|
| |||||||||||
What are readers saying about Watchmen?
|
Paul posted a review at 2009-02-18 07:56:03.
(Language: English)
  
I'm not a comi...er graphic novel guy. But I've always heard of this work and kept coming across it in other books. Most recently The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao. And, of course, it's been promoted quite a bit with the upcoming movie. I planned to see the movie and was intrigued when I read that Watchmen was listed on the 100 best novels by Time magazine. Another tie, maybe serendipidy, or maybe the fact that Terry Pratchett runs with the Alan Moore, Neil Gaimen's of the world, the question "Who Watches the Watchman" came up in another context with my reading of Thud. In any event, I picked it up, just finished reading it over the last three days. Wow. Complex, allusions to literature, history. Dark, deep, psychological, disturbing. (I'm Rorschach for this Halloween.) I had a general sense of the ending from skimming Wikipedia; but I did not expect how inconclusive it would be. (spoiler coming up) Although it was pretty clear Rorschach needed to die. I'm still not much of a graphic novel fan -- and this is truly in the category of novel -- but I'm a fan of Watchmen. It stacks up with some of the best reads I've had for a long time.
|
Yes (0) 
No (0)
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-08 08:01:27.
(Language: English)
I admit that the first time I read this book, or attempted to read it, rather, I was in Junior high and, quite frankly, I just didn't get it. I didn't get what was so great about washed up super-something-or-others trying to figure out who killed some old government spook. Now, as an adult, I read this book again and I see why it is so respected and beloved by so many people. "Watchmen" is a contradiction, in that it is a simple story and yet not a simple story. It is so many things all at once that I find it hard to describe them all. Alan Moore's writing has rarely been better or clearer since this book and Dave Gibbons' art is a new experience for me, gritty, detailed, textured and tortured, but he also gives us moments of tender affection, delicious suspense and wonderfully intense moments where the reader realizes the gut-punch truth of the story. A marvelous book that, despite Mr Moore's quibbles with film adaptations of his work, may prove to be the best one yet.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-14 05:29:57.
(Language: English)
Wow. I just finished reading this graphic novel in time for the movie to come out and I can honestly say I should not have waited this long. For some reason or another this book has been sitting on my bookshelf for at least a year and I had never before been able to jump past the first two chapters. What a mistake. It's obvious (and it's even clear in the movie too) that the story starts slow (perhaps a tad much) and you don't get anything at all. Actually, even after chapter 10 you are still pretty confused, but at least you have become engaged with the characters. If you've seen the movie, it's one of the closest adaptations I've seen of a book in a WHILE, and it's awesome. Except for the ending, which has a different... implementation. You will have to find out by yourselves. This book has it all: a good story, engaging characters, an interesting alternate universe filled with detail, a little bit of blood (though not as much as in the movie), a great ending. I really recommend it to anyone, even non-comic book readers (I haven't been one in a loooong time). So, do yourself a favor and don't follow my lead, just read the book as soon as possible.
|
|
Christopher posted a review at 2009-07-31 08:18:57.
(Language: English)
At first, I wasn't sure what to think about this one. The first few chapters I read were colored by what I had seen of the movie (not that the movie was bad, but it certainly informed my first opinions of the comic). But then I started to look at it apart from the movie and I truly did see what a masterpiece it really is of the graphic novel genre. None of the heroes of this novel are moral exemplars as they would be if they were regular comic book heroes (i.e. Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, etc.), and that is what makes these heroes great or even likable. After all, it is hard not to read this book and somewhat like Rorschach a little bit. The whole "comic-within-a-comic" concept, played out in the "Tales of the Black Freighter" panels, is a truly revolutionary concept in my mind. And despite its age, with talk about Missile Defense shields in Eastern Europe and accusations of "American adventurism" in the Middle East today, it is hard not to think about Dr. Manhattan or the policies of Pres. Nixon which brought this fictional America within "Watchmen" so close to the brink of Armageddon. Although this graphic novel is far too... graphic for kids, certainly anyone who has grown up with comic books in their closet will love this one.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-05 01:17:26.
