Aug 11, Schmacko rated it it was ok. I can understand why this is considered a holy tome in the field of graphic novels. Imagination abounds, and I am thoroughly impressed. I get frustrated because my graphic-novel friends keep foisting these things on me.
They love me, they see me as very imaginative and very supportive of their creativity, but they cannot seem to get why I go cold at graphic novels.
This one was thrust upon me, because I was affected by the movie The Dark Knight. I got emotionally engaged. I felt hopeless with Batman. I got a knot in my stomach when that horrible, unspeakable thing happened two-thirds of the way through the film.
I want more — I want to laugh and cry and cheer and feel despair. I want a core of true human story. Gadgets and colors and costumes and superpowers don't make me weep or shout or ponder or giggle or sigh. Well, they make me sigh - with frustrationa nd boredom.
I know I sound angry at these things. And yet, my graphic-novel friends still press these books in my hand, hoping to unlock my wonder and amazement.
I am not above the magical, mystical, and fantastic I love Harry Potter , but there has to be more than just gadgetry and explosions. There has to be honesty and the courage to plumb the human experience. In Harry Potter, I rallied behind Mrs. Weasley's maternal drive.
I loved Harry's indignance at cruelty. I thought Hermione's concern for elves was sweet, and complicated who know they wanted to be slaves. Chabon succeeded at making me feel, and so did Rowling. Watchmen did not. Watchmen is about two generations of heroes. One was human — using costumes, strength, and cunning. The next was led bys a superhuman, Dr. Manhattan — they were both human and somewhat superhuman.
Then a law was passed making their work illegal, and they went underground. Oh - for the people who know and love Watchmen - I felt bad for how Dr. And I understood why Laurie got infuriated. The thrill of Laurie and Dan becoming superheroes again was honest and wonderful.
None of the long-winded, theoretical discussion about whether humanity was worth saving had any emotional pull to me. In all pages, I had four honest emotional reactions.
They leave me cold. Graphic novels are mostly cool. View all 54 comments. Jul 30, Fabian rated it really liked it Recommends it for: People turned off by graphic novels but with an open mind. Not a fan of the graphic novel but this epic actually moved me. It tells of the human drama, the DNA that is passed down generations, the hopelessness of modernity, and which side we'll choose when the apocalypse is neigh. Can the past be altogether discarded so that one can live a "normal" life--whether its Superhero or Human?
This menagerie of misfits Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan, the Comedian, Ozymindas, Silk Spectre Also, the match-cuts are cinematic in a work that is, ironically, dubbed "unfilmable. Let us hope the film comes close to matching its genius. View all 6 comments. Feb 07, Felicia rated it it was amazing Shelves: graphic-novels , faves. Hmm, what to say. So anyhoo I read this and I can summarize this way: The Movie did a great summary of the plot while formulating a story that missed the subtext of the graphic novel entirely.
I enjoyed both, but after reading the graphic novel, it's almost sad how the impression you tak Hmm, what to say. I enjoyed both, but after reading the graphic novel, it's almost sad how the impression you take away from the movie is nothing of what Alan Moore was trying to say about the world, society or these characters. So interesting. View all 12 comments.
Dec 17, Always Pouting rated it it was amazing. So I've been super busy trying to figure out my life now that I've graduated and it's terrible and I've literally read nothing in weeks but I actually ended up taking a day to read this because someone lent it to me. My boyfriend was saying that it was ridiculous that I hadn't read this yet and insisted I finish and even though now I'm like behind on this online class that I've been taking it was totally worth it. Usually I write like some kind of synopsis but not sure how to go about that here.
I would rather just say how I felt and babble about how good this ended up being so instead of like trying to summarize I'm just going to go through it which for anyone who tries to avoid spoilers means you should probably stop reading from here. Anyway I really did like the artwork for this and I'm not an avid reader of graphic novels though so that might not really mean much as an opinion. What was really good was the writing though and the way things all came together through the story, like the research center featured near the news stand coming back to being important to the climax.
The writing was really good and I just really loved the depressing gloomy tone of things. Especially that second comic in the comic with the pirates. Oh man when that dude goes home and thinks he's killing the pirates but it's his wife like damn, I saw it coming but it was still so heavy.
Also the way everything in the comic book unfolded so that it was foreshadowing as well as highlighting the main plot line a well. And aw man why is Rorschach's life so terrible, just seeing his childhood made me upset, and when he goes back to the apartment and is about to say something to the landlady and see's her kids oh jesus I was just like WHY.
