On a personal note, this book will forever be entwined in my mind with the events of September 11, 2001. Some of the issues in the book cut a little too close to home. But for me specifically, I'll remember staying up late the night before reading this book, and then being awakened by my roommates early the next morning to the scene of the World Trade Center in flames...and thinking that I'd read the comic for too long. Things this terrible don't happen in the real world, only in comic books...right?


"I leave it entirely in your hands."   September 15, 2003
 26 out of 31 found this review helpful

This is one of the greatest books to come out of the last half of the century. For those who don't know, Watchmen is a fairly postmodern take on the idea of the super hero, incorporating him into Cold War politics and involving literal super powers in the arms race. Which is not to say that this is some kind of Tom Clancyish techno-thriller; far from it. The book is an intense, character-driven drama about the little people who put on the costumes and how they face the horrors that the world leaves at their doorsteps. It's great, sweeping, human epic stuff, one part political thriller, one part whodunit, three parts character study, and I'd recommend it to nearly anyone. The story starts with the murder of an old costume hero, and his former comrades, long since retired, who may be next on the murderer's list.

The writing: Moore's writing transcends the limitations on the medium and pushes it into a strange, beautiful, multi-faceted territory where the complexity of the characters' motivations put the reader in the same kind of "moral checkmate" that plagues the protagonists at the end of the book. The parallel structure of the book's multiple overlapping plotlines is remeniscent of Thomas Pynchon or J.G. Ballard, and the sureness and consistency of his style keep the story flowing. Since the plot is so complex, Moore reveals it in pieces by setting up individual chapters as studies for the individual characters, with key events seen from their unique perspectives. As their different experiences of the same events yield more clues to the book's initial mystery, Moore uncovers something larger about the characters themselves, and maybe even people in general.

The artwork: Dave Gibbons's stated philosophy is that the art should get in the way of story as little as possible, and it's a philosophy which is clearly visible here. Gibbons avoids obviously flashy layouts and silly-looking splash panels and merely tells the story. There are no full-page panels until the final chapter of the book, which is extremely appropriate and helps the story and art blend into a single, unique creature. His renderings are clean and balanced, and his anatomy is perfect. The art is barely noticable the first time through, but it grows on you like fungus.

Overall: If there were ten stars on this list, this book would get them all. It's a fantastic reading experience and a great introduction to a form that most people don't think twice about. Try it out, and if you like it, try From Hell and A Small Killing.


Why?   November 8, 2005
 25 out of 280 found this review helpful

I like Alan Moore. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? Awesome! Top 10? Great stuf! Watchmen? Blah!

Esoteric and artificially deep. I could not finish it. I did not care about the characters at all. Who cares! Oh boo hoo I am a brooding super hero. Feel my pain?

Don't waste your time.




"...a multilayered epic sporting a fantastic script..."   July 12, 2002
 23 out of 25 found this review helpful

I just recently got into graphic novels, but so far have read books from the SANDMAN series, The MAUS books, and of course, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. Needless to say, I've been sucked into the genre by these amazing stories, and I'm simply going down the list of highly acclaimed cult classics. Of course, when I got to WATCHMEN, I was skeptical. I'd heard of Batman and Sandman, but who the Watchmen? Sounded kind of obscure, and fraknly, a bit phony. Of course, after reading countless positive reviews claiming this book to be one of the absolute best in the history of comic literature, I had to pick it up. Right off the bat, I could tell there was something special about this one, which maybe wasn't so noticeable in the others I'd read.

The story starts out simple enough, with the murder of a "superhero," called The Comedian. He was evidently a member of a team, but only one of his former comrades, Rorschach seems to care about his death in the slightest. The others all remember him as a bad, immoral man, and therefore, a terrible hero. At first, you'll be wondering why the others don't grieve for him as Rorschach does, but as you see what foul deeds he committed, you'll start arguing the other way. Why is it that Rorschach is scouring the streets, searching for clues as to who may have killed The Comedian? Why is Rorschach the only one who cares about the ex-superhero's falling?