(Language: English)
This comic is the perfect antithesis to all the superhero rubbish out there. But like most comics of the said 'genre', the sexual politics are annoying.A few quotes: Stood in firelight, sweltering. Bloodstain on chest like map of violent new continent. Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later. Born from oblivion; bear children, hell-bound as ourselves, go into oblivion. There is nothing else. Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us. Streets stank of fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world. Was Rorschach. Does that answer your Questions, Doctor? -- In my opinion, it's [Life] is a highly overrated phenomenon. Mars gets on perfectly without so much as a microorganism. See: there's the south pole beneath us now... No life. No life at all, but giant steps, ninety feet high, scoured by dust and wind into a constantly changing topographical map, flowing and shifting around the pole in ripples ten thousand years wide. Tell me... would it be greatly improved by an oil pipeline? --- Look at it: a volcano as large as Missouri, it's summit fifteen miles high, piercing even the atmospheric blanket. Breathtaking... We've been through this before, Laurie. You argue that human life was more significant than this excellent desolation and I was not convinced. You attempted to compare the mere uncertainty in your existence with the chaos of the world beneath us... but where are the pinnacles to rival this Olympus? Where are the depths to match those of Valles Marineris. It stretches more than three thousand miles, so that one end knows day while the other endures night. Temperature differences breed shrieking winds that herd oceans of fog along a canyon four miles deep. Does the human heart know chasms so abysmal? -- Thermo-dynamic miracles... events with odds against so astronomical they're effectively impossible, like oxygen spontaneously becoming gold. I long to observe such a thing. And yet, in each human coupling, a thousand million sperm vie for a single egg. Multiply those odds by countless generations, against the odds of your ancestors being alive; meeting; siring this precise son; that exact daughter... Until your mother loves a man she has every reason to hate, and of that union, of the thousand million children competing for fertilization, it was you, only you, that emerged. To distill so specific a form from that chaos of improbability, like turning air to gold... that is the crowning unlikelihood. The thermo-dynamic miracle. But the world is so full of people, so crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace and we forget... We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take the breath away. Come... dry your eyes, for you are life, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg; the clay in which the forces that shape all things leave their fingerprints most clearly. Dry your eyes... and let's go home.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-07 02:09:36.
(Language: English)
This is the Holy Grail of Graphic Novels - endlessly revered, fequenty copied and almost impossibly influential. Once while discussing this with a colleague, I ventured the opinion that Watchmen isn't Moore's best and that V for Vendetta and League are both better - his response was to shout at me in disbelief...:-O Re-reading it now, I feel exactly the same - 11 chapters of intricate, muti-layered, flawlessly-designed genius and a spectacularly bad final chapter that, for me, just doesn't do it. Don't let that put you off though - the first 11 chapters are extraordinarily good. Rereading the Absolute edition for he first time in years, before I see the film. Once discussing Alan Moore's work with a work colleague, I said "Watchmen's good but it's not his best"; aforementioned colleague started shouting at me in disbelief. Well, on rereading it a few years later, I have to say I was right - 11 chapters of pure, unadulterated genius followed by an embarrassingly bad ending. But boy are the 11 chapters good....
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-23 07:46:28.
(Language: English)
For you without any notion of what Watchmen is, the best thing i can say is that it is a grand example of Character control in a story. As i consider myself more fond of character design and the psychology of one another in a story and their views clashing, this for me when first i read it gave be a much more preferred view of the super hero genre and at the time made me realise the reason for why so many writers can understandably learn to hate the super hero idea. the amount of stuff out there in Graphic novel form that is not empowered by radiation or godlike omnipotence is vast but still the force of a super guy or gal in some form overshadows the market even if its not referring to them in general but Watchmen was a first at least for me, when a writer tackled not the hero but his or her effects on a world and its nations and due to those effects tackled also the perspectives of the so called heros on subjects much more commonly debated then the usual heroic ode of its wrong to steel and kill. The character design in this book and the way they are each choreographed to one another is what aids its unique believability that and the use of a much more average "what if" threat, that in most super comics isn't a focus. its agreeable to say i cant call Watchmen realistic but i can say its what i reckon to be the damn nearest good fiction can get too the question of What if costumed heros existed.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-25 01:53:37.
