Rating: 
Summary: The best comic ever
Review: Other reviews can debate the strengths and importance of this work, but it can be summed up by saying that this is the best comic series ever produced. Period. It deserves ten stars.
Rating:
Summary: makes you think....
Review: On the surface it's another well-written graphic novel with a dark feel about it. Then you delve deeper. The deeper you go the more you realise that this is a dig at society. Hero's are outlaws and criminals and the world is a mess and the people who could save us have their own problems. The great American graphic novel... by an Englishman, now that's irony. If this book were a song it would be Street Spirit (Fade out) by Radiohead... beautiful, dark but with an edge of hope. Read it and realise how life could be... IMmERse yOUr SOuL iN LOvE...
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: A great book. Any fan of comic books should at least consider picking this up, as well as those who are not comic book fans. The other reviewers have wonderfully stated the book's strong points.
Rating:
Summary: A maze of intricate and sequential artwork and writing
Review: Here are some good examples of how Watchmen perfectly blends art with words. Art on the last panel of a page will be similar to the art on the first panel for the next page which starts off a new scene. The 5th issue(or chapter in the compilation) has a symmetrical layout. The panel layout in the middle of the chapter mirror each other as does each outer page. There are background elements such as posters and newspaper headlines on the ground that refer to or foreshadow events in the book. That is one great thing about comics-words can be put anywhere in the art. There is more to read than just the diolouge and captions. The same event is shown multiple times throughout the story, each from a different character's point of view. There is a ton of visual symbolism(mostly with the first and last panel of every issue and with the Comedian's bloody smiley face badge). Then there is the dual story in the form of a comic called Tales of the Black Freighter a kid at the newsstand reads throughout the story. Art from this comic is shown up close in some spots, but often, only captions from this comic are layed out in the art of the regular story, displaying how both stories run parallel. Moore has made the world his main character. He has twisted the world for this story. For example, Nixon is still president in 1985 and the US won the Vietnam war. Each chapter has a prose supplement that further provides extra backstory for the whole Watchmen universe Alan Moore has created(such as the one for the Black Freighter comic; the writer of that comic is even an important character in the story). Every character, even seemingly minor ones, are written realisticly and the reader is made to care about their varied fates. Dave Gibbon's retro-60's visuals are clean, easy to follow, and highly detailed. John Higgins' coloring further complements the art style of this story. The plot itself is a superhero story that amazingly removes not only the "super" but the "hero" as well. This is an in-depth examination of why someone would want to dress up in a face-concealing mask and play cops and robbers. The story is so captivating that the reader will barely notice there are very few actual fights in the whole book. But there's still plenty of conflict. Oridinary people don't react well to masked men taking the law into their own hands. Superhero's roles are used realistically in this story. A superhero wins Vietnam for the US. One goes into retirement and licenses his name for spin-off merchandise. Most superheros are forced by law into retirement, but Rorschach, who starts the story off, refuses to quit fighting criminals and is wanted by the police and the underworld alike. Rorschach begins by investigating the death of a fellow masked adventurer But before story's end, Rorschach learns his efforts are very trite compared to the actual problems with the world. And by story's end, the world's problems get solved once and for all, in a way that the reader will surely be shocked.
Rating:
Summary: Complex and engaging
Review: Wonderfully realized with vivid, interesting, believable characters. A wild, thoughtful ride, complete with a coherent alternate history that integrates the superheroes well. Great artwork by Gibbons, with many memorable images. Great parallel framing and dialogue. Probably spurred Miller to create something comparable (... unfortunately resulting in his PC-heavy "Martha Washington" series). But why stop with comic books? Although Moore's stuff is always interesting, most comic-book philosophy is at the pop level. Sounds deep and attractively cynical ... until you delve. (Thankfully, Moore forgoes such pontifications here.) Read something serious. Recommendations: "Darwin's Black Box" (Behe), "Nature's Destiny" (Denton).
Rating:
Summary: Arguably the best graphic novel ever written...
Review: This book is a masterpiece, plain and simple. Moore weaves several complex storylines, while creating the most amazing set of characters imaginable - superheroes with depth and with flaws! I've yet to come across characters like Rorshach and Ozymandias in any novel. In addition to putting together an outlandish set of characters to go with the stories, Moore also manages to turn the entire novel into an analysis on the meaning of human existence in a way that is interesting without being too preachy. And he ties all of the storylines together in a way that leaves you thinking about the book after you've finished it. The artwork is great as well. BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: a must read
Review: what a wonderful reading experience for my first comic book/graphic novel. I can't wait to read Moore's other works.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not Moore's best work
Review: First off, I did love this book. Everything I liked about it has probably already been said below, but contrary to popular opinion, this isn't my favorite of his books. I heartily recommend V for Vendetta. At any rate, I'll skip the praise. Rest assured, there's lots of it. In the not-so-good column I'd include some of Moore's characterization. I can't say too much without including spoilers, but if you do read Watchmen, pay attention to Doc Manhattan. I felt like Moore's depiction of him was not well thought out. Also worth mentioning is that a couple of times in this book Moore gives in to the temptation to follow a certain structure even when it isn't best for the story. He comes up with a cool idea, but won't let it go even after it becomes played. This hampers the story's readability. But hey, if that's all that's not great about it, it's probably worth a look, eh?
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Moore's best work
Review: First off, I did love this book. Everything I liked about it has probably already been said below, so I'll skip the good stuff. Rest assured, there's lots of it. In the not-so-good column I'd include some of Moore's characterization. I can't say too much without including spoilers, but if you do read Watchmen, pay attention to Doc Manhattan. I felt like Moore's depiction of him was not well thought out. Also worth mentioning is that a couple of times in this book Moore gives in to the temptation to follow a certain structure even when it isn't best for the story. He comes up with a cool idea, but won't let it go even after it becomes played. This hampers the story's readability. But hey, if that's all that's not great about it, it's probably worth a look, eh?
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE
Review: I have read this masterpiece well over 15 times, and love every single minute of it. And every time I read it, I figure out something new. This is a must have for anyone who seriously loves the comic book medium. The story is engrossing and complex. The characters are real and the setting believable. The sub-plots are also great. The Gordian Knot, Ozymandias, Rorshach, Dr. Manhattan, the list goes on.
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