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. 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.
Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen 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 (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen 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.
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 Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper 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 "works" and "studies" 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 Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --Mark Thwaite
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
First Comic... Utterly Mindblowing!:
I have never read a Graphic novel in my life... even a small one, this was my first attempt. I now have the utmost respect for the genre. This was one of the nest NOVELS i have ever read! out of everything in my collection! Orwell, Vonnegut, King, Bradberry, even Shakespeare!, This has to be my favorite novel so far... This is a true masterpiece! Now, the real question is... The killing joke... or V? Whats next for me?
(Rhyme not intended... :)
Excellent very very Excellent:
This is a great story. The characters in this story are amazing. Each is compelling and there is no clear winner or loser. I love this story.
Mindblowing:
I've never read a graphic novel before, but Watchmen certainly earned my praise. The interweaving plots and exceptional storyline succeeds at getting inside the readers head. It makes us question what we all believe about society. Can't wait to read it again.
AMAZING!!!:
I've read this book a couple years ago and have recently re-reead it when I heard the movie was coming out. This book really might be the greatest story ever told in the graphic novel medium. AMAZING!!!
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