(Language: English)
I think you have to read Watchmen more than once to enjoy it (this is my 2nd). Alan Moore writes an amazing epic with a strong emphasise on very human 'superheroes' and how they cope in the increasingly darkening world around them. The character development is great, and while the mood is overall very sombre, there is still some good humour involved. The writing quality drew me in, it sure wasn't the drawing style: which is very well done but not to my liking. The colourisation is absolutely horrible (it should have been full colour (expensive back then) or just black and white with tones of grey) although the New Deluxe Edition does amend this somewhat with flat colours. I'm not even generally interested in superheroes but humanising them really helped me to enjoy it. I love the tv series 'Heroes' which I can tell borrowed heavily from this graphic novel.This is a very mature read. It has adult situations, some strong language, disturbing themes, drug use, some sexual themes, graphic violence and high concept thinking. Suitable for older teens and up. Highly recommended! Quality of writing 10/10, overall: 9.5/10
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-17 03:38:48.
(Language: English)
Wow. This is the first graphic novel that I have read, but considering the fact that it was listed on Time Magazine's 100 best American novels and the impending release of the movie, I decided to give it a shot. There are hardly any BIG philisophical issues that this story doesn't wrestle with. Set in an alternate future (1985) in which we won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still President, and the country has experienced waves of vigilante caped crusaders, some of these"superheroes" come out of retirement to solve the murder of one of their own. Many still consider superhero lore as "geeky", though anyone who saw "The Dark Knight" must admit that good interpretations can be quite profound. Each hero is deeply flawed and the decisions that they make are questionable. While the ending was a little too James Bond---unmasking of the villain who reveals his master plan--the conclusion that the heroes come to packs a wallop. Get over your prejudice towards animation and read this.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-02 05:37:45.
(Language: English)
The first time I read Watchmen, I found it to be impenetrable. It was so big and there was so much to think about, that I ended up being overwhelmed and hurrying through to the end. A big part of this, I'm sure, is that I'm not used to comics being so dense, and was caught off guard by how long it was taking me to get through it. The second time I really settled myself in for a long, in-depth ride. I was working hard to decode all the metaphors, and what they were saying about the book's themes. After really pouring over the first half of the book like this, I couldn't do it anymore and just read through the rest of it, breezily enjoying the plot. Next time, I expect, I'll make it even further.The novelistic amount and complexity of themes in Watchmen has never been approached by another comic that I've ever read, and I've read a lot of comics. (MAYBE Fun Home...) Watchmen is an intricate work that takes several reads to understand. And best of all, the statements it makes are made in a way that is very tied to the nature of the comic book art form- rediculous MTV music video of a film that's on the horizon included.All that and not a thing about the content! That's how you know it's a trailblazer.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-28 06:29:15.
(Language: English)
Grapic novels are never going to be the form i choose when i look for a book to read. i am text based and like to make up my own pictures in my head. I would like to say that this one changed my mind but it didnt. I enjoyed the dialogue and fantastic art. And the tag line really got me...who watches the ones who watch out for all of humankind? or more simply "Who watches the Watchmen". Indeed. who does??? its a very complex novel that seems to parody an extremely tense time in our history. This novel covers so many themes and issues its hard to take it all in with just one read - there are many stories here. However, I found it hard to empathise with any of the characters despite their obvious depth. This is no real fault of the novel, its just me. like i said, graphic novels are not really my thing. i am glad i have read it but it wasnt the life changing literary experience that i was all geared up for. having said that it will haunt me for a while i think and has left me wondering......who does watch the watchmen?
|
|
Steven A. posted a review at 2009-05-25 11:14:14.
(Language: English)
Genuine fans must hate us. A film gets made of something they love, have in fact loved for many years (since 1986 in the case of Watchmen), the book gets hyped because of the film, and people like me read it. I, the graphic novel tourist. 'This is my first graphic novel' begins the review. They shudder. 'So I didn't know what to expect'... They recoil. 'I guess it was cool...'. They're banging their head against the wall. 'I liked the drawings'. They're struggling to keep their lunch down. So I'll be brief. This was my first graphic novel in years. I can't remember reading one since I was yay high and spent much of my days crawling around through Lego. To be honest I was worried it would feature too many POWs and BAMs, and perhaps too little substance. On this I was proved completely wrong. In fact I quickly forgot I was reading a graphic novel, it just felt like a regular novel for which my mind didn't have to think up the images. I ended up loving it. Themes of apocalypse and doom mixed with romance, regret, despair and a large blue (possibly) radioactive all-powerful man. Yes please!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-03 08:59:19.
