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 | Watchmen
Author: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
Publisher: DC Comics
Binding: Paperback
Released: 1995-04-01
Sales Rank: 2
ISBN: 0930289234
Edition:
Cover
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 2008-07-25 - human life is so brief and mundane...
Alan Moore turned the comic medium on its head with this series. The characters are human and the story really makes you think about balance in the universe between right and wrong. There is alot of symbolism and iconic references to the end of times as our masked heroes try to find out who is behind the impending war that threatens mankind. Believe the hype, the ending alone is worth the $20 you spend on the book. Brilliant.
2008-07-24 - "We are all of us living in the shadow of Manhattan."
It is 1985, and the United States reigns supreme. God is an American, manifested from a late-1950s nuclear accident and given the ominous nomenclature of "Dr. Manhattan." As the ultimate government employee he subsequently reshaped the world in his image. Global warming and high gas prices are nowhere to be seen in a country where electric cars are alive and well. Nixon is still president, Vietnam has become the 51st state, and the ambitions of the repeatedly humiliated Soviet Union have been frustrated for decades. All of this is courtesy of an immanent god-being with a decidedly temporal appetite for the ladies.
Other, more human heroes once roamed the streets, using flashy costumes and noble deeds to compensate for their lusts and weaknesses. Some are retired, broken, or dead. The rest are either outlaws or comfortably employed as government operatives. One of the latter, a WWII-era extra-normal named "The Comedian," is brutally murdered, thrown from the window of his high-rise bachelor pad. Rorschach, a paranoid, anti-social younger mask hunted by the police for refusing to refrain from his illegal vigilante activities, is convinced that a conspiracy is afoot to eliminate his comrades. He begins to investigate, and thus events are triggered that may culminate with either 9/11 times a thousand or worldwide nuclear holocaust.
"Watchman" is touted as the greatest comic book maxi-series ever created. By now that claim has become a cliché, but the title fits due to its enduring impact on comic books as a whole. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons flipped the bird to the Comics Code and dragged us into the era of dark and gritty comic book stories, elevating our expectations and souring us on cutesy Bat-Mites and boy-scout Supermen. There's so much detail and depth in this epic that even two decades later I find fresh nuances after each re-read. Threads of morality, philosophy, and theology are woven throughout "Watchmen." Does the end justify the means? Are we all there is in the universe? What would happen if God became man in the modern era and imposed his power on humanity? These and other dilemmas are acted out by the protagonists in this masterful example of the comic book genre's acme.
As Rorschach trolls the streets seeking the killer of heroes we see how profoundly sick society is underneath the pollution-free skies. And when the living god removes himself from the equation, the doomsday clock slouches toward midnight as a vengeful Soviet Union, emboldened by his absence, storms into Afghanistan. With time running out, we meet more heroes: the original Nite-Owl and his portly, middle-aged imitator; the mother and daughter Silk Spectres, both linked to the Comedian in disturbing ways; the brilliant and tormented Ozymandias; and Dr. Manhattan, whose increasing alienation from humanity may doom it to Armageddon. Eventually the killer stands exposed, and as the remaining heroes discover, it ain't no Republic serial villain.
The upcoming Watchmen movie has rekindled interest in this classic story, and like a number of fans I'm alternately jazzed and skeptical. The trailer evokes Dave Gibbons' excellent artwork, and the Smashing Pumpkins' "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" is the perfect background song. But I dunno...the plethora of fast/slow motion shots reminiscent of the fantastical "300" make me nervous. I think I'd prefer a "Dark Knight" treatment more grounded in reality. Even so, I'm hoping for the best, because "Watchmen" deserves it. If you call yourself a comic fan, or are simply interested in the highest potential of the medium, then by all means read "Watchmen."
2008-07-24 - Pure Awesome!
This book is amazing. I cannot see why it is not more popular. I hope the movie is great.
2008-07-24 - WATCHMEN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons, was originally published as a 12-issue series in 1986 and 1987. It is set in a parallel 1980s America: the U.S. won the Vietnam War and Nixon is still President. The story is almost indescribably complex. It begins with the murder of a former superhero, and the suggestion that perhaps someone is killing them off.
There are seemingly dozens of characters here, all original to this work, but Moore does an excellent job of developing almost all of them, and of balancing their exposure levels. Indeed, half of Watchmen is character development, but it's well done, and almost never boring. There's plenty of action, too, including a suitably epic and very satisfying conclusion.
The characters are what make Watchmen great. There are so many fascinating and deep characters here, and Moore uses them to explore morality on virtually every level. For this is what Watchmen is on its basic level: a morality tale, albeit a fairly bleak one.
Dave Gibbons's drawing style is realistic, and on the whole it's quite good (although his overweight figures look a little stiff). It fits the story perfectly. As with Moore's V for Vendetta, Watchmen features no illustrated sound effects, and they are not particularly missed.
Watchmen is one of the greatest and most complex comics ever written, and it's held up well over time. There's so much going on here that it virtually demands (and benefits from) multiple readings.
 2008-07-24 - Superfolks Was First
Tons of readers are giving credit to Moore for inventing the neurotic superhero. But Kurt Busiek doesn't. Nor does Grant Morrison. Nor do most superhero writers. They give the credit to Superfolks, a comic novel (not graphic) that came out in 1977. With a quote from Nietzsche. With the smiley yellow face. With a superhero up to his neck in personal problems. And with a lot more humor.
Superfolks clearly "inspired" Moore to write Watchmen.
So check it out on Amazon. Don't just take my word for it, because I'm biased. I wrote it.
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