Him in general though, even though he's abrasive as a person he's such a great character, like in jail he tells the other prisoner, "i'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me" that made me freak out.
I was pretty upset that Dr. Manhattan fried him there at the end. Speaking of which the whole ending makes me so angry, because like why does one person get to decide unilaterally what to do.
I get that things were spiraling out of control but I still don't believe that the answer was to kill millions of people and pin it on aliens, and I sure as hell don't see why the whole world shouldn't know what happen. It doesn't mean that things would go back to devolving, if anything hatred can be just as uniting and I'm sure everyone's anger could have come in between the impending war.
I know at the end his journal is there and they might find it but I just find it highly unsatisfactory that it hinges on something so uncertain. I don't think anyone should have all the say on how things progress, no matter how intelligent. And also for someone who is supposed to be the most intelligent man on earth his morality is pretty childish as well as his idolization of people like Alexander the great.
Also last comment, the whole handling of the rape situation between Sally Jupiter and Eddie was really interesting I thought. Relationships do tend to be much less clear cut and dry in real life and it was nice seeing that unfold in the story. It kind of made me think of how people can have a hard time understanding rape in a consensual relationship like a marriage but how context can really change things and how things aren't always as clear cut as being wrong and right necessarily for the person who is raped.
Anyway definitely one of the best things I've read regardless of how angry I am about how things end. View all 26 comments. What's this? Unpopular opinion time? Most of my friends and most of Goodreads love this book. I did not. I read for pleasure. I don't care if reading makes me smart. I don't care if reading makes me pretty. I just want that escape into other worlds. If I went to this world-I would die from boredom. I actually like the darker books so I thought this one would sweep me up into the fandom of it.
But, alas, it just made me sleep quite well last night. I didn't even know there was a movie ma What's this? I didn't even know there was a movie made from it until someone mentioned it while I was reading it. My hubby would probably like the movie so we may try that at some point. But I ain't in no hurry. Oh, and for the trolls that I'm sure I will attract with this review. Because everyone has their own opinion. Go write yours. View all 77 comments.
Jan 14, Lyn rated it it was amazing. A clever joke, wound up inside a parody, and all surrounded and blanketed by a cool story. Three cheers for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons for this deservedly popular and critically acclaimed, genre defining, wildly influential graphic novel. First published in , this has come to be a benchmark of what kind of powerful fiction can be accomplished in this medium. Describing an alternate history where Richard Nixon has been president for multiple terms, the United States won the Vietnam W Brilliant.
Describing an alternate history where Richard Nixon has been president for multiple terms, the United States won the Vietnam War, and superheroes guard the streets and watch over us against the bad guys. But who watches the watchmen? The original heroes are all retired or dead and the second generation are banned, but then one of the originals is murdered and we are drawn into a world turned upside down and where the feelings and motivations of our heroes are explored and dissected.
Vidal talked about how Hollywood creates for us a new mythology, wherein our psychological needs for heroics are formalized and produced. Here, by creating a new group of heroes in an alternate universe, Moore describes for us, and defines for us in the periphery, how we need heroes as myth.
The various characters and personages are drawn and captured and put together from an amalgam of classic detectives and heroes. Just as in any pantheon of ethnic deities, here does Moore enact for us, in none too subtle form, how we have gods amongst us and they are of our creating. Like the gods of Egypt and of the Norse, Greek, etc etc we as a modern culture have drawn for ourselves heroes to incorporate and define what we want. There are super strong heroes, geniuses, fighters, those who take the battle to the bad guys and win.
Highly recommended. View all 5 comments. Mar 04, karen rated it really liked it Shelves: dysto-teque , youre-a-graphic-novel. Alan Moore is the greatest graphic novelist of all time. He has created a world where superheroes are not typical superheroes like super-man, spider-man et al.
Each superhero has a unique philosophical perspective. And he has created superheroes who were either in deep complex psychological crisis or are going through one, and they are not perfect who always save the day in the end. View all 22 comments. This acclaimed and groundbreaking graphic novel by Alan Moore story and Dave Gibbons artwork opens with a body plummeting out of a skyscraper window.
The year is , the place is New York and we enter a universe similar to our own but altered. Richard Nixon is still president, serving his fifth term, Vietnam being a big success!