(Language: English)
This graphic novel lacks the action I am expecting the first time I heard watchmen. But it wasn’t really made to be that action-packed. As I finished the book, I realized that it is by far, the deepest and most, I would say, “educational” graphic novel yet. The novel took a step backward against the typical explosive, flying and saving-the-world comic hero antics and analyses the psyche of each character as the world forgets them and as age and death comes to take over their lives. It seems to be a critique on world issues relevant that time as well. More importantly, it makes us question the role of the costume heroes in the greater scheme of things. Though serious, it doesn’t lack the grandeur, mystery and thrill of a great comic novel. The writer, Moore is as deep and dark as Gaiman. “There are number of reasons, but I suppose basically it boiled down to my increasing uncertainty about the role of costumed hero in the seventies. What does fighting crimes means, exactly? Does it mean upholding the law when a woman shoplifts to feed her children, or does it mean struggling to uncover the ones who, quite legally have brought about her poverty?...... I guess, I’ve just reach a point when I started to wonder whether all understanding and fighting individual evils does much good as a whole. Those evils are just symptoms of an over-all sickness of a human spirit, and I don’t believe you can cure a disease by using its symptoms, ” Veidt.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-29 05:44:32.
(Language: English)
WOW!!! This, I believe, contains THE most satisfying ending that I've ever read! After several days of having finished the book, I STILL can't get that ending outta my head! It's phenomenal!!! The book as a whole is great too, but why the missing half a star, you might ask. Well, for starters, at least for me, the story didn't really "pick up" until about the end of the fourth chapter - oh, but when it gets good, it gets REALLY GOOOOD!!! Even then, though, I really wouldn't classify this as a "page-turner" (I don't think I've ever encountered one of those before. I'm not much of a reader, though, so...yeah.) thus I couldn't go and give this thing a perfect score. However, with each day that went by without my reading it, I would start to feel very anxious to continue the story, so as to discover the "culprit" and unravel their plot. That said, though, once you start getting a bit deeper into the novel, and start to get to know its characters - and if you've been keeping up with the upcoming film's trailers, you realize that said trailers actually GIVE the culprit away! That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. I mean, admittedly, it was a bit of an ego boost to discover that the person I'd suspected since the middle of the story was indeed the real perp! (This, of course, applies only to those who HADN'T already read the comics prior to the film being announced.) And knowing who's to "blame" for things does NOT, AT ALL, detract from the power of this ultra-spectacular ending; as really, the identity of the perpetrator is a rather inconsequential matter in that regard. The art is great for its time and the story is so intricate, so detailed, so well-thought out and executed that you're blown away by the amazing depths it often goes to! I imagine I'd rate this a 5 if I were one of this series' original readers, since it's purportedly a ground-breaking work of its genre. And, indeed, I found in WATCHMEN a story unlike I ever expected; not from a novel, and CERTAINLY not from any comic books! But I think the only thing that REALLY kept me going on this one was the anticipation for the movie and my desire to know the story BEFORE I watch the film! The mystery element was a good motivator as well, but, again, my desire to continue reading was mostly spawned by sitting back at my computer, visiting the WATCHMEN movie website, seeing the trailers and then wanting to know the full story of those characters. I've also long had the desire to "read the book" before "watching the movie" so as to finally be able to judge whether one is better than the other (because, usually, I dunno, if you watch the film first then the book seems kind of too long and drawn out; slow and boring)
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-31 11:03:35.
