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  <title><![CDATA[Absolute Watchmen]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' <em>Watchmen</em>? Possibly only Frank Miller's <em>The Dark Knight Returns</em>, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and <em>Watchmen</em> a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (<em>Saga of the Swamp Thing</em>, <em>V for Vendetta</em>, and <em>From Hell</em>, with Eddie Campbell) first put out <em>Watchmen</em> in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.<p>  The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was <em>Watchmen</em>, and to a lesser extent <em>Dark Knight</em>, that propelled the comic genre forward, making &quot;adult&quot; comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's <em>Rogue Trooper</em> and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other &quot;works&quot; and &quot;studies&quot; on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that <em>Watchmen</em> more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. <em>--Mark  Thwaite</em></p>]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[Watchmen, Complete Edition.]]>
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    <![CDATA[Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' <em>Watchmen</em>? Possibly only Frank Miller's <em>The Dark Knight Returns</em>, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and <em>Watchmen</em> a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (<em>Saga of the Swamp Thing</em>, <em>V for Vendetta</em>, and <em>From Hell</em>, with Eddie Campbell) first put out <em>Watchmen</em> in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.<p>  The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was <em>Watchmen</em>, and to a lesser extent <em>Dark Knight</em>, that propelled the comic genre forward, making &quot;adult&quot; comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's <em>Rogue Trooper</em> and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other &quot;works&quot; and &quot;studies&quot; on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that <em>Watchmen</em> more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. <em>--Mark  Thwaite</em></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
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    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>41</votes>
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  <date_added>Sun Dec 09 15:50:23 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Dec 09 15:54:23 -0800 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[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 st...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10188493">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>29904822</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Schmacko]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
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  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>29169</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>38</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 11 20:13:38 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 11 20:20:19 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I can understand why this is considered a holy tome in the field of graphic novels.  The plot is complex, it’s unique, and it’s well drawn.  Also, it’s got the Holy Grail of every geeky comic book fan's wetdreams – lots of cool gadgets and stuff.<br/><br/>I ain’t knocking that.  Imaginat...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29904822">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29904822]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Brad]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Summerside, PE, Canada]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
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  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>21</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>true</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Mar 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Mar 25 15:35:49 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Dec 04 23:45:05 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>18</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[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 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2041.Frances_Hodgson_Burnett" title="Frances Hodgson Burnett">Alan Moore</a> was trying to say with <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen" title="Watchmen by Alan Moore">Watchmen</a>, discussions about the meaning of his graphic novel, and I am convinced that the mean...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18621392">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18621392]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18621392]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>4723214</id>
    <user>
    <id>116652</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Punk]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>15</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 17 23:29:54 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 05:45:50 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Graphic Novel. It's 1985. We won the Vietnam War. Nixon is still president. Someone is killing off costumed superheroes, and the world is on the brink of nuclear war. I wasn't expecting to like this book. What, I wondered, did a comic from the late eighties have to offer me, a hip and happening girl...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4723214">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4723214]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4723214]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>28034686</id>
    <user>
    <id>827478</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nicole]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Royal Oak, MI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/827478-nicole]]></link>
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    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>23</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 23 03:44:35 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 23 06:50:09 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I realize that what I'm about to say is as close as you can get to comic book blasphemy, but I think that 1) Alan Moore is the most overrated comic book writer ever and 2) this graphic novel is overblown, pretentious and most unforgivable of all, boring.<br/><br/>To be fair, I'm somewhat of a snob...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28034686">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28034686]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28034686]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2025248</id>
    <user>
    <id>134752</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Brendan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Charlottesville, VA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/134752-brendan]]></link>
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  <isbn>1401207138</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Absolute Watchmen]]>
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  <average_rating>4.47</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>954</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[ Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' <em>Watchmen</em>? Possibly only Frank Miller's <em>The Dark Knight Returns</em>, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and <em>Watchmen</em> a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (<em>Saga of the Swamp Thing</em>, <em>V for Vendetta</em>, and <em>From Hell</em>, with Eddie Campbell) first put out <em>Watchmen</em> in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.<p>  The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was <em>Watchmen</em>, and to a lesser extent <em>Dark Knight</em>, that propelled the comic genre forward, making &quot;adult&quot; comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's <em>Rogue Trooper</em> and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other &quot;works&quot; and &quot;studies&quot; on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that <em>Watchmen</em> more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. <em>--Mark  Thwaite</em></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>9</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 16 08:03:23 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 21:43:23 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Who’s watching Watchmen? Everybody apparently. This book—or comic book, or graphic novel, or whatever you want to call it—has been picked apart endlessly in the 20 years since it was first published, every frame microscopically studied, its plot, characters, and symbols charted out no less ela...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2025248">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2025248]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2025248]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Felicia]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Santa Monica, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/666892-felicia]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>18</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="faves" />
