Watchmen

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I was a freshman away at college in 1986-87 and I still recall as anticipated events the monthly arrival of The Watchmen (which were originally released in twelve issues.) Now fourteen years later my appreciation has only grown; there are elements that impress me now at 32 that I missed as a teenager. This is not a graphic novel that you outgrow; it's one that you grow into.

Some of the social issues are outdated, and as a society we're now to an extent concerned with a new set of issues and concerns. However, there are many timeless elements which the series masterfully explores: an individual's responsibility to society, a superpower nation's responsibility for global order, aging, mental illness, and a host of more intimate reflections revealed in the web of personal histories of each of the characters.

And on top of all of this, it is a beautiful piece of work to look at. That notwithstanding, you sometimes fail to notice the artwork because it so sea!mlessly tells the story.

Note: '86-87was a watershed year in graphic novels in which two Frank Miller series were released as well: Elektra Assassin (with Bill Sienkiewicz's excellent artwork) and The Dark Knight Returns. Both of which I highly recommend as well. In the ensuing years I have not found graphic novels with this depth and originality and have therefore lost interest in the genre, but these three works are still a joy to read!

Rating:
Summary: Superman does exist. And he's american!
Review: I love this book! A great tale. Perfect if you like comics. Hell, you could hate comics and you'll still like the book.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is the greatest comic ever written. The symbolism, and meaning is extremely deep, and the characterization is incredibly sharp. This book tells a brilliant self contained story, not soiled by sequels, and the like. Read this, you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: The Start of the "Grim and Gritty" Era
Review: This is the one that started it all. The comics community needed a book that would be an enjoyable comic, yet still raise questions that needed to be mulled over.

Watchmen was also one of the first comics to have no clean cut good guy. The character who is arguably the hero has no ability to see things in any other terms but black and white. Add to this a healthy dose of paranoia, and you have one of the most captivating characters in recent memory.

Watchmen is not for you if you are expecting a "funny book", but if you are looking for a sophisticated story, with artistic devices to match, I would highly reccomend this book.

Rating:
Summary: The most overrated comic ever? Yup.
Review: The entire plot of WATCHMEN was plagiarized from an old OUTER LIMITS episode, and I'm sorry if I must say that this is hardly 'genius' to me. Moore's soap opera super heroes took the phenomena Chris Claremont started on X-MEN to the Nth degree, and unfortunately main stream super hero titles have yet to recover.

The most profound thing about super hero titles, to me at least, was the sense of wonder they inspired in me as a child. Moore's Freudian fighters owe a whole lot to Claremont's whiny mutants. I just fail to understand why anyone, seeking to write engaging and mature content, would chose super heroes as their medium. It's just silly.

There are great adult comics out there - Eightball, Hate, anything by Crumb - but this isn't one of them. Over-praised and stolen for the most part, WATCHMEN was the first step downward for Moore following his great run on SWAMP THING...from here on out he took himself way too seriously, thought he was much more profound than he actually was, and rapidly became the comic book equivalent of Sting.

Rating:
Summary: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (Who watches the watchmen?)
Review: Comic books superheroes are basically fascist vigilantes, with Superman and his dedication to truth, justice and the American way being the exception that proves the rule. Both "Watchmen" and "The Dark Knight Returns," the two greatest examples of graphic storytelling, deal explicitly with the underlying fear the ordinary citizenry have of the demi-gods they worship. The one inherent advantage that "Watchman" has over Frank Miller's classic tale is that it requires no knowledge of the existing mythos of its characters because Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, the Comedian and the rest of the former members of the Crimebusters.

The brainchild of writer Alan Moore ("Swamp Thing," "V for Vendetta," "From Hell") and artist Dave Gibbons ("Rogue Trooper," "Doctor Who," "Green Lantern"), "Watchmen" was originally published by DC Comics in twelve issues in 1986-87. Moore and Gibbons won the Best Writer/Artist combination award at the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards ceremony. The central story in "Watchmen" is quite simple: apparently someone is killing off or discrediting the former Crimebusters. The remaining members end up coming together to discover the who and the why behind it all, and the payoff to the mystery is most satisfactory. But what makes "Watchmen" so special is the breadth and depth of both the characters and their respective subplots: Dr. Manhattan dealing with his responsibility to humanity given his god-like powers; Nite Owl having trouble leaving his secret identity behind; Rorschach being examined by a psychiatrist. Each chapter offers a specific focus on one of the characters, yet advances the overall narrative.

Beyond that the intricate narrative, Moore and Gibbons offer two additional levels to the story. First, each chapter is followed by a "non-comic" section that develops more of the backstories, such as numerous excerpts from Hollis Mason's autobiography "Under the Hood" or Professor Mitlon Glass' "Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and the Superpowers," an interview with Adrian Veidt, or reports from the police files of Walter Joseph Kovacs. Second, almost every issue has scenes from "Tales of the Black Freighter," a comic-book being read by a kid near a newsstand, which offers an allegorical perspective on the main plot line.

