>>95844610well there's also the problem with the fact that the original Watchmen was contemporary when it came out. It took place in an alternate contemporary world where Nixon stayed as president. Which altered specific events in history, (US won vietnam because superheroes, US has worse civil unrest and crime than the actual 80's) but there was still an element of reality to it. alternate or not, the Soviets still existed in both, and the cold war was still going in both. As a whole, Watchmen is basically cold war inspired. And it's commentary is more contemporary to it's time.
But this is a follow up- and not a contemporary one. (for the obvious reasons that it would otherwise have to take place 30 years later, which throws the mechanics of the characters and major players out of whack) it still takes place right after the original, only removed by a few years since the early 90's are closer to most people's common memory these days than the 80's.
and having it not be current, completely breaks the commentary aspect, because it has to be contemporary commentary, and it can't be 90's commentary, because there isnt much real world stuff to build on, and the watchmen universe which was already sort of derailed from reality, goes the rest of the way off the rails when Veidt nukes Manhattan, meaning everything would have to be made up commentary and news.
which doesnt excuse the fact that they could have at least tried to veil contemporary issues as 90's issues. Noth korea was not a threat in the 90's. ever. China would have been more in line with the era. Border walls were never discussed in the 90's. etc