Many years earlier a group of colourful masked avengers became popula This acclaimed and groundbreaking graphic novel by Alan Moore story and Dave Gibbons artwork opens with a body plummeting out of a skyscraper window. Many years earlier a group of colourful masked avengers became popular with the public as they fought back against the rising tide of crime that the police were failing to control.
This later group, now retired, is made up of The Comedian - a violent, right wing adventurer, Rorschach - a lonely, damaged vigilante, Doc Manhattan - a godlike superhero, whose body was reassembled following a nuclear accident, the Silk Spectre - aka Laurie Juspeczyk a principled and respected crime fighter, Ozymandias - a super intelligent and super rich hero and finally Nite Owl - a brilliant, costumed inventor.
The body splatted on the pavement was that of The Comedian. Why was he murdered? Is someone targeting the Watchmen? The disparate group of ageing heros investigate and begin to unearth a vast and incredible conspiracy. I loved the scope and variety of this graphic novel - sometimes challenging, sometimes thought provoking, often funny and always imaginative.
I read it very slowly over hundreds of coffee breaks, finding that although Watchmen had the depth of a novel, this was a good way to appreciate the artwork and themes - and a good way to read alongside standard novels.
View all 61 comments. Mar 25, Brad rated it it was amazing Shelves: to-read-again , sci-fi , graphic-novel , political , the-best , dystopian. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I've been in many discussions over the years -- some in classes I was teaching, some over pints in the bar, and still others late at night with people I love -- about what Alan Moore was trying to say with Watchmen , discussions about the meaning of his graphic novel, and I am convinced that the meaning is not what most people think.
Most people I have talked to look at Veidt's mini-Armageddon to bring peace as inherently evil -- and the most monstrous act in a book of monstrous acts. Veidt's act I've been in many discussions over the years -- some in classes I was teaching, some over pints in the bar, and still others late at night with people I love -- about what Alan Moore was trying to say with Watchmen , discussions about the meaning of his graphic novel, and I am convinced that the meaning is not what most people think.
Veidt's act trumps The Comedian's attempted rape of Silk Spectre and the murder of his child in the womb; it trumps Rorschach's punishment of the child killer, his torture of "innocent" informants, and the brutality he delivers unto anyone he happens to see committing a "crime," petty or otherwise; it trumps Dr.
Manhattan's personal engagement in the Vietnam War; Veidt's action even seems to trump the not-so-petty criminal activities we see perpetrated by peripheral "criminals" throughout Watchmen. On the surface, we tend to condemn Veidt's action because of its scale.
It's cold and precise and sterile and necessarily takes the lives of "millions of innocent people. Our great monsters are Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, but we somehow find it in our hearts and minds to forgive Truman's nuclear attacks on Japan because they "saved millions of lives," as a young Walter Kovacs aka Rorschach writes in an essay about his absent father, defending Nuclear War and the Truman doctrine, albeit at an early age. And if we can forgive Truman's attack I recognize that some people cannot forgive that attack, but many, many can , why not forgive Veidt?
If we can forgive one, we must forgive the other. Sure Veidt killed more people, but he saved more too, and created a utopia out of the chaos. This discrepancy in our accepted opinions is not lost on Alan Moore; in fact, it is at the core of Watchmen. We see it being played out in dialogue and action by characters from The Comedian to Rorschach, from Ozymandias to Dr. Manhattan, and even in the supporting folk who populate Moore's distopian future.
When faced with this discrepancy and pressed to discover why Veidt's actions continue to rile us, it doesn't take long to uncover a deeper root for our disdain: our need for individuality and Veidt's destruction of the freedom to make our own mistakes.
This realization of our anger at Veidt and why his action is "evil" quickly becomes the accepted meaning of Moore's story: that derailing humanity's ability to choose is the greatest wrong anyone can commit the secular see this as a fundamental attack on our freedom, while the religious see this as our fundamental gift from God, but they tend to add anger at Veidt for playing God , and that Veidt's utopia will fail because the power of the individual is too great -- it always overcomes.
I disagree. I don't think Moore considers Veidt's act evil so much as misguided. I am not convinced that Moore believes in good and evil at all. Throughout Watchmen we are led to see one man as the man who "gets it," and that figure is not Rorschach.