        <shelf name="graphic-novels" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Feb 07 18:49:32 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Apr 16 21:14:44 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hmm, what to say.  I read this AFTER I saw the movie, which was sacrilege according to some fellow geeks on Twitter, but my definition of &quot;Geek&quot; is someone who doesn't do what people PRESSURE them to do :P  They love what they love.  So anyhoo I read this and I can summarize this way:<br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45691775">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45691775]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45691775]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>35269636</id>
    <user>
    <id>1526945</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Catherine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cleveland, OH]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1526945-catherine]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1251940767p3/1526945.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>7</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>true</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="fantasy" />
        <shelf name="graphic-novel" />
        <shelf name="read-in-2009" />
        <shelf name="urban" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Feb 26 19:46:22 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Oct 14 07:27:57 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Feb 26 19:46:22 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Overall, these 2 quotes are the book in a nutshell:<br/><br/>Rorshack says in chapter 2, &quot;Nothing is hopeless. Not while there's life.&quot; Extremely interesting considering the source.<br/><br/><br/>Hollis Mason in his autobiography: &quot;Real life is messy, inconsistent, and it's seldo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35269636">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35269636]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35269636]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32131065</id>
    <user>
    <id>614862</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mykle]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Portland, OR]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/614862-mykle]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234306172p3/614862.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>8</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1988</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 05 17:17:17 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 16 22:20:16 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Once upon a time I lent my first-edition of the Watchmen graphic novel to some friend of mine.  I don't remember who.  They still have it, I'm pretty sure.  If you are that friend, please return my book because I've just seen the movie and now I'm ready to read the book again.<br/><br/>My friends ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32131065">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32131065]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32131065]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>4321416</id>
    <user>
    <id>147818</id>
    <name><![CDATA[John]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147818-john]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">23542</id>
  <isbn>3551744084</isbn>
  <isbn13>9783551744081</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen, Complete Edition.]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167428127m/23542.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167428127s/23542.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23542.Watchmen_Complete_Edition_</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' <em>Watchmen</em>? Possibly only Frank Miller's <em>The Dark Knight Returns</em>, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and <em>Watchmen</em> a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (<em>Saga of the Swamp Thing</em>, <em>V for Vendetta</em>, and <em>From Hell</em>, with Eddie Campbell) first put out <em>Watchmen</em> in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.<p>  The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was <em>Watchmen</em>, and to a lesser extent <em>Dark Knight</em>, that propelled the comic genre forward, making &quot;adult&quot; comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's <em>Rogue Trooper</em> and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other &quot;works&quot; and &quot;studies&quot; on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that <em>Watchmen</em> more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. <em>--Mark  Thwaite</em></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>7</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Fanatical comic book readers]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 09 11:35:04 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 04:30:11 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[<em>The <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen" title="Watchmen by Alan Moore">Watchmen</a></em> is considered one of the most important comic books in history. The costumes are less spectacular, the origins more bleak, the heroes more despicable and/or self-loathing, the villains almost non-existent, the relationships more strained and the political overtones more blatant than wer...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4321416">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4321416]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4321416]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1173354</id>
    <user>
    <id>58872</id>
    <name><![CDATA[David]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Oakland, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/58872-david]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1179087215p3/58872.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>7</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="graphicnovels" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[people interested in the nature of heroes]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat May 12 06:15:39 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat May 12 07:35:28 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I just finished reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen" title="Watchmen by Alan Moore">Watchmen</a> by the very intense <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2041.Frances_Hodgson_Burnett" title="Frances Hodgson Burnett">Alan Moore</a> of V for Vendetta fame. I've been on a bit of a comic book/graphic novel kick recently after completing a whole host of non-fiction work for use in my Master's thesis. The Watchmen is one of those books that anyone who cares, or cared, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1173354">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1173354]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1173354]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1194339</id>
    <user>
    <id>84023</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Keely]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Belleville, NJ]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/84023-keely]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1239050169p3/84023.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>6</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="comics" />
        <shelf name="reviewed" />
        <shelf name="sci-fi" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun May 13 19:13:46 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 19:23:05 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Since the movie came out, I've found myself having to explain to people why Watchmen is important and interesting. Despite being the most revered comic book of all time, it never really entered the mainstream until the film. Now, people are rushing to it in droves, but coming to watchmen without an ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1194339">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1194339]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1194339]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>23378204</id>
    <user>
