Watchmen

Rating:
Summary: Smarter than the average comic
Review: This book was thoughtful and reflects the major issues of its time. Some of those issues have since gone away (who's afraid of the big bad nuke anymore? Not the majority of Americans, so the polls say), but the book still provides food for thought.

Watchmen came out a little after Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Both are pioneers in a new genre -- the graphic novel that targets adults. Dark Knight, however, simply tells a story. Watchmen went further. Watchmen includes a tremendous amount of social commentary packed in symbolism, while still telling a fantastic science fiction story.

Yes, you can enjoy the story even if you have no idea what the symbolism is for.

Yes, the drawing is extremely good. Very cinematic. (Seen the "making of" feature on The Matrix DVD? Remember the drawings of the scenes that the directors used to market the movie to producers? That's the cinematic style of comic drawing I'm talking about.)

And yes, many then-current issues have since gone away. The issue of vigilante prompted by Bernie Goetz is gone. Most people don't pay attention to arms control any more. The novelty of an actor becoming the President has worn off. The Tower Commission Report's quote from the Bible ("Who watches the watchmen?") is featured in the overleaf; who remembers the commission or its report?

None of this, however, takes away from the fact that Watchmen is a masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: A classic of all genres
Review: I first read Watchmen in high school, and it greatly impressed me of course. Over a decade later, I reread it and it impresses me even more. Watchmen is simply the best thing Alan Moore has ever written, and as such, the best graphic novel ever IMHO. Comic book writers like Neil Gaiman, for ex., may be more popular, but at his peak, Moore was the best writer in terms of style, plotting, intellect and sheer cleverness to work in the genre. I used to think the book's only failing was Dave Gibbon's artwork, which isn't particularly slick or "pretty"; however, Gibbon's layouts were essential in conveying such a dense story, so I've changed my mind since.

In summary, Watchmen is one of the cleverest, and best novels of recent decades to appear of any genre.

Rating:
Summary: The Apex of the Comic Book Medium....
Review: 1986 is usually referred to as comic fans favorite year, due mainly to the introduction that year of two seminal works which seemed to instantly erase the boundaries of the hoary old comic art form: Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" and Alan Moore's "Watchmen."

Of the two, "Watchmen" holds up better today, for while "Dark Knight" reinvented the literary conventions of comic books, "Watchmen" redefined them utterly.

As with his earlier strip "V for Vendetta", Moore elects to dispense with thought balloons and adopt a more cinematic style of storytelling. This gives artist Dave Gibbons a great deal of flexibility in his depiction of the story and allows him to employ a variety of cinematic storytelling techniques to the project.

For his part, Moore turns in a tightly-plotted take on a world in which costumed crimefighters are quite real, dominated by the godlike Dr. Manhattan. The murder of one of their own brings these crimefighters out of government-enforced retirement to answer the question: "Who Watches the Watchmen?"

This is a phenomenal work which illustrates once and for all the potential of the comic book genre. Even if you are not a comics fan, you will find "Watchmen" to be exceptional.

Rating:
Summary: Watching and waiting...
Review: What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? About the only original things I can think of right now is DO NOT WRITE THIS OFF AS JUST ANOTHER COMIC BOOK and when you read it don't skip anything, you'll need to real it all to get the point.

Rating:
Summary: Watch The Watchmen
Review: I've read comics for 35 years and this is one of the two best stories ever published (the other being Dark Knight Returns). There is so much to read and re-read on different levels and the attention to detail is astounding. Couple that with some of the best writing to ever appear in a comic book form makes for a great book (comic book or otherwise). This is one of the most intense and gripping stories that you will ever read in this format and this story changed the course of comic book history forever.

Rating:
Summary: An industry changes. Post modernism came to comics.
Review: This is a great comic. Buy it.