Rorschach is a guide, nothing more. Rorschach acts as an Horatio figure, guiding us through the narrative, telling us what to pay attention to, whom to believe, what to see: mostly he is trying to get us to see The Comedian. If the story is anyone's it is The Comedian's. The Comedian is the man who gets it , and what the amoral Comedian gets is that morality is a construct designed to help us avoid despairing at what Moore believes is the truth: humanity is violent and base; it is ignoble; it is doomed to repeat and repeat and repeat its violence because that is what humanity does best -- violence -- and everything else is playacting.
Thus, Veidt's mini-Armageddon is futile, not because of our noble individuality, not because of the strength of our human spirit, but because of the strength of our animal instincts. All those lives were wasted to create a utopia that simply couldn't be. And Rorschach's journal, slipped through the door of the paper and ready to be printed, is the detonation cap.
Watchmen may be the most hopeless popular book printed in the last fifty years, and the most truthful. I am continually shocked by its popularity even if only as a cult phenomenon , but then maybe it is only popular through a quirk of misunderstanding.
Then again, it could be popular because people understand it better than they're willing to admit. View all 11 comments. Jul 22, Swaroop rated it it was amazing Shelves: favourites.
It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in. In a world filled with many mindless and senseless graphic novels and comics, Watchmen is an intelligent and thought-provoking creation, much much more than just entertainment. A masterpiece, which does not really require a review.
View 2 comments. Oct 02, Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing Shelves: englishth-c , superhero , graphic-novels , favorites. One of the greatest standalone comics which led to one of the greatest screen adaptations of a superhero story, Watchmen is an extraordinarily fun ride.
I love the 30s atmosphere and the compelling characters. The artwork is great and the story is orignal - one of the great comic classics! Need to re-read this one regularly as Alan Moore really created a graphic novel of lasting genius. View all 3 comments. Feb 11, Dan Schwent rated it it was amazing Shelves: comics , , comics. With the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation, the Comedian is found dead and the super heroes that knew him go looking for the killer.
They might not like what secrets they unearth I first read this when I was around 20 and was blown away. Now, untold decades later, I decided to finally give it a reread. It held up. On the surface, Watchmen is a murder mystery and it works fine on that level. Rorschach, the view point character, enlists Nite Owl, his old partner, and they shake the tree With the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation, the Comedian is found dead and the super heroes that knew him go looking for the killer.
Rorschach, the view point character, enlists Nite Owl, his old partner, and they shake the tree and see what falls out, which happens to be something much more than a murder. Beneath the surface, it's an examination of super heroes: what makes them put on costumes and fight crime, why would they waste their time on petty crimes when they could do something greater, and would a godlike being really care about humanity's day to day affairs.
On that level, I think it goes above and beyond. Dave Gibbons' art is somewhat understated and the subdued color palette makes it more so but I think both lend to the story's mood. The super heroes in this world have gone to seed and the sun rarely shines anymore. Everyone is pretty much running out the clock until nuclear armageddon. All that being said, the man knows his way around a nine panel grid. His use of perspective is excellent and he knows what to focus on.
The pacing in Watchmen is masterful. Twelve issues was the perfect length for the tale, no padding, no rushing. The characters departed quite a bit from their Charlton roots. It was a blessing in disguise that Alan Moore couldn't use the Charlton characters and had to go with analogues.
He was able to take them much farther. The story was believable and the dark tone served the story. It wasn't dark just to be dark like a lot of books that came later. Even though this wasn't my first trip through the meat grinder, I felt the suspense building as I went.
The last three installments flew by and part of me hoped it would end differently this time. Once in a while, it's good to be reminded that before Alan Moore hated everything about comics, he was actually pretty good at writing them. Now I'm not going to pretend I didn't have any problems with this.
I actually think the threat in the end of the movie made more logical sense that how it went down here. I'm also not sure how necessary some of the metafictional extras were, though I did like the Black Freighter sequences more this time around.
While it gets a lot of grief for the dark turn comics took in the late s and early s, Watchmen stands the test of time and remains one of the best. Five out of five stars. View all 10 comments. Aaron's been telling me for a long time that I should read a select few of his favorite comic books.
And I haven't been avoiding them. But when I'm looking around the house for something to read, I forget to wander over to the comics section. So finally he just made a stack of books for me, and I started with Watchmen. When does Laurie shut up? But I said it wasn't that I wasn't enjoying it--well, I wasn't enjoying it, but I was appreciating it. And that's my final verdict, I guess. But in terms of pure individual reaction? Well, it was kind of like when I finally saw The French Connection.
