The Tales of the Black Freighter is a comic book that chronicles the journey of a British Sea Captain who is journeying home after his ship and crew are destroyed by the Black Freighter. In the Watchmen graphic novel, the Tales of the Black Freighter comic is interwoven into the main story and often times both worlds would bleed into each other. On this disc The Tales of the Black Freighter is presented as a self contained animated short. This animated piece does a good job in representing the original work as it was depicted although this story is self contained.
For fans familiar with this work it is easy to appreciate all of the horrors and madness experienced by the main character on his journey home and in to his own soul. Yet for everyone else much of the context and poignancy that exist in the graphic novel is lost since Tales of the Black Freighter stands alone. In the graphic novel these comic panels are used as a mirror for the universe and times that the Watchmen exits as well as a key story telling device when the narration appeared in the Watchmen’s real world and panels from Black Freighter juxtaposed against those of the Watchmen.
Likewise, Under the Hood chronicles the life and time of Hollis Mason from his childhood to his retirement from being the costumed adventurer Night Owl. In the Watchmen graphic novel, the excerpts from this work are given to the reader to gain key insight and back story on this universes’ Golden Age of Superheroes. Refreshingly the Under the Hood segment is told in the format of a “news magazine” style show called the “Culpepper Minute” in which a reporter interviews Hollis Mason and Sally Jupiter (formerly Silk Specter) about various subjects as real life reporters would interview pop or sports stars. This piece helps ground their reality and add life to two characters that were not prominently featured in the film but are key components to the overall story.
The Blu-Ray disc also includes extras such as Story within a Story: The Books of Watchmen which explains how these two pieces are connected to the overall Watchmen work. Also included is the first episode of the Watchmen motion comic. Both of these extras tie into the work and an added bonus is that “The Books of Watchmen” segment is in High Definition.
In brief, this disc is a bonus for Watchmen fans especially those who enjoyed the feature film since it supplements and rounds out elements of the Watchmen story that were omitted from the theatrical release. It will surely spark interest in the upcoming “Watchmen: Complete Version” that will arrive with the home release.