(Language: English)
An excellent display of character writing, and something many people have been hoping to see for a very long time: a (mostly) realistic super-hero story. Dialogue that is dirty, gritty, and admittedly over-dramatic at times, spews from nearly every character and their interactions with each-other. There's something very human about each and every character in Watchmen, and that something is distinct bias and fallibility. Watchmen is a harsh social commentary, hidden in a character study, disguised as a Cold War murder mystery, in the setting of a pulp, noir detective story. Watchmen holds it's tongue firmly in cheek for much of the story, able to make the reader laugh out loud, but ultimately has enough scenes of grisly, stylized violence to snap the reader back to the grave reality of the Watchmen world. Personally, I feel that as a collection of comics (apparently, it's not actually a "graphic novel"), Watchmen shines with the best out there, though it occasionally loses it's intensity in sub-plot stories. One of the specifics of the ending is also something that most readers would find hard to swallow without extreme suspension of disbelief. It just doesn't fit with the believable world painted previously, and actually works against the comic's apparent intentions, coming off as very typical comic-book fare. Thankfully, as a whole, Watchmen is more about the journey than the destination. Understanding how the plot effects each character and the world itself is often more important than the details. Alan Moore, the writer of Watchmen, often made clear that this story is something that was intended to reinvigorate comics and to present a story that could only be told effectively in that medium. In it's comic paneling, Watchmen manages to capture each frame perfectly in time, where a moment sooner or afterward simply wouldn't express the same emotion, and it's use of color and pacing is top tier for what it is. The story of Watchmen was translated to film recently, and while it was a very good film, visually and spiritually very accurate to the original, it cannot compete with the freedom that the comic had to work with, and certain sacrifices had to be made in the translation. The bottom line: An excellent story that will inevitably have you siding with one or more of the overwhelmingly likable characters, despite each of them possessing a unique flaw in their understanding. Mysterious, genuine, and unashamed in it's storytelling, Watchmen manages to provide a glimpse into a world of average people who want so badly to make a difference, but cannot help but to fall victim to their own short-sightedness. 4/5 stars.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-08 04:29:15.
(Language: English)
Page after page after page after page after page after page of characters standing around gushing out all their thoughts and feelings in round robin fashion. This is a story that didn't need an illustrator - the art is poor and adds terribly little understanding to the events taking place. And that's the problem - very few events actually take place. The work is awfully thin on story - the difficult decisions, the decisive actions, and the unexpected reactions, are awfully few and far between. Some of the content and style was definately innovative for it's time, but such a weak spine to the story means it simply doesn't hold up, and I found myself skimming through pages of dialogue onto the next story beat. The work seems to be a pastiche - it relies on your fond memories of other super-hero comics (in this case subverting and twisting them with its daring use of rapists and psychopaths as superheros) in order to disguise the absence of real story. A few characters will stick in my mind (Rorsarch and Night-Owl) but that wasn't worth the investment of time and attention to plough through this work. This is appallingly bad writing, and wasn't worth reading.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-28 03:40:35.
(Language: English)
This is the first time I read a comic book, or a graphic novel as these things like to be called. Even though I like my superheros on the big screen every once in a while I never head the urge to read about them. The single reason for me to do so now was that I saw a tagline to this somewhere, something like: "The superhero story to end all superhero stories". Makes one curious, doesn't it? What I found most remarkable about the book was the way the story is told. The reader continously jumps in time and places, switches between plots, subplots and parallel stories. Oftentimes different parts of the story are told at the same time, or we see the same event reoccuring repeatedly from different angles. The plot is dark, noir style, and the graphics don't hold anything back; which might become a little awkward if you're reading this in crowded places like I did on my way to work. The story unfolds puzzle piece by puzzle piece and has a number of twists and turns in store to keep you absorbed (and regularly almost miss your stop). Coupled with the backdrop of the 1980s cold war angst, this piece of work is absolutely stunning and worthwhile. Perfect then? Not quite. After all, this is a superhero comic with all its classic ingrediences, together with a James Bond like super villain, a secret master plan involving some serious destruction and ... ugh, I better not tell. In the light of all the depths the book tries to explore the showdown feels shallow and half-baked. If you like you can read the book as intersting study on good and evil, on the relativity of moral and values, on the dilemma of men trying to deal with their calling, as a what if scenario of the society in which masked crimefighters are a realty. Or you could just take it as a dark adventure and whodunit. The good thing is, it works as both. And I think that is why I still admire it.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-10 10:11:01.