There's all this build up about The French Connection and what a great car chase it has and how influential it was and how it marked the birth of a new type of movie anti-hero who inhabited a realistic moral grey zone, blah, blah, blah. And then when you finally see it, you've seen so many subsequent films that were influenced by it that the original seems old hat. So, my reaction to Watchmen was colored by the fact that I have only been exposed to comic books in a post- Watchmen world.
I didn't read comics when I was young. Everything I know about comics I've learned from Aaron Matthew Polk, and he's a huge Watchmen fan, so I had already absorbed the Watchmen worldview without ever having read the book. Of course, it's good to have read it so I have a better chance of participating in or at least following along with comic geek conversations.
Now I, too, can speculate on casting should a Watchmen movie ever get the green light, and I, too, can bemoan the eventual script's lack of fidelity to the source material, and I, too, can complain when they screw up the CGI on Doc Manhattan.
There should be some sort of merit badge that the girlfriends of geeks can earn--just like in the Girl Scouts, when you get a badge for selling a certain number of cookies, or the stickers and certificates earned by people who give a lot of blood, or the chips they give recovering alcoholics for a certain period of sobriety. I have earned my one comic book badge. It's like being a puny-colored belt of some kind in karate. The point is, I appreciated the book, sort of in the same way that I might appreciate a text I was assigned to read for a class.
I mean, I get Great Expectations , but I'm not going to read it again. Who is crazier: Miss Havisham or Rorshach?
View all 15 comments. Sep 01, Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it Shelves: arts , fiction , sequential , comics , 20th-century , dystopia , classics , novels , literature , science. With the police having no leads, costumed vigilante Rorschach decides to probe further. Rorschach deduces Blake to have been the true identity of The Comedian, a costumed hero employed by the U.
Rorschach believes he has discovered a plot to terminate costumed adventurers and sets about warning four of his retired comrades: Daniel Dreiberg an inventor and formerly the second Nite Owl , the superpowered and emotionally detached Jon Osterman codenamed Doctor Manhattan and his lover Laurie Juspeczyk the second Silk Spectre , and Adrian Veidt once the hero Ozymandias, and now a successful businessman. Dreiberg, Veidt, and Manhattan attend Blake's funeral, where Dreiberg tosses Blake's pin badge in his coffin before he is buried.
Manhattan is later accused on national television of being the cause of cancer in friends and former colleagues. When the government takes the accusations seriously, Manhattan exiles himself to Mars.
As the U. Rorschach's concerns appear vindicated when Veidt narrowly survives an assassination attempt. Rorschach himself is framed for murdering a former supervillain named Moloch. Though he attempted to flee from the authorities, Rorschach is ultimately captured and unmasked as Walter Kovacs. May 16, Tom Ewing rated it did not like it. Modern comics events seem to demand endless lead-ins and spin-offs, and sadly Doomsday Clock, from the blockbuster team of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, is no exception to this trend.
For a start, it's not even by Geoff Johns - how big a clue do you need that DC see 'Watchmen' as simply a cash-in? The storyline has been farmed out to a British writer-artist team who are giv Modern comics events seem to demand endless lead-ins and spin-offs, and sadly Doomsday Clock, from the blockbuster team of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, is no exception to this trend. The storyline has been farmed out to a British writer-artist team who are given the task of introducing us to the universe which will "collide" with the DCU in this winter's mega-event.
It's an important job and one which might have been suited to a special issue or even an annual-length story, but no - DC had to drag things out to 12 long issues - for comparison purposes, the Death Of Hawkman in which Hawkman dies was only alotted 6 issues.
Watchmen includes several issues focusing on characters who don't even survive to take part in Doomsday Clock! And don't get me started on the sequences set on yet ANOTHER part of the DC multiverse, where pirates still rule the waves - yes, it's a cool concept for an alternate Earth, but an editor should definitely have stepped in and asked for a bit of clarity.
In general the editorial reins are rather lightly held on Watchmen - for all the criticism Mr DiDio has received for interference, it's a certainty he wouldn't have made the basic mistakes here. If this DCU veteran couldn't follow it, what hope does a new reader have? Also at no point is the membership of the Watchmen clearly delineated, and the team never really come together to solve the threat - an attempt at a clever bait and switch which goes sadly wrong in the hands of this inexperienced creative team.
