Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

(Graphic Novel) Fiction

My wife gave this to me as a gift and I have been reading it off and on for the last couple months. Watchmen was made into a movie a few years ago and I had interest in reading the series. The layout of the book is mostly what you would expect from a comic book, but each chapter has a few pages written out to further tell the story.

The story is set in the mid eighties, but covers an alternate timeline to our own, that changes with the emergence of superheroes in the 1940's. During the 1960's superheroes help in the Vietnam war and win because of it. The series starts with the death of The Comedian. A large part of the series follows another character Rorschach. He is convinced that a number of masked heroes are being hunted down by the killer and with the death of The Comedian determines to find out who it is. Dr. Manhattan is the only character in the series that actually has any superpowers. Through the result of a scientific experiment gone awry he has developed god-like powers. He experiences time all at once, can teleport and can manipulate objects at will. Other characters include Nite Owl, the famous Ozymandias and Silk Spectre.

What sets this apart from other comic books is the characters, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan, are just normal people. They have a sense of strength and will above that of normal people, but can't fly or do extraordinary things. The story weaves around starting in modern times of the 80's. It jumps to the 1940's to see the beginnings of the superhero era. It shows the effect the superheroes have on the 1960's and intermixes it all with the ongoing timeline.

It seems to be a comment on world affairs of the 80's, but intermixes it with the plot and stories of the characters. It was easy to get into and the artwork was well done. It stands up 30 years later as a groundbreaking work of art and storytelling.

3 Emotional/Intellectual - I found both Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach's stories interesting and was drawn into the plot through them.

3 Style/Readability - I have read a few comics in my day, but this was the most well told of all of them. The artwork seems to get better as the series goes on especially the last chapter.

5 Long Term Impact - Watchmen has already had a huge impact on comic books as a whole and I imagine it has influenced many writers as well. With the release of a blockbuster movie as well as the influence it already has in comics it has already proven its long term impact.

11 out of 13. If you haven't ever read a comic series this is a good starting point. It is dirty, realistic and well worth your time.

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