Doomsday Clock #4, and I was mesmerized.

With each issue, Johns' storytelling has become more impressive. So far, none have surpassed that of issue #4, where we were given the origin to this "new" Rorschach. What I had thought was a poor substitute to the original was anything but. This was not Rorschach, per se; it was the tragic story of one man's struggle to cope with the events of Watchmen. He projected the pain from this immense loss into an idea of whom he believed Walter Kovacs had been.

Where these comics truly shine is in Gary Frank's stellar art. As a fan of 1990s comics, I appreciate the highly detailed characters and panels that hearken back to the glory days of Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane. Much of today's comics lack those details, which impacts the dramatic effect of the art in conjunction with the dialogue. By the time I put down many of the modern comics, I feel like I've been watching a childhood Saturday morning cartoon.

Frank's work in Doomsday Clock is captivating in itself. His artwork has surpassed that of Dave Gibbons, and it's unlike anything else on store shelves today. The closest I can compare to Frank's pencils are those of David Finch and Geoff Shaw.

As this series moves toward its climactic battle between Dr. Manhattan and Superman, my only complaint is that I wish there were going to be more than twelve issues.