The threat itself is handled marginally better, though aside from a couple of cool spreads the stiff artwork can hardly stand comparison to previous DC events like Blackest Night and Forever Evil which set the highest standards for realism in superhero action.
A little more variation in page layout wouldn't have hurt! The story is along the lines of Identity Crisis a comic those curious about Watchmen should investigate for a REAL universe-shaking interrogation of the superhero form - it's strictly for adults, though. A hero lies dead and his fellow crime-fighters have to investigate - but might one of their own be responsible? Quicken the pace and introduce some more action and you might have a tense storyline here, but instead the writer is too busy showing off all the backstory he's worked out for this universe, and there's a LOT of backstory.
If I wanted pages of prose I would read a novelisation. All this background simply obscures the story beats: the creators could learn a lot from modern storytelling in my opinion.
Apparently the writer has already vowed never to work with DC again, and frankly it feels like they've dodged a bullet. I can't imagine they were queueing up to work with him after this. So overall Watchmen is a dud, with no recognisable DCU heroes appearing, and fans of Doomsday Clock should probably save their money for some of the awesome variant covers I expect to be announced. The squid monster at the end is very cool, though once again a pretentious storytelling decision to cut to AFTER the fight against it lets the comic down.
And there is one character who stands out from the rest - a badass hero called Rorschach who is absolutely driven to hunt down evil with zero, and I mean zero, compromise. He gets some extremely cool scenes and if he shows up in Doomsday Clock - which looks unlikely but keep your fingers crossed - expect Johns and Frank to crush it.
In the right hands this guy could be a serious breakout star. But on the whole this is a rip-off and yet another slap in the face to fans. It's so different in style and substance from what we expect from an epic DCU story in that it's almost impossible to see how it's going to connect to Doomsday Clock.
In Johns We Trust - but this is his toughest job yet. Sep 04, Jon Nakapalau rated it it was amazing Shelves: graphic-novels , pop-culture , comics , us-history , classics. Read before you see the move Truly one of the most innovative interpretations of SH comics ever written.
Kind of makes you wonder: why must great power and great responsibility go hand in hand - if we look over the course of history it has been the opposite: great power often bears very little responsibility - so why should the most powerful beings in existence feel they owe us their protection?
View 1 comment. Jul 02, Kemper rated it it was amazing Shelves: comics , , favorites , alt-history , superhero , reread.
Not much I could say that hasn't been said already. Mar 19, Brett C rated it really liked it Shelves: graphic-novels. This was much more than a graphic novel. In my opinion this was very multilayered, deep, and psychological. It started out a mystery and soon developed into much more. The plot starts in America where superheroes have become unwelcome.
This plot centered around a close knit group having gone their own ways over time. One of them is killed and the main characters all come back into each other's lives. These characters were uniquely created by Alan Moore and drove the story.
For instance Rorsc This was much more than a graphic novel. For instance Rorschach had a face mask that changed as his temper did. Manhattan was a deep and nihilistic with his thoughts and insights. There was a lot going on and that's what made this such a strong story. I could explain much more but I don't want to ruin it.
The end when Ozymandias revealed his plan was strange to me honestly. I thought the story had great build-up but I was let down at this point. But still I liked the style, the characters, and the plot of the book. Anybody who likes Alan Moore and his writing should definitely read this. Jan 20, Blaine rated it it was amazing Shelves: trade-paperback , Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach.
This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!
I wanted to re-read it before I watched the new TV show based on it. Watchmen is set in an alternative, darker Largely on the strength of a near-god superhero named Dr. The murder of a former superhero named The Comedian brings back together the remaining former members of the Crimebusters: Rorschach, an uncompromising vigilante; Daniel Dreiberg, a Batman-like inventor known as the second Nite Owl; Dr. The investigation ultimately uncovers a sinister plot to remake the world.
So what makes Watchman great? The artwork is richly detailed, far above most comic books. A must read. The Watchman series on HBO is brilliant. You have to read the book first, as the show takes place years later.
But the directions it goes in based upon the source material is incredible. Watchmen is an often satirical take on the superhero genre, adding more meaning overall. Chapter IV is one of my favourite editions. It is the origin story of Dr Manhattan - told from his perspective as he currently resides on Mars. It makes the heroes feel more human and gives more depth to their character.
