A seven-part prequel series to Watchmen, one of the most popular graphic novels of all time, will appear this summer, according to DC Entertainment, publishers of DC Comics.

The news is sure to excite fanboys, but also disgust some: Original Watchmen creator Alan Moore, who has long feuded with DC, is not involved with the new series and none too happy about their decision.

Instead, a pack of other star talents, including J. Michael Straczynski (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Darwyn Cooke (Catwoman), will write installments, each centering around a different character.

“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee.

“After 25 years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”

The original, published in 1986 and 1987, followed a defunct batch of superheroes brought back together after the death of a colleague.

But as PhD candidates can tell you, it’s also a deep reflection on post-war American anxiety and paranoia.

Time Magazine named it one of the best 100 novels of all time.

Moore, meanwhile, lives in England, and continues to write – just not for DC.

“Completely shameless,” he called the prequels.