HBO: Watching Watchmen

First published in 1986, the Watchmen comic was a punch to the gut for readers across the globe, as well as publishers. It completely upended our conception of superhero comics while holding up an uncomfortably sharp mirror to the behavior of own society writ large. Distinctly focused on the neo-conservative, economy-first politics of the Thatcher/Reagan era, the comic has nevertheless had a lasting impact through its forward thinking commentary and criticism-by-allegory that pulls absolutely no punches.

Recognizing that the original Watchmen had cachet precisely because it had something to say about its own era, HBO sought to make its new Watchmen spinoff series every bit as thought-provoking and worthy of discussion. The show creators and head writers spun an ambitious tale of a future America where the issues of our own past and our present manifest visibly — and ominously.

This was an iconic moment and we’re happy we were apart of it.

Rai-mon Nemar Barnes, CEO Consciously

In short, like the original comic, the new show was designed to get people talking. To get the conversation started, HBO partnered with organizations like Consciously. We were tasked with helping work alongside prominent influencers and trusted voices in the Black “nerd culture” circle to create content and facilitate events discussing the show.

One partnership we formed was with the website Black Nerd Problems (BNP), which predominantly features young, diverse and PoC voices talking about the things they love most: comics, superheroes, sci-fi, speculative fiction, cosplay, anime, and more.

BNP describes itself as a “site and a social media destination hypes, reviews, and criticizes pop culture from a Black perspective. We speak from our varied individual Black experiences, with room for other people of color, about the things we’re passionate about.”