Goodreads | Watchmen, Complete Edition.

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Watchmen Babies	3	116	05/11/2008 05:36PM
Alternate Reality?	0	20	03/31/2008 11:03PM
Alternate Reality?	2	43	10/02/2007 08:03AM

Schmacko rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

08/11/08

Read in August, 2008

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.

I ain’t knocking that. Imagination abounds, and I am thoroughly impressed. I love that comic books and graphic novels create their entire world – but – BUT then again every piece of art creates it’s own world. And ALL OF THOSE OTHE...more 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.

I ain’t knocking that. Imagination abounds, and I am thoroughly impressed. I love that comic books and graphic novels create their entire world – but – BUT then again every piece of art creates it’s own world. And ALL OF THOSE OTHER ARTS MAKE EMOTIONALLY ENGAGING STORIES!

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 was troubled by Joker’s logic, and I was frustrated with the people in the ferries. In other words, I WAS EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED!

A lot of these graphic novels and stuff seem to think that if they simply tickle your creative brain, they’ve succeeded. 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. I get frustrated, because I don’t think this is so hard to understand that I need emotional stimulation. And yet, my graphic-novel friends still press these books in my hand, hoping to unlock my wonder and amazement.

I was full of wonder and amazement at The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a novel about a superhero and the super-human who spawned him. 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. I felt terribly at Kavalier’s struggles with violence and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe. Sam Clay’s secrets were heart-breaking. Kavalier’s search for revenge and Sam’s search for respect were emotionally engaging. 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. The Watchmen did not.

The 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. It’s only when someone starts bumping off the old retired heroes that a mystery starts, a mystery that asks the esoteric and totally intellectual (read: unemotional) question of why humans can be drawn to the edge of doom, and what they need to do to stop just at the edge.

Oh - for the people who know and love The Watchmen - I felt bad for how Dr. Manhattan couldn’t have a human relationship. And I understood why Laurie got infuriated. The thrill of Laurie and Dan becoming superheroes again was honest and wonderful. But that was it – I didn’t feel the panic of the world ending (mostly because if it did happen, there’d be no story). I didn’t care for the casual use of rape as a plot point. None of the long-winded, theoretical discussion about whether humanity was worth saving had any emotional pull to me. I didn’t care. In all 413 pages, I had four honest emotional reactions. One of my reactions was anger at the tangential pirate story (don’t ask – it doesn’t have any emotional or thematic reason for being there – it was just added because someone thought it was cool).

Cool. There’s the problem. Cool things don’t make me feel. People can imagine and draw all the cool things in the world, and it won’t make me emotional engage. Cool things don’t make my heart race or break or pause. They leave me cold. Graphic novels are mostly cool.
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Trish rated it:

12/09/07

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.

And within the first few pages I was testing his patience with questions/comments including:

"Why is Rorshach the hero when he's clearly insane?"
"...more

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Michael rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

06/10/08

Read in June, 2008

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 publication. That's a lot of pressure - to be the sole symbol and representation and of an entire art form for a popular and wide audience. I mean, this thing needs to be devastatingly good.

Forget al...more 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 publication. That's a lot of pressure - to be the sole symbol and representation and of an entire art form for a popular and wide audience. I mean, this thing needs to be devastatingly good.

Forget all that noise, and this is just a great book. "Best ever" - I'm not sure, but it definitely stands out as a milestone, and a sort of mile marker in superhero comics, along with Frank Miller Dark Knight Returns. 1985-86 is when comics got really dark, and really sinister and scary in a real life way that had never really been approached before. Sure Galactus had come around to eat the Earth and Doctor Doom, I'm sure had hatched some Armageddon schemes, and Darkseid had set out to control everybody's thoughts, but all of those doomsday scenarios were set at a safe distance from reality, all based on ridiculous, albeit compelling, contingencies. Furthermore, those stories always provided superheros you could rely on to save the day. The great myth-makers could never get away with letting the Silver Surfer or the Fantastic Four or Superman fail at their missions to save the world.