(Language: English)
The Watchmen is one of two groundbreaking stories that single-handedly changed the way comic book industry operated, the other being Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Comic books went from being solid, goofy fun by and large to taking on a darker tone and dealing with more complex issues. The story of the Watchmen is basically a murder mystery that evolves into a scheme that will forever change the world's socio-political climate. Added on top of that are the masked vigilantes and one man with legitimate super powers. Set in an alternate 1985 where cars are powered by electricity and Richard Nixon is now serving his third term as president, it makes for an intriguing novel and also becomes the playground for experimentation with the comic book format (panel layouts, art, etc). What makes this interesting to me is the deconstruction of the superhero. They are not shining examples of moral virtue. At best, they are uncertain and cowardly; at worst, sadistic sociopaths. This sets up brilliantly the betrayal of Ozymandias at the end--those in power can and will betray us and let us down, according to the narrative. Also, there is the problem of Dr. Manhattan, the one character with legitimate super powers. He could easily be representative of god, another authority figure, who in this instance is either ambivalent or unable to help people. With the release of the movie, there are probably going to be many who don't like how it ends, how the characters act, or the story. I think, however, that that is the point--you aren't supposed to like how it ends. You are supposed to feel betrayed and used at the end. The heroes betrayed us. You aren't supposed to like how these heroes act, from Rorschach's brutality to Niteowl's cowardice. You are supposed to hate that Dr. Manhattan, the one man who could stop this, didn't simply because he didn't. It is supposed to piss you off and make you very, very uncomfortable. It exposes the heroes and leaders for the lie that they are. While the story makes several compelling points, I think it misses a big one. As I read this, I kept thinking "surely not all are this way?" The one hero in the story that keeps to his morals throughout is Rorschach, who is a brutal sociopath. It does devalue the true hero, within the story. It underestimates the nobility that does exist within people, should they choose to exercise it. I've often wondered what the heroes of DC and Marvel would do if they were in the story. Would Batman and Captain America still fight as they do? Would Thor and Superman still give their lives in defense of innocents as they had? I'd like to think yes, because it happens in real life as well. Moore did a great job of adding the grittiness into comics, but in doing so, he forgot its goodness too.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-04 03:34:17.
(Language: English)
Never even heard of Watchmen until I spotted the first trailers to the upcoming movie. This enticed me to buy the graphic novel upon which the feature is based which was - well, let's say, interesting. Various storylines seem to start out separately but become interwoven more and more as the story progresses, together with the history of the original Minutemen and current Watchmen - incorporating both male and female members. Then and now they seem to have wanted to be crimefighters - some are even members of the army and/or police force but thus restricted to orders from above - appear to enjoy dress-up and go out making their surroundings a better and safer place. However, because they act as vigilante as such - and, of course, there's always one or another that take advantage and make up their own laws and rules - they are soon hunted down and forced into retirement. Right up to when one of their own is being killed amidst crime and violence getting way out of hand ... An interesting and rather confusing concept with some nice interludes and explanations as well as a strong message. Not everything is tied up nicely in a bow and good wins over evil exactly - but I let you make up your own minds on that issue. Me - I am now very much looking forward to seeing the movie and finding out just how accurately they stuck to the original novel and how they adapted the story/ies ...
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-22 09:39:43.
(Language: English)
Well this was officially the first graphic novel I have ever read, and suffice to say, it's one of the most compelling and addictive pieces of literature I've come across. Of course, it was the film adaptation of this great book that led me to run out and buy the book...and well I am very thankful to makers of the film for opening this up for a whole new generation of readers (and not conventional comic book fans either!)...this really is timeless, and flawlessly written stuff, and drawn with such immense detail by artist Dave Gibbons! It is structured in a way that really makes one understand what Alan Moore meant when said 'it was fundamentally unfilmmable'...albeit Zack Snyder had a fair go indeed (with the first 4-5 chapters really being brought to life on-screen)...and frankly, I felt the alternative film ending was better than the whole cryptic-squid plotline. Regardless, I'm a fanboy now...and will be seeking out that ABSOLUTE edition of this gem of a book!! After being thoroughly intrigued by the film, I had to grab the book...having read the first 2 chapters...it's uncanny how the movie made it all come alive..truly. Hats off to Zach Snyder...although, it does confirm that the Ozymandias character is not done justice in the movie at all, esp. since he's portrayed by a crap actor...
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-04 12:34:28.