    <id>42934</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Michael]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/42934-michael]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1245985385p3/42934.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1245985385p2/42934.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>5</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat May 31 09:55:47 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 10 07:33:58 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I've heard nothing but unflinching hyperbolic praise for this book.  I wonder if it's even possible for anything to live up to the kind of hype this has suffered.  It's the only graphic novel/comic book to be included on Time Magazine's list of 100 greatest novels since the beginning of Time's publi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23378204">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23378204]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23378204]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>10189966</id>
    <user>
    <id>605328</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Evil_Dead_Junkie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Northridge, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/605328-evil-dead-junkie]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1194389495p3/605328.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1194389495p2/605328.jpg]]></small_image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>5</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="comics" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Dec 09 16:41:53 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Dec 09 16:42:53 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm rereading Watchmen for the first time in about five years and have thus decided to start a petition to officially change its name to creamy goodness. <br/><br/>Seriously its one of those blessed rereadings where every twenty pages or so I come across a sequence and go &quot;Yeah I remember thi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10189966">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10189966]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10189966]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>48100478</id>
    <user>
    <id>94602</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kelly]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Arlington, VA]]></location>
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  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>5</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Mar 03 07:34:34 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Mar 03 07:44:37 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I was told and told and told again that I must read this as my introduction to the graphic novel genre. There were a few dissident voices for <em>Sandman</em>, but they were largely drowned out by the chorus for this piece. (Piece? Book doesn't feel right.)<br/><br/>It did take me a little bit to adjust my...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48100478">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48100478]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>44282555</id>
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    <id>395599</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Shannon]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Toronto, Canada]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>6</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Mar 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jan 25 09:22:39 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Mar 28 14:41:35 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Set in 1985 in New York, the Cold War is still very much alive, Nixon is settling in for yet another term as President, and masked vigilantes are considerably <em>passé</em>. Since the costumed adventurers of the 30s and 40s called The Minutemen disbanded in the 50s, masked vigilantes became increasingly un...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44282555">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44282555]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44282555]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>48997075</id>
    <user>
    <id>42508</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Greg]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Woodside, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/42508-greg]]></link>
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  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Mar 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 11 20:59:10 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Mar 15 08:42:43 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Maybe this is worth four stars.  Or maybe even five stars, but only if I had read <em>Watchmen</em> when I was twelve years old.  That doesn't mean that I had to be twelve to like it, but that would have been how old I would have been when these first came out.  Instead of reading them then I was a pretty lo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48997075">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48997075]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48997075]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>43268477</id>
    <user>
    <id>355071</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Karen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Israel]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/355071-karen]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">472331</id>
  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Anthony M. Bookfly]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jan 26 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jan 16 13:08:30 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 29 10:55:59 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I haven't read too many comic books (or graphic novels or whatever), and most of the ones I have read I haven't really enjoyed. I think it's because I lack a very basic skill, and I suspect that many literary types who disdain comics have the same problem - I suck at looking at pictures. My eye is d...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43268477">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43268477]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43268477]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>44672003</id>
    <user>
    <id>1008175</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kat]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Valparaiso, IN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1008175-kat]]></link>
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  <isbn>0930289234</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">4324</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jan 28 13:37:11 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Feb 05 20:50:34 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm seriously tempted to give spoilers here, as the book was utterly mind-blowing (GAH!  Rorschach!  GAH!), and there were some serious twists in the book that, while I can't say I didn't see them coming, still really affected me strongly.<br/><br/>This is not a comic book for those who want their...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44672003">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44672003]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44672003]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>41535556</id>
    <user>
    <id>541599</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Miss_otis]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/541599-miss-otis]]></link>
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  <isbn13>9780930289232</isbn13>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Watchmen]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511m/472331.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/472331.Watchmen</link>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>31446</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Now A Major Motion Picture!    <p>This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.    <p>One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>5</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jan 01 16:58:29 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 01 17:40:12 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm prepared to get pelted with rotten vegetables and bricks and all manner of nasty things, but....<em>Watchmen</em> didn't really do anything for me. In fact, I was so &quot;meh&quot; about it that I had to go do some research in order to see if I could figure out just <em>why</em>, exactly, it's so acclaimed.<br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41535556">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41535556]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41535556]]></link>
</review>
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