Now that that's said - this is the most historical document of the 1980s embodying both the extreme pessimism of the time and the new popularity of post-modernism in modern literature. Different genres (especially comic genres) clash and crash creating a synthetic whole. It's a mystery, a revenge fantasy, a superhero saga, an urban realism tale, a political tract, an historical meditation and an old fashioned crime fighter book. It's also an alternate history with superheroes winning the Vietnam war and cementing Nixon's popularity enough to have the constitution changed to allow for three and four terms.

A government employed vigilante is thrown from his high rise apartment. He turns out to be a horrible person but who threw him out the window remains a mystery. The first half of the series contains three seperate origin stories - the dead guy, Dr. Manhattan - a man who reconstructed himself from atomic subparticles and now sees the future and the past equally and Rorschach - the psychotic Punisher type who kills without mercy and in many ways is the center of the book. The second half wraps up the mystery and concerns itself with the less interesting characters.

Every chapter has a supplement, either a bogus autobiography or a paper on the effects of the back story. Amazingly detailed the only drawback is the comic tends to be too detailed. There are so many plot elements crashing through this narrative that you get a headache if you try to read it too fast. In the original form it came out one chapter a month and every chapter was a seperate entity that you could read and reread throughout the month. In a book form that aspect suffers and hinders the reader.

So read it. But read it slow.

Rating:
Summary: May be the best comic book of all time
Review: I confess I am not a fan of Gibbons' art, but Alan Moore's writing is nothing short of genius. The sheer density of these narratives, the visual puns and structural devices interwoven with complex characterizations and memorable dialogue... one is simply stunned at the final achievement. This is a magnum opus, a masterpiece, a colossal work within its genre. One is breathtaken at the imaginative generosity Moore displays, creating his world in such detail.

Rating:
Summary: One of the BOOKENDS of my collection!
Review: I am a serious comic book fan, and have been so for a couple of decades now! And I say with absolute conviction that this book is one of the two best stories EVER written in comics!(The other being Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns") Alan Moore's brilliant writing in this book blew me away when I first read this story, and blew me away for different reasons when I recently read it again! That's the amazing thing about this story, it has many levels, it's like poking around a mansion late at night; The more you explore, the more you find! Dave Gibbons artwork is the perfect style for this story too. And speaking of the artwork, check out the backgrounds throughout this story for cool little "back stories" and interesting details (Like a sign in the background that says "Promethean Cast Co." which is interesting since this book came out in 1986, and 13 years later Alan Moore has a current monthly title called "Promethea") I guaran-darn-tee you that when you read this book, and you get to the end of Chapter XI, YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY! But don't take MY word for it, read it and decide for yourself! That's My Opinion But You're Welcome To It.

Rating:
Summary: Alan Moore, the only real writer left in comics
Review: Just read the Watchmen and you will see why it has been called a masterpiece of the comics genre. It touches upon everything and leaves nothing out. War, politics, the justice system, flawed superheroes, how political goverments are big jokes, and yet the love between a man and a woman is sometimes the only thing that counts. Comic book writing has never touched upon as many themes or worked on so many levels as the Watchmen has. You may never read another comic book again, after reading this masterpiece of writing, with great drawings by Dave Gibbons.Note; This book is better then any of the DCU comics, and it must be made into a movie. Why Not?!

Rating:
Summary: One of the great works of all time
Review: It is ironic that one of the greatest pieces of literature produced in the last 50 years is a comic book. What's tragic is that many people dismiss Watchmen because of that very fact.

Comic Books are for kids aren't they? Casper, Archie, Richie Rich...sure maybe Superman. But they're not to be taken seriously. Are they?

If you harbor these feelings do yourself a favor--put aside your prejudice and read this book. This is a complex commentary on modern society. From the opening statements in Rorshach's Journal to the final pages, this story is both disturbing and poignant.

Other reviewers have accurately said that it is the best work of its genre, that its art, story, and characterization are vivid and arresting, but that falls short of describing the story's true impact. If there were a list of ten great books being put into a time capsule to identify us as a people, Watchmen, by its own merits, should be included.