Moore's world of Watchmen is quite different. Superheros have seen their heyday decades ago, and the American public and government now sees these masked vigilantes as nothing more than criminals, head-cases not to be trusted. What's really grim, is the evils mankind faces in reality - corrupt governments, greedy corporations - are far more sinister than anything cooked up in a comic book. Moore deals brilliantly with these issues. Why do we trust those in charge? Why do we rely on other to protect us? Should we not protect ourselves instead?

Gibbons's art is wonderful. His use of very subdued, standard layout styles lets the story speaks for itself. There's no fancy splash pages to be found here, no overwrought action sequences, no onomatopoetic sounds, no motion lines. Gibbons uses symbolism and realistic rendering to create an atmosphere of grit and foreboding terror. I'm sure there's been papers written on his use of the smiley face throughout the book. I don't want to touch on any of the specific symbols here, but they're used in such a way that they never overshadow the plot, but are not so buried to become obscure.

I definitely wasn't let down by this book, but can't give it 5 stars. First of all, about half of the chapters in the book are diversions from the main thread of the story, giving insight and history to each of the characters. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't get rid of any of them, and honestly they are some of the best reading in the book - especially Rorschach's episodes - but therein may lie the problem. We are left with about 5 chapters that deal with the crisis at hand - the very fate of life on Earth. Most comic book stories can be dealt with in such a span, but Moore's story is too grand, too great to stop here. Or maybe that's a statement in itself. When it's too late, it's just too late. (Maybe Carole King should sing our Armageddon songs.) Any ending will come all too quickly.

Anyway, I'm willing to concede that this is probably one of the best superhero stories I've ever read - if it's actually a superhero story. It kind of destroys the whole notion of superheros, makes them irrelevant. I don't even want to get into the politics of this story. Too much, too much. ...less

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David rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

05/12/07

bookshelves: graphicnovels

Read in May, 2007

recommends it for: people interested in the nature of heroes

I just finished reading Watchmen by the very intense Alan Moore 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, about comic books and superheroes should read. Set in an alternate American time li...more I just finished reading Watchmen by the very intense Alan Moore 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, about comic books and superheroes should read. Set in an alternate American time line, skewed by the existence of masked vigilantes (read: superheroes), Watchmen explores an America that wins the Vietnam War, never catches Nixon as a crook (in fact electing him to a third term), and then makes it illegal to be a superhero without doing so in service of the government.
Like Moore's other work, there are some very thinly veiled critics of the Reagan/Thatcher era. Moore visions a cowboy Americana were everyone is in it for themselves, notions of morality are arbitrary and strictly enforced, and the only officially recognized victims are those already in power. Moore exaggerates phenomenon to make a point about them the same way a satirist might. However, Moore seems instead is reading from the Orwell literary playbook here, warning of how this course of society could devolve. Like Orwell saw an inherent danger in Stalinism, Moore is warning of the dangers of the emerging framework of the Neo-Conservatives. Tough-love for the poor, welfare for the rich, jingoism, and fundamentalism are all part of Moore's world, then called Reaganism. Although Moore personally saw this through Thatcher, the basic reactionary quality was the same on both sides of the Atlantic.
This book touched my personally because it hit upon a discomfort, stemming from an initial fascination, with heroes. I spent many hours of my childhood loving Superman. Lex Luthor, by then a crooked businessman and not the crazed scientist of earlier years, was always the easy personification of evil. His occupation always reflected an area of society that created fear (mad scientists in the 60s, corporate vultures in the 80s, and now I hear politician). With Lex Luthor as the the ultimate evil, Superman by contrast became the ultimate good. The Christ metaphors were never lost on my as a child. The most recent movie did everything but use the phrase "my only begotten son" when describing Superman. And for a time the notion that all we needed was a hero was very comforting to me. However, as Moore would be quick to point out, that desire for a hero is easily exploited.
There are many people much more schooled in comics and superheroes than I that can tell you how much Watchmen changed the genre. I simply know that it did. Characters became more sophisticated and moral choices became less clear. But it is clear to me why this is such a landmark piece. Moore has that ability of all great writers to chastise and console in the same breath, on the same thought. He tells his readers that superheroes are pathetic refuge from reality, but then invites you to share in that fantasy. And for a time you are taken with this world, think maybe there could be a place for superheroes in our world. Then the end comes and you realize what kind of world our supposed heroes really want to bring us. ...less