(Language: English)
Yes, this is a comic book, and a lot of people have a certain stigma about comic books. People think that they are silly, or child-ish or they simply just don't get it. The thing about Watchmen is that it was written for adults. A 13-year-old who regularly reads Spiderman would not be able to grasp the concepts in the graphic novel. And it is a NOVEL. Most graphic novels I can read in a day or two. This one took me just over two weeks or daily reading to finish. I wanted to take my time and fully understand everything that Moore was trying to say. One of the most prolific questions he asks, to me, is what happens to superheroes 20-30 years down the line? What do you do when you've been trying to fight the good fight and make the world a better place for 20+ years, but nothing seems to change or get better? What state, as a human being, are you left in? You can be a wash-out who is just trying to live day to day, like Night Owl. You can lose your mind and become violent like Rorschach. You can do shady, under-handed things for the government because truth be told, you just don't care and think that "humanity" is one big joke, like the Comedian. The characters that particularly stood out for me are Rorschach and the Comedian. Maybe it was because even at the end, they were still the same, they held tight to their convictions, although we may not necessarily agree with them. As a woman, I am obviously opposed to rape of any kind, and even though the Comedian attempts to rape Silk Spectre 1, I don't hate him for it. Normally, I would be repulsed, but something about him makes me not hate him, even though the reality is, he is a terrible, awful person. But with Moore's character development, you DON'T hate him. He's one of my favorites. Rorschach mainly narrates the story, telling it through journal entries, and he sees the city as an evil, diseased thing. The disgusting America of the 80's. He is not trying to make the world a better place, he's been long done with that. He's going to get rid of the people that he deems scum. This graphic novel changed my life, and even as a life long comic book reader, it changed the way I viewed comics. This story is not just some silly suerhero romp. It takes place in a world that COULD be, the horrors that people do to one another, and the possible redemption of us all.
|
|
Fermin posted a review at 2009-04-21 12:22:11.
(Language: English)
The Watchmen is a serious graphic novel and it did describe American jingoism rather accurately in the 80’s while the so-called Evil Empire was fought with. Alan Moore isn’t afraid of swinging for the fences. I won’t give away any plot points here, but the resolution of the novel was, to my mind, Moore wrestling with his own demons of rational distance and indifference. He’s a smart enough guy to know he’s created one freaking dark world and has his characters struggle in the end to touch something authentically human, like mercy. Moore’s violence is always a bit prescient (see: V for Vendetta) and while I’m sure the bearded curmudgeon would deny it I’m sure one of the reasons he didn’t want to see his novel turned into a movie was that the parallels are a bit too easy to draw, even when it’s after the fact. Maybe Ezekiel would have had the same problems if someone tried to adapt his prophecies for the big screen.)
|
|
Viero posted a review at 2009-05-07 11:38:18.
(Language: English)
Oh, jeez. Where do I begin? Understandably, I can begin pretty much anywhere--what are the chances that anyone will even see this review, what with the 846 reviews (as of 12:44P.M., 5/7/09) that are already posted? Nevertheless, I must make an effort. There is a reason that this graphic novel is so dang popular, and a reason it has garnered 4.5/5 stars from over 800 reviews. Not only does this book debunk what comics have become to be regarded as (action-packed, supernatural bang-'em-up books), but it also gets a seat next to the greatest and most influential novels of the 20th century. And it case you haven't heard, it made Time Magazine's 100 Greatest Novels list. Now that's sayin' somethin'. Right from the get-go, Moore pulls us into his fictional parallel of the mid-'80s where superheroes/-ines have been banned from public crime-fighting activity, save for a select few but on the terms that they serve the U.S. government (how convenient). The story begins with the murder of one of the superheroes--don't worry, this isn't a spoiler; the first page literally starts off with the homicidal investigation--and carries on to Rorschach's (another "superhero") curiosity about the murder. From there, the story grows into a much bigger, darker, and more shocking plot than initially expected. The "superheroes" in this story are nothing more than average citizens who felt the need to eliminate the crime that the law enforcements weren't bothering with. The only true "superhero" here is Dr. Manhattan, and even he can care less for the world. The psychological balances and imbalances in this book are probably what draw most people into the story, as they deal with people struggling with common, internal battles on normal, everyday Earth. (Rorschach's