In this book, much like in THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, superheroes are not seen simply as idols and virtual gods through the eyes of the public. They're seen as a rebellious vigilante who disregard the police and take matters into their own hands. This is the story of an alternate 1985 where the world is rapidly turning into a hell which humans are creating for themselves, where superheroes struggling for internal-order are hated and ridiculed for their valiant actions. The superheroes themselves aren't all that important here--they simply represent the steriotypical masked figures in tights; a group of "normal" citizens fighting to change matters which may very well be out of their control. Alan Moore masterfully creates a multilayered epic sporting a fantastic script, filled with controversial dialogue and an interesting plot which changes the way people think about superheroes and comic books in general.

Rorschach's search for truth, along with the reader's search for explanation is explored through a series of flashbacks, side-stories and subplots. The 417 page graphic novel is split into 12 chapters, each with little tidbits in-between, providing some interesting background information on the characters. WATCHMEN is kind of a mini-series of comic-books, and was entirely original. The characters had never appeared in any other comic before, and never appeared in another again. When compared to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, I say that WATCHMEN is slightly superior. While THE DARK KNIGHT was an exciting and moving tale of Batman's aging and eventual returning to the superhero life, where he was needed most, it was very short (about half the length of WATCHMEN) and left open ends, which were covered in some not-as-good sequels. WATCHMEN is simply a great solo-story which requires no background information or further reading, and boasts a strong, recurring theme: "Who watches the watchmen?" Compared to other graphic novels, ranging mainly from 100-200 pages, WATCHMEN is significantly longer, not only giving you more of a bang for your buck, but increasing the amount of pleasure you'll experience from reading this book.

My only real gripe about this book is to do with the art. Don't get me wrong--It's amazing stuff, filled with vivid colors that you wouldn't expect to see in such a dark story--but the action sequences leave something to be desired. Compared to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, filled with tons of cool blurs, lines and other cinematic goodies you'd expect to make a comic book feel more animated, WATCHMEN is severely lacking in that department. If you try to see the book as a cartoon, like many of us do, it will look like a poorly animated one. Or, simply a series of stills, which is what a comic book is, but almost all comics successfully create the illusion of animation and movement within their pages. Nevertheless, the art is still amazing to look at, it will just require more imagination to see the characters moving.

If I were you, I wouldn't read any other reviews or check any futher into this great graphic novel. If you do, you might back out, thinking that it sounds too corny or not your type of book. Some people are turned off by the whole superhero idea, but Watchmen basically handles it in the most intimate and unconventional manner, bringing a whole new light to those imaginary masked-defenders of the Earth. If you enjoyed THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, this should be right up your alley, delivering more of what the former excelled in. If you aren't into comic books, then you should probably just head over to your nearest book store and read the first 10 pages or whatever. Chances are, you'll find that you love this and then you can buy it on the spot.


OTBE   May 17, 2004
 23 out of 44 found this review helpful

Science fiction is a chancy field to write in. You speculate on how things are going to develop in the near future, and you gamble on factors beyond comprehension. And sometimes your story is OTBE--OverTaken By Events. That's exactly what happened to this deserved classic. And now it's become old hat.

When it was new, it provided a new view of costumed superheroes. With their reliance on law and order, but their willingness to disregard the legitimate establishment in pursuit of their goals, they are deeply conflicted people. But Superman and Spider-Man had disregarded this reality up to that point. Alan Moore was the first person to investigate the flawed identities of comic-book heroes in light of how human beings relate in the real world.

Superheroes are seen as rapists, serial killers, men and women with vendettas. Or they're would-be actors looking to boost their profile. Old grudges and doubts fester under the surface for decades, unable to find release and healing. They suffer sexual dysfunction which affects their crime-fighting techniques. And their defense of the old order against reformers and non-conformists leads to the stifling of honest forward growth.

Now that Wolverine and Wonder Woman have to deal with existential dramas growing out of their vocations, this attitude isn't groundbreaking. A reader coming to this story from contemporary comic books will find the points, which had to be examined in detail when they were new and revolutionary, to be belabored now that they're commonplace.

There is supplementary prose material at the back of each chapter. Some of this is interesting, such as the attempted overview of the history of organized superhero behavior. Others, such as the lengthy history of comic books (supplementing a rather ho-hum pirate comic subplot), are easy to skip.

This comic series was groundbreaking when it came out, and it's worth reading for that. If you want to know how comics shifted from the flat-colored hero worship of the past to the dark, conflicted material of today, this is the turning point. No other work has been as influential in the art of comics. But if you're looking for timeless art or new insights into human nature, this book is no longer your starting point.