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David rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

08/02/08

bookshelves: recommended

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: anyone

A few years back, my cousin and I were discussing what makes something literature. Is it just books, those classics written by all the dead white males? There was an article I’d read about [i:] The Sopranos [/i:] as a work of literature. That’s right – television. Theater has also been deemed another medium worthy of the title literature. Even so, literature confers a certain status about the impact of a work, a damn near precision and perfection of artistic merit. It should be enter...more A few years back, my cousin and I were discussing what makes something literature. Is it just books, those classics written by all the dead white males? There was an article I’d read about [i:] The Sopranos [/i:] as a work of literature. That’s right – television. Theater has also been deemed another medium worthy of the title literature. Even so, literature confers a certain status about the impact of a work, a damn near precision and perfection of artistic merit. It should be entertaining, thought provoking, complicated yet still accessible, and moving – all the stuff on the opposite spectrum of what people might deem mere distractions in consumable media. [u:] Watchmen [/u:], a graphic novel published by DC Comics in the mid-1980s delivers on all these counts and then some.

It is split up into 12 parts or chapters, slowly unfolding as a murder mystery and a character study of this collection of superheroes. Most of the chapters are dedicated to the past or history of each superhero. How did they come to be? What motivates them to do what they do? How do they fit into the bigger picture of what it means to be a part of a superhero collective? Why did they become superheroes in the first place? How do they succeed and fail as superheroes and human beings? It’s really deep stuff, worthy to sit aside some of the best ‘dead white male’ literature.

It’s a character study, yes, but it also asks us what would the world be like if superheroes really did exist? This world is an alternate America. The Cold War still happens, but Nixon is in office well until 1986. America won Vietnam. While it’s not explicitly stated, it’s implied that this alternate American vision exists because of the superheroes intervention and existence.

Apart from all this social commentary and explorations of the human condition, it’s still a comic book, which means there’s still kick-ass action and larger than life characters and scenarios, despite the fact that only one of the heroes has true superpowers. The rest are relegated to Batman-style powers. Again, this is still a comic book, meaning it’s still fun. What makes this so great though is that this graphic novel (and it really is a novel) is complex and detailed. There are plenty of literary devices being applied here, all under the guise of being a comic. The graphic element enhances many of these devices and gives us a fresh perspective on story-telling, not to mention lends us a new focal point in the deliberation of an epic narrative and a commentary about America through fiction with superheroes, much in the same way that [i:] The Sopranos [/i:] revolutionized television and the mob genre all the while giving us insight into our own lives through such a specific concept.

Each chapter ends with a few pages of straight up prose that serves as ‘source material’ for the main plot. These supplementary materials all come from this fictional world. One part is a biography from an aged superhero. Another is an article written by one of them regarding his inspiration for his alter-ego. It is just another example of how complex and rich this work of art is and also points to how difficult this must have been to adapt to a movie. It’s original, well conceived, well executed, interesting and ultimately a transforming piece of literature. Definitely worth reading, as in now! Just remember: whatever preconceived notions you might have about comic books, this is not light stuff. It demands that you pay attention. Also, it’s a lot easier to spoil stuff for yourself by jumping ahead and looking at pictures. And trust me: you’ll want to. (oops.)

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Lesliemae rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

07/25/08

bookshelves: course-list-favourites, graphic-novels

Read in December, 2007

recommended to Lesliemae by: Andrew Lesk
recommends it for: if you love the anti-hero vigillante.

Each chapter was both a surprise and delight. Simply, I am astonished. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Inscription: (May 2008)
I've been studying for most of the afternoon which means that Erik has needed to be out. We live in a bachelor apartment, so the options for the other person when one needs to read/study can be rather limiting.

While I was reading over Alan Moore's Watchmen, I was considering his message: human ideologies, religious abstractions, and science have all failed us. What was ...more

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Elizabeth rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

04/16/08

bookshelves: book-club-selection, favorites, graphicnovels, recentlyread

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Elizabeth by: book group

This is one of those books that I often picked up and looked at, but never read. I'm shallow enough to admit I was turned off by the artwork and lack of recognizable characters. I must say, I am so glad that Watchmen was chosen by one of my book groups, forcing me to get past my first impressions.

