I am probably one of the only people on the Vine who has not read the Watchmen.   
 
I planned to but don't get around to it. What little I know of the Watchmen I have learned here on the Vine, from the fans.  This is another fine example of why the Vine is so great.  We learn so much from each other.   
 
Now my question to you is, for someone who has never read either, which should I read first?   
 
Because I will read them eventually. 

" @Liberty: Almost all characters are based on something previously done. "Let me just say they the Charlton characters are better than the Watchmen characters they were based on."  Clearly that's just opinion. Personally I like The Question but I think Rorschach is different and better..... "

" @EisforExtinction:   I researched this several places and Alan Moore was not allowed to use the characters because DC Comics wanted to take them in a different direction. "

@EisforExtinction:     Alright, let's compare Blue Beetle and Nite Owl II. Ted Kord gets into fun adventures with is friend from the future. Nite Owl is kind of depressed and is addicted to the rush of beating people up.
 
Vic Sage was an orphan who became a journalist while Rorshach is a lunatic who sees everything in black and white.

Blue Beetle and Question are both dead now... how sad

I probably would have enjoyed Watchmen even more if the original Charlton characters had been used. I'm a great fan of Blue Beetle and the Question. Has anyone here read the Question story were Vic Sage is on an airplane reading Watchmen, falls asleep and then dreams he's Rorshach. I enjoyed that.

" @Theodore:   Do you mean that or are you being sarcastic.
 
@longbowhunter: Thank you.  I have been trying to get all these question and question quarterly books but have not found them all.  Thanks for letting me know. "

I love the artwork for the pic on the left.

When you are right you are right.

I've recently read the 2000 miniseries L.A.W., which simply put uses all 6 original Charlton characters on which the Watchmen were based upon.
Great read, recommended to all you Watchmen/Charlton Comics fans!
It deals mostly with Peacemaker & Judomaster, but Nightshade, Blue Beetle, the Question and many more do appear in this too! (Captain Atom, Steel...)

Silkcuts writes so well it is almost embarrassing to try to post something afterwards.

What I wish to point out is that, yes, I have read the Charlton heroes, and while Peacemaker and Peter Cannon did not excite me much in their Charlton incarnations, I was rather fond of Captain Atom, Nightshade, and Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle's interesting past is particularly enjoyable for me. That said, I also enjoyed reading Watchmen from the start (I read it as it was coming out, and I remember the agony of waiting a full month for the next issue!).

I don't mind a world with both Question and Rorschach (and Mister A, R's other inspiration), nor a world with both Blue Beetle and Nite Owl II, just as I don't mind a world with both Superman and Samaritan (or Hyperion of the Squadron Supreme and Alan Moore's Supreme, for that matter), nor a world with both The Lensman by E. E. "Doc" Smith and Hal Jordan Green Lantern (or Starbrand of the New Universe and Darkstar of the Soviet Supersoldiers).

For that matter, I don't mind a world with both Captain America and his predecessor The Shield. And as little love as DC and fans give the Charlton heroes who became the Watchmen (Peter Cannon --> Ozymandias, Blue Beetle --> Nite Owl II, Captain Atom ---> Dr. Manhattan, etc.), DC and fans give even less love to the MLJ / Red Circle heroes who became their predecessors (The Fly --> Mothman, The Hangman --> Hooded Justice, The Shield --> Captain Metropolis, etc.). I guess it's just difficult for any character to compete with one written by Alan Moore.

But yes, some of us still love the old characters!

I've typed this before some place here, but I'd much rahter see a "Justice League" movie using the cast from the Watchmen movie, but playing their Charlton counterparts, with maybe just an Aquaman GL & speeder thrown in. I mean, I grew up with the Bruce Timm DCAU, Batman, Beyond, Superman, into JL & JLU. But I much prefered the JLU "era" whch is what exposed me to Question & Captain Atom. I think even that the reason the DCAU was ended was because they wanted to make those characters a bigger deal than the Trinity & Significant Seven.

People dont know about Watchmen being based on Charlton, & to a certain point its not fair to the Watchmen either, because DC is activly preventing Fawcett, Charlton, Quality & any other aquired from being made prominant properties. There is no Justice Watchmen because DC doesnt want Captain Marvel, Phantom Lady, Question etc overshadowing their top tier.

@COBRAMORPH: Well said. Thanks.

@Jonny_Anonymous: This is so cool. We are in the minority.

We love this post and wanted to let you know that we're making a documentary about Charlton Comics and a part of it will be about this.

www.charltonmovie.com