A Must Read!
This graphic novel is unparalleled by other works in the medium. The psychological profiles of the characters are deep, the story is intricate, and the art is spectacular! It brings up issues of right and wrong, black and white, the greater good. No other graphic novel is this deep or well written! The book is, however, fairly dark and not very appropriate for younger readers.
Who reviews the Reviewers?
Okay. It's NOT a comic book. It's a graphic novel. Had to get that out of the way.
But the truth is, it IS a novel, and a really good one at that. Just because there are pictures doesn't diminish the superior plot or well drawn (get it?) characterizations in "Watchmen".
I'll admit I bought this book out of sheer curiosity, having seen the trailers for the upcoming movie on Rotten Tomatoes, and wondering WHAT THE HELL THAT was all about. And why was everyone so excited that a movie was coming? AND that their only concern was that the movie couldn't possibly be as good as the novel. The bloggers all said that "Watchmen" (the graphic novel) was the best of its genre, and was in fact one of the best novels of our time. Could such hyperbole POSSIBLY be correct? I had to find out for myself. So I bought the book.
Now I'm sorry. Sorry that I waited 23 years to read the best SciFi and one of the best EVER novels that I have ever laid my greasy little hands on.
Not to say it is without flaws. Mommies, you probably ought to know that Watchmen is bloody, intense, and, well, relentless. There's nudity and sex. Lots of senseless killing (or is it senseless?- That's kind of the point...) There's a big blue guy who is running around as naked as the day he was born (or is 'synthesized' a better word?). Maybe 12 year olds ought to find something else to read.
And if it's closure you want, you probably ought to be reading Barbara Cartland or something, cause there ain't none here. Who wins and who loses? Aside from Richard Nixon, it's kind of hard to say. The only character who remains true to his ethical code is certifiably insane, after all.
But if you want something intelligent, something thought provoking (e.g., if there WERE superheroes, what would comic books be about?), and something downright fun, Watchmen may be for you. Try to get it before 030609.
And don't wait 23 years to read it!
Great Service
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An amazing book
Hands down, one of the best graphic novels I've read, right up there with Sandman and Dark Knight Returns. More than just a superhero novel, it goes in depth into the underlying mentality that motivated these people to wear a costume and fight crime, and how that mentality comes back to bite them in the end. I highly recommend this.
We ALL should watch the WATCHMEN
ok, I'll admit - the main reason why I got interested in the book was because of the teaser trailer that came out before The Dark Knight (which by the way was AWESOME!!!). I had never heard of Watchmen before and all I kept reading was, "most celebrated graphic novel of all time", so that added to the intrigue. Who were these characters? Why had I NEVER before seen any merch, Saturday morning toons, ice cream truck popsicles even!?! I had to find out. I started looking it up online. First it began with buying the iTune for Smashing Pumpkin's 'The Beginning is the End is the Beginning'. Then I hit the fan sites hardcore style until I finally found the official Watchmen movie site.
The site contained abridged plot schematics of each of the 12 books. I didn't want any spoilers, I wanted the MEAT of the story!! So I decided to buy the whole thing. Mind you, I'm a comic book fan just like the next guy, but I had never actually purchased my own books before. I was the guy who had friends with boxes full of them that would either recite them to me, or drop the geek guard long enough for me to flip a few pages at a time, but mostly I got my dose of the scene from cartoons and tell-tale. The fact that this book supposedly was THE book that shaped modern comics as we now know them, also helped in the decision to finally buy my own books.
I plunged in, and hard! Immediately I found out that the trailers for the movie were absolutely deceiving. I started realizing why I hadn't seen the Ozymandias line of action figures in stores... That toy story-line in and of itself was masterfully scripted with gushing satire spewing all over the pages! These weren't super heroes!! These were ordinary Joe's and Jane's with, quite frankly, EFFED up lives... AWESOME!!! Alan Moore had to have been real upset with somebody in his lifetime to come up with some of the darkness that envelopes this book. From the dramatic suspense of the mystery aspect, to the down-right freakiness of the Superhero aspect of it with Dr. Manhattan, this book had everything I could have imagined from a sci-fi or suspense drama movie from today! No way this was written back in the mid-eighties!! Each character is so incredibly rich and dynamic, that on the last pages, you feel absolutely cheated and begging for more. The moral implications it leaves you with are enough to make your head spin for days to come, and it only makes you crave just a few more pages to justify your mixed feelings about the ending!! By far, the most extraordinary book I've ever read. I believe it's safe to say, that if Dave Gibbons wasn't involved, this book very well could have been acceptable as an ordinary black and white cover to cover novel. An are-you-kidding-me?-you-haven't-read-it!? kind of book that MUST be in everyone's personal library.
I won't say I'm a die-hard fan (mostly because I just found out about it existing and only because of the teaser trailer). I will say I'm a Watchmen fan who can't wait to see the film's interpretation. I've heard much about the ending being different, changes made to appeal to the masses, fan rage for even considering making this a film - but all I can say is it's important for this film to come out. If not for the fact that sheep are going to flock to it expecting the next Batman franchise and coming out totally disappointed (which I can't wait to see myself!!) but because it's a new generation exposed to the greatness of this book. Go out and buy the book, read it, and then watch the movie. Get as much Watchmen as you can. You won't regret it!
(622 reviews)