The philosophical viewpoints make it all the more enjoyable. It feels as though it rewards the reader intellectually. Jul 23, Gabrielle rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , own-a-copy , mandatory-reading , movie-fodder , reviewed , best-bad-guys , graphic-novels. Watching the new HBO series, which is a continuation of the dystopic alternate universe created by Moore in his masterpiece, made me think about the original work again, and I found I had things to say about it.
This is the graphic novel that got me interested in graphic novels, a medium I had snobbishly written off as shallow, juvenile and unintelligent. Now I have a huge shelf full of them. I am picky about them, but I know they can be used to tell stories as complex, as challenging and as layered as prose novels. The grittiness of the story appealed to me instantly when I first read it, because one of the main gripes I had with most graphic novels was the inane good vs.
I wondered who actually took that crap seriously when life was so obviously more complicated and nuanced than this. I liked that the characters were complicated, contrary, confused and ultimately struggling to do what they thought of as the right thing. And it is a genuinely enjoyable and engrossing story — provided you like bleak stories filled with existential angst and have an appreciation for dark humor.
This should be a mandatory read, for people who love graphic novels and for people who hate them. Most of the graphic novels I love so much now could not have been written had it not ben for "Watchmen". Everyone likes to hate the movie, but I actually really loved it because it got rid of the stuff that had annoyed me in the book, and the photography and music were remarkable.
The HBO series is also excellent, and brings the universe Moore created to a very topical place. It almost goes without saying, but I will say it anyway: The Watchmen is a towering achievement in graphic storytelling.
Both works w It almost goes without saying, but I will say it anyway: The Watchmen is a towering achievement in graphic storytelling. Both works work off of each other in exciting, moving, and illuminating ways. But so much of this works so incredibly well.
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Alan Moore. Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. As a comics writer, Moor Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium.
As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary—authors such as William S. Other books in the series. Watchmen 1 - 10 of 12 books. Books by Alan Moore.
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Hollywood producers, directors, and actors are continuing their obsession Read more Trivia About Watchmen. Quotes from Watchmen. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Contact seller. Seller Rating:. First Edition. Used - Softcover Condition: Near Fine. Within U.
Quantity: 1. Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. Light wear. Published by Fictioneer, New - Softcover Condition: New. Condition: New. Back issue magazine. Interview with Alan Moore.
Used, like new. Used - Softcover Condition: Very Good. Condition: Very Good. Gibbons, Dave illustrator. Back issue magazine, comic size. Long interview with Moore, et al.
Ding to corner. Used - Softcover Condition: Fine. Trade Paperback. Condition: Fine. Dave Gibbons illustrator. First edition, First printing. Book is in Fine condition. Boards are clean, not bumped. Fore edges are clean. Interior is clean and legible. No store stamps. Not remaindered. Thanks and Enjoy. All-Ways well packaged All-Ways fast service.
Also find First Edition. Published by DC Comics, Used - Hardcover Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Near Fine book with slight page waviness and touch of page edge aging; in a Fine mins dust jacket with slight wear at bottom of spine and light, vertical rubs to back panel. This is the first printing of the compilation edition of the graphic stories. Published by Warner Brothers, New Condition: New. From Canada to U. DVD Video. This version weaves Tales of the Black Freighter into the Watchmen Director's Cut film that makes this the perfect gift for every die hard fan of the graphic novel.
Used - Softcover. Octavo; First printing; G; Paperback; Spine, black with yellow print; Cover has light edgewear, creasing to hinges and spine, light shelfwear; Text block is clean and tight, light age-toning to paper; variously paged, illustrated color. FP New Rockville Stock. No Jacket. First printing in one book after appearing in magazine form over 12 issues; the original. Published by DC Comics, U. Used - Softcover Condition: Good.
Condition: Good. Vinyl LP. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Published by Warner Books, Seller: curtis paul books, inc. First edition softcover. Corners slightly bent, slight toning and shelfwear. Tight and square. Published by Warner Books, U. Very scarce first edition, full number line. Internals are clean and unmarked. Cover wraps show some general use and shelf wear. A couple small chips. The front cover has a 1.
Overall a nice, solid copy. Also find First Edition Signed. Published by dc, us, Published by ECC Ediciones, Seller: La Social. Used - Hardcover Condition: Muy bien. From Spain to U. Tapa dura. Condition: Muy bien. Used - Hardcover Condition: As New. From United Kingdom to U. Condition: As New.
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