Watchmen takes place in alternative universe, where the emergence of costumed adventurers has altered the course of modern history. The superheroes, the majority which are neither supe...more This is one of those books that I often picked up and looked at, but never read. I'm shallow enough to admit I was turned off by the artwork and lack of recognizable characters. I must say, I am so glad that Watchmen was chosen by one of my book groups, forcing me to get past my first impressions.

Watchmen takes place in alternative universe, where the emergence of costumed adventurers has altered the course of modern history. The superheroes, the majority which are neither super nor all that heroic (with one notable exception), are in forced retirement, until the murder of one of their own compels them to action once more. The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, all the while introducing us to these masked men and women, their histories, and their motivations, and draws to a riveting and ambiguous conclusion that leaves the reader pondering what heroism really means.

This graphic novel, published originally in 1986, ushered in a new era for comic fans; comic books became literature, and superheroes became people with flaws and angst of their own. Alan Moore truly takes the genre to the level of literature, pulling out all those post modern favorite techniques like meta-fiction, intertextuality, and symbolism, while still retaining the classic elements of comic books; while there are no whizz-bang sound effects or thought bubbles, he stays true to the format and elevates it to a new level. Likewise, David Gibbons, the artist, uses the art in a deeper way; each panel is filled with meaning and symbolism, from the repeated use of the Comedian's smiley face, to the repeated graffiti asking, "Who watches the watchmen?" The art creates a cinematic feel and also evokes the "golden age" style of comics, and in the end I was appreciative of it. Both writer and artist have put a lot of thought into this work; for example, the chapter "Fearful Symmetry" is based on the William Blake poem, The Tyger, and not only are there numerous places where both plot and image symmetry are used, but the panels are symmetrical goign from first page to last page, second page to second-to-last page, and so on. The chapter also refers to the character, Rorschach, who wears a mask with a shifting, symmetrical inkblot, who tends to think in black and white, and is a character that others should be fearful of.

One negative issue did get brought up in my book group meeting, and that was the treatment of the women in the book. Try as we might, we couldn't find many positive portrayals of female characters. We found the rape storyline distasteful, if only because all the characters but two, including the character who was the victim, are pretty dismissive of the serious nature of that act, and pretty forgiving of the rapist. I don't like seeing rape used as the start of a consensual, romantic relationship, and I don't like seeing a woman put her rapist up on a pedastal.

I still give the book five stars, however, because overall I loved the story and the characters, and found the writing stunning and moving. This is a landmark, watershed book, but it is also just a fine, enjoyable read. I'd recommend it to folks giving the genre a try for the first time, as well as graphic novel readers looking to branch out from Batman, Supes, and Spidey. ...less

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Josh rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

08/13/08

bookshelves: graphic-novel, sci-fi

Read in August, 2008

I, like many others, purchased this book after seeing the preview for the movie. I had heard about this but never gave it much thought. Unlike Sin City and V for Vendetta, I decided that this time I will actually read the material before I watch the movie. Well, I have to day it's not at all what I expected and now I'm not so sure I want to watch the movie at all.

For anyone who's going to use this review as their basis for deciding wheather or not they are going to read Watchmen, let me sta...more I, like many others, purchased this book after seeing the preview for the movie. I had heard about this but never gave it much thought. Unlike Sin City and V for Vendetta, I decided that this time I will actually read the material before I watch the movie. Well, I have to day it's not at all what I expected and now I'm not so sure I want to watch the movie at all.

For anyone who's going to use this review as their basis for deciding wheather or not they are going to read Watchmen, let me start by telling you that this is a thinking piece, not an action piece. It does have some action, but it's pretty sparse (though it is entertaining when it comes about.) Watchmen is more of a character drama, and considering the graphic medium, the characters are fairly complex and interesting. Each one has their own unique story and reasoning behind becoming a "costumed adventurer," aptly named due to the fact with the exception of Dr. Manhattan, that they don't have any true super powers. I am very impressed that Moore never included any character "thought text" to tell you what they were thinking. He manages to do it all with dialogue, faacial expressions and situations.

I was drawn in from the very beginning. The book wastes no time as it starts with the murder of a long time costumed hero and an ensuing investigation his former colleagues. We are introduced to these retired heroes one at a time with plenty of snippets of back story to explain how it all came about and why in this alternate reality, costumed heroes are a part of everyday life.

The further I got into Watchmen, the stranger it became and as it ended, I realized it wasn't at all what I thought it would be. It's almost a study of human character and I'm sure that someone more intelligent than I would be able to pick it apart and analyze it to death, drawing parallels to real life situations. I really did enjoy it and I'd recommend it highly, but not to everyone. There are plenty of readers who don't want to read a book for story and characters alone and those readers may not find what the are looking for here.

This brings me back to the movie. I can't really see this story working as a blockbuster Hollywood film. If they keep the movie very close to the source material -which I hope they will- it's going to be a lot different than people expect. If they try to appeal to a wider audience and throw in some extra action, they're going to detract from the story and the people who appreciate the book may be dissapointed. But, so far from what I'm seeing in the preview, it looks like it's going to keep pretty true to the book. And Dr. Manhattan looks awesome.

But this review is about the book, not the movie. I really liked it. It may be the best comic book/graphic novel I've ever read. But, I haven't read any comics since I was a kid and even then not so much. I don't quite think I'd call Watchmen a masterpiece or compare it to some of the best regular novels I've read, but I liked it. It's earned a permanent place on my shelf and I look forward to rereading it in the future to see what further tidbits I can get out of it. ...less

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Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

07/22/08

bookshelves: classics, fantasy, graphic-novels, top-shelf

Read in July, 2008

What with the movie trailer finally out, I thought it'd be time to go through the book again. It's a graphic novel that has an immense history. It's considered to be one of the most important works in the genre in, well, ever. Read any analysis of Watchmen and you'll read that it revolutionized comics. It changed everything.

They're right.

Before I get to the actual story - and it's a formidable story - I want to address the immense technical achievement that is evident in this ...more What with the movie trailer finally out, I thought it'd be time to go through the book again. It's a graphic novel that has an immense history. It's considered to be one of the most important works in the genre in, well, ever. Read any analysis of Watchmen and you'll read that it revolutionized comics. It changed everything.

They're right.

Before I get to the actual story - and it's a formidable story - I want to address the immense technical achievement that is evident in this book. Look at any panel, any page and you can spend a long time just admiring the artistry that has emerged from the Moore-Gibbons partnership. The words and the images fit together like the finest puzzle pieces, each one reinforcing and supporting the others. There are no unnecessary words, and there are no unnecessary pictures.

Goddamn it's good. It's a fantastic piece of work.

Just as much as the technical aspects of the book are a marvel, so is the story. It was written in - and set in - the mid-80s. It took the core genre of the comics industry, superheroes, and bent them to reality's will. These were not the iconic, ageless figures of Batman and Superman, people whose hearts and intentions were pure and who never aged. The superheroes - or "costumed adventurers," more appropriately - were very, very human. Not only did they age, but they made mistakes. They lied, they failed, they gave up. They were, with one notable exception, human, and their reasons for doing what they did were also very human. It's tempting to say, "These characters are us," because they're not, but they're still a lot closer to us than traditional superheroes are. And this was especially true in the mid-80s. The Darkening of comics hadn't begun yet, and it was probably Watchmen that kicked it off. Suddenly the idea of heroes with ethical failings, personality problems and a faulty moral compass flooded the market. Unfortunately, they were inferior copies of an exceptional original.

Anyway, the story. The world in 1985 is a different place. The rise of the costumed adventurer had a big impact on the social fabric of the United States, and the Cold War has reached levels of tension that nearly break the world in two. America owns a superweapon in the person of Jonathan Osterman, also known as the nearly godlike Doctor Manhattan, but even he can't stop the political super-powers from the intractable mess they have created. Everyone can feel it, the great burning and the end of the world. Everyone knows it's coming.

And then someone kills The Comedian.

The death of this adventurer-turned-mercenary sets off a chain reaction that leads to the discovery of a horrific plan to save the world. People who believe themselves to be heroes have to decide what it means to do good when there are no good choices left to make.

Seriously. Read this. As for the movie, I can only pray that they do it right. I have a high tolerance for adaptation - and I know there's no way the entire comic can be fit into a movie - so I will give the filmmakers some leeway. But I pray that they do it right....

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Candace rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

08/15/08

Read in August, 2008

***I don't like the term "spoiler," but there are some of those in this review, so act accordingly.

Yes, I read it after reading an article about the movie that's coming out in March. Yes, I hopped right on the bandwagon. Yes, I abandoned any geek cred I could have scored for this review by admitting that. Oh well.
At first, I thought Alan Moore was just being a big elitist jerkhead for not wanting Watchmen to be made into a film. I mean, it doesn't help his case that he hasn't wa...more ***I don't like the term "spoiler," but there are some of those in this review, so act accordingly.

Yes, I read it after reading an article about the movie that's coming out in March. Yes, I hopped right on the bandwagon. Yes, I abandoned any geek cred I could have scored for this review by admitting that. Oh well.
At first, I thought Alan Moore was just being a big elitist jerkhead for not wanting Watchmen to be made into a film. I mean, it doesn't help his case that he hasn't wanted ANY of his books to be screenplay-fied; it looked like he was just being insolent for the Hollywood-hating heck of it. I get it now, though. I get how many elements of the book are not going to be translated to the screen well, how many clues to the plot the audience is going to miss out on, and probably most importantly, how the characters are determinedly not Hollywood-actor-compatible. Tell me, where among actors would one find someone who fits the Rorschach/Walter Kovacs type? What did the psychologist call him, mesmerizingly ugly or something like that? I just have a feeling it's not going to happen, though I haven't seen any photos of his film counterpart without his "face."
Anyway, the book is remarkable, and I was especially impressed with the painstaking intricacy of the plot. How everything came together almost completely seamlessly in the end was pretty cool. I liked the characterization, though as usual, the characters I'm least interested in are the most central to the plot (I found the Silk Spectre/Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan love triangle horrid dull after a while). I wanted more Rorschach! I wanted more Adrian Veidt too before the end explained why his part had been lacking. I did love that they're pretty much all complete losers, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan cause loser isn't really a word that could apply to omnipotent beings.
What got to me most of the time was how much graphic violence was in it. I was expecting it to be dark, of course, but a lot of the stuff that happened was just totally repulsive and disturbing. Like, nightmare-inducing disturbing. Like, the "Singin in the Rain" scene in A Clockwork Orange disturbing. I didn't mind it most of the time, but I did mind when it felt like it was going out of its way to be atrociously violent. (I think I may just be bitter about Hollis Mason. Why did you have to do that, Alan Moore? That was mean.)
I've heard as well that there are a bunch of underlying themes that I probably didn't pick up on, so maybe I'll read it again with that intention. Though, I'm going to wait until later. I need to recover from the first go-round.

See you on March 6th?

Adjustment: I wish I could give half-stars. But I can't, so I had to choose between 4 and 5. Originally, I just couldn't picture it as a 5-star kind of book, since it's not necessarily one of my favorites, but now that I've considered it some more it's closer to 5 than 4. The art, the Cold War paranoia, above all, the characterization convinced me to let it have that half-point that Goodreads made me decide on. ...less

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Dan rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

08/15/08

bookshelves: 2008-challenge, fiction, graphic-novels

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Dan by: Time magazine
recommends it for: Anyone who's willing to view comics as an art form

In the entire set of books I've read (and there are more than the few on my profile), I've only reread two. Watchmen is one of them. First, being a graphic novel, it's fairly easy to reread. However, even if it were a printed novel of more than four hundred words, I imagine I'd still be rereading it, because it's a great piece of literature.

But then, one of its key successes is what Moore tried to use it to prove - that comics can achieve things that neither film nor printed novels...more In the entire set of books I've read (and there are more than the few on my profile), I've only reread two. Watchmen is one of them. First, being a graphic novel, it's fairly easy to reread. However, even if it were a printed novel of more than four hundred words, I imagine I'd still be rereading it, because it's a great piece of literature.

But then, one of its key successes is what Moore tried to use it to prove - that comics can achieve things that neither film nor printed novels can. (I use "comics" out of respect for Moore, who as I understand it, didn't like the term "graphic novel.") It's easy to dismiss the whole medium of comics after associating them with superhero-based periodical magazines seemingly fueled by sugar and adrenaline, a few steps away from being printed versions of adventurous Saturday morning cartoons. Watchmen changed that and showed that comics could be used to create something great and truly artistic.

This is literature.

It is ironic then, that Moore does this by using superheroes and masked vigilantes. However, every single one of them has their own flaws and depths. Most have a chapter dedicated mainly to them, so that you can gain an appreciation for their character. By far the most popular character to try to dissect is Rorschach, the trenchcoat-clad vigilante whose journal helps narrate the book. As the plot progresses, we can see both a perception of the world that is devoid of any existence of morality and a deep-rooted desire to uphold certain values and principles at any cost.

I imagine that many people will be reading this book in the coming months as the upcoming movie adaptation is hyped amongst the circles of the book's adoring fans. With the degree of achievement that this comic represents, it is not a question of how well the movie will succeed in recreating Watchmen, but how little it will fail. It is hard to imagine a comic approaching this level of perfection again.

There will likely be some who cannot get past the concept of reading a comic and taking it seriously, thus putting it down soon after they start reading. If you've never read comics before, then this book will change your views on what they are able to accomplish, as long as you are able to check any preconceptions at the door. If you have read comics before, but you've never read Watchmen, then be prepared to drink from the Holy Grail....less

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Russ rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

07/12/08

Read in June, 2008

I am an English teacher at a urban high school. Just this year, I got the go ahead to teach an Intro to Graphic Literature course. Graphic novels are becoming a very important writing form for the 21st century, and I have read some amazing work that is still under the genre title "comic book," a designation that is increasingly becoming outdated.

If you want to look for the Shakespeare of the graphic novel form, look no further than Alan Moore. His other graphic works include V f...more I am an English teacher at a urban high school. Just this year, I got the go ahead to teach an Intro to Graphic Literature course. Graphic novels are becoming a very important writing form for the 21st century, and I have read some amazing work that is still under the genre title "comic book," a designation that is increasingly becoming outdated.

If you want to look for the Shakespeare of the graphic novel form, look no further than Alan Moore. His other graphic works include V for Vendetta, From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lost Girls, and this novel, Watchmen, the ONLY graphic novel to make Time Magazine's list of important novels. There is a very good reason for this. Watchmen is the epitome of the graphic novel form, utilizing and stretching the boundaries of the form to make it more than merely comic text. The literary techniques he employs, both in traditional literary form and sequential art form, are astounding. His use of symmetry, parallelism, symbolism, etc., are genius.

The novel is very much tied in with its historical period, namely 80s Cold War paranoia, which any good piece of literature attempts to do, make sense of the zeitgeist of its age. It is also the ultimate philosophical discussion starter on the superhero, the contemporary archetype. I have only read it one time, and I am ready to read it over again, to catch a little more of what I haven't caught the first time. I haven't looked at what discussion groups exist for this novel, but I know I will be joining, if not starting one.

Anyone who sees graphic novels as simply children's comic books needs to read this novel and then see if they change their minds. I know discussion of this book is already increasing, with the set release of movie version in March, 2009. In fact, I am quite sure discussion and readership will increase after trailers for the movie come out with the release of The Dark Knight movie (which includes a performance by Heath Ledger that was partly inspired by another Alan Moore text, "The Killing Joke"). I am nervous about the movie release, as I was nervous about Lord of the Rings becoming a movie. However, it seems to be put in the capable hands of Zack Snyder. Anyone, though, who believes that seeing the movie could supplant actually reading this novel is sadly mistaken....less

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Punk rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

08/24/07

bookshelves: graphic-novel

Read in January, 2005

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 in the oughts? You can practically see the dots in the color! I'd checked it out from the library on the advice of friends, and I'd tried to read it once before, but gave up before I got even five pa...more

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Nicholas rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207138)

08/12/08

bookshelves: favorites

Read in August, 2008

Wow! This thing really does live up to all the hype. Alan Moore has become one of my favorite authors with each new thing I read by him. For a graphic novel, Watchmen is extraordinarily complex and adult dealing with the psychoses of superheroes ranging from the sexual hang-ups of someone who dons a cape and cowl and beats the crap out of people for a living to the messiah complex that necessarily goes along with the profession.

There are so many layers to this story it's hard to know wher...more Wow! This thing really does live up to all the hype. Alan Moore has become one of my favorite authors with each new thing I read by him. For a graphic novel, Watchmen is extraordinarily complex and adult dealing with the psychoses of superheroes ranging from the sexual hang-ups of someone who dons a cape and cowl and beats the crap out of people for a living to the messiah complex that necessarily goes along with the profession.

There are so many layers to this story it's hard to know where to begin. It's set during an alternate timeline of the 1980s, one in which the Cold War still rages, but with the U.S. victorious in Vietnam. I love stories of the Cold War, especially of either the espionage or science fiction genre, and this one has a little of each. The mystery of the Mask Killer, the impending nuclear show down between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. serve as a backdrop through which we can examine how ordinary people might become involved in vigilantism and how ordinary people would react to masked vigilantism around them.

The characters and their development are unique and I was especially drawn to the figure of Jon Osterman (Doc Manhattan), who is really the only character in the story who has any type of "super" powers to speak of. His cold detachment from the world and the role he is expected to play in it is really eye opening compared to the run of the mill stories from the superhero world. Another awesome character to me was Rorschach. I loved his quirky observations about the human condition, and I think in many ways he was the most developed of the characters.

It'll be interesting to see how this is going to be condensed into one film, or how they're going to fit a lot of the brilliant narration into the visual medium. Moore makes insightful observations about humanity and the world in such clear and evocative ways that you wish you could just quote every line.

Loved it. Maybe, because I've always been a comic nerd though. This piece may bridge the gap for those who've never been interested in the genre - it definitely reads more like literature than a comic....less

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Jerzy rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

05/17/07

Read in May, 2007

You can call it a graphic novel, but it's really a comic book about superheroes. And that's good, because that's the only way this story could be told! If you're creating a twisted ironic story about comic-book superheroes dealing with the real world, then you also need to be able to mess around with the conventions of the medium where your subjects arose. A novel or play or whatever just wouldn't work as well.

There are some really powerful sections (especially Rorschach's story and its effe...more You can call it a graphic novel, but it's really a comic book about superheroes. And that's good, because that's the only way this story could be told! If you're creating a twisted ironic story about comic-book superheroes dealing with the real world, then you also need to be able to mess around with the conventions of the medium where your subjects arose. A novel or play or whatever just wouldn't work as well.

There are some really powerful sections (especially Rorschach's story and its effect on the psychiatrist and his wife). There are lots of great metaphorical parallel stories, illustrating one conversation with imagery of another event.

But my favorite part was how each character takes a different idea of justice to extremes:
- we have a duty to do good to one another, using only good means, whenever possible
- we should do good, but the ends justify the means
- forget the idea of "doing good"; evil must simply be punished by any means necessary
- the whole distinction between good and evil is all one big joke
- good and evil, and for that matter all of humanity, are irrelevant in the big scheme of things

In my view, the first philosophy is best since it's the only one that never treats human beings as mere things, abstractions, obstacles or toys. (Terry Pratchett's Discworld books have a surprising amount to say on this topic.)

<spoiler>
But in this book, the Machiavellian character proves most effective, though it feels extremely immoral. Hence I feel a little gratified (yet also largely saddened) that, in the wake of September 11th, it's clear that the these heroes' way of saving the world wouldn't really be effective at all. Terrorism should be a perfect foe to unite against; but instead, we managed to screw it up to the point where the world's nations are freaking out and becoming either more aggressive or more isolationist.
</spoiler>

I can't say it's an "enjoyable" read - quite depressing and creepy with too much blood and gore for my taste. But it's DEEP, and I definitely feel it'd be worthwhile to read it again....less

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Greg rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289234)

07/04/08

Read in July, 2008

Took me a couple of days to read Watchmen from cover to cover. The only reason it took even that long was because of my full-time job and the constant need to reference earlier parts of the story throughout. I don't think any book I've ever read -- textual and comic alike -- demanded so much back-referencing.

There are things going on in the background of almost every panel that have bearing later. Genuine clues to all the various mysteries crop up constantly if you pay close attention. ...more

Watchmen, Complete Edition.

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