"Watchmen" certainly nudged the comics industry in the right direction towards greater sophistication and intelligence, although a full appreciation of its significance is always going to be lost on the bean counters. The Book Club Edition of "Watchmen" offers the teaser: "He's America's ultimate weapon . . . and he's about to desert to Mars." As a representation of the work as a whole that description is simply stupid, especially since it is followed by a glowing recommendation by Harlan Ellison that concludes "anyone who misses this milestone event in the genre of the fantastic is a myopic dope." If you ever spent time reading and enjoying any superhero comic book, you will appreciate what you find in "Watchmen."

Rating:
Summary: Superb. But then, you knew that.
Review: Reading through the first twenty-or-so reviews, I noticed the same ideas repeated again and again, all of which are perfectly true:

1: Yes, it's a comic book, but that's like saying Citizen Kane is just a movie.

2: Most people will be likely to push away this book if you offer it to them because of all those silly pictures that stop it from being a novel. Should they do this, point out the little details hidden away in each scene (the recurring image of the smiling face, for example) or the way that Gibbons' art - although damned by the use of block colouring that makes it look like a mid-70s X-Men book - is so expertly detailed with each individual person in the background moving realistically (ie: the people in the background don't appear/disappear between frames).

3: Moore's story is complex and thoughtful and, although it can be confusing, rewards re-reading.

4: Despite the superhero costumes, the characters in this book are... real. They're complex people who have emotions and characterizations comparable to the finest literature. Someone mentioned that Rorschach is in the same psychotic league as The Punisher, but whilst the latter has an almost stereotypical excuse for being a murderer (his wife and kids were killed by gangsters), Rorschach's driven by much more complex reasons (growing up in an unstable home where his mother was a prostitute etc.). And all of the characters are like this; people with pasts and futures and emotions.

Truly excellent.

Rating:
Summary: What's the stigma with comics?
Review: I mean, it's just ink on paper, just like a book, right?

Actually, it's much more than a book could ever be. A picture is worth a thousand words, to quote the old saw, but only the right picture. Watchmen is full of those right pictures. To me, the most powerful image is when Rorschach encounters his younger self and understands. The frame that shows his understanding is my favorite image. It's worthless without the context, but priceless with it.

I understand why people feel there is a stigma associated with the comic as a medium. People who might look down on the medium have obviously never read Watchmen. People who have read Watchmen and still look down on the medium as a whole are probably take themselves a little bit too seriously.

The book offers a compelling alternate history. Not only the large historical events, but the smaller ones mesh in. The world is displayed in the history that is created, with the details in place.

In addition, there is a wealth of reference to other works, which is explained sufficiently to not lose the reader, or not central to the story.

Lastly, there is a commentary on the comic as a medium, wrapped around a story within the story as a whole. The comic embedded in Watchmen is a powerful comic in and of it's own right, but pales next to the scope of Watchmen.

Many levels to read and enjoy, no matter what your interest.

Of course, as an Alan Moore story, it features amusing synchronicity between the background dialogue (TV, cutovers between scenes, etc.) and the main action, and a dark alternate future.

Reading in this day and age it is, of course, somewhat dated, as has been pointed out. The Russians aren't exactly a military threat any more, nulclear war isn't something expected soon. But human condition is human condition. If Adrian can learn from Alexander, certainly we can appreciate things from the perspective of 15 years ago.

Lastly, Watchmen offers some of the best one-liners and short quotes you can find anywhere.

And Rorschach. Insane, right-wing vigilante (lest you think it's a priori negative, he's the only one who escapes with his morals intact - although how you read it depends on how you view life - that is, are his morals worth keeping intact?), I find his journey from Kovacs to Rorschach to be fascinating, and the reasoning behind how he became Rorschach is an interesting insight into the human condition.

Actually, the book is so grey on so many things, it's really hard to characterize it as having a particular political agenda. None of the characters are all good, and all bad. Given the anti-war stance, it would probably be viewed as leftist. I think it goes beyond simple politics in its treatment of those things.

Rorschach tells us, "You don't understand. I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me." It's just as true of the reader as it is of his audience there in the book.

Another favorite of mine: "Those sure were good times. Whatever happened to them?" "You quit."

That's Rorschach.

As some of the final dialogue goes, "I won in the end, didn't I." "In the end? Nothing ever ends."

Yet Watchmen does indeed end. Which is good, because you won't be able to sleep until it does.

Rating:
Summary: this is not a comic book
Review: This is no comic book, this is simply a highly illustrated novel. This is quite possibly the greatest piece of fiction written in the 20th century, but it will never get its due because of the stereotype of it as a "comic book". Regardless of whether or not you read comics, read this book. I had only one complaint: I wanted it to go on forever, and it didnt.

Rating:
Summary: The best there is
Review: I'm not sure if any work of fiction, comic or otherwise, has ever affected me as deeply as Watchmen. If you don't read comics I would still recommend this to you, and if you do read them and haven't read this, then shame on you.

As for comments some make about the book being dated (nuclear war is no longer a constant fear, etc.), I disagree. If you were alive during the Cold War or even just have a decent understanding of the period, Watchmen will still affect you. After all, World War II is long over, but brilliant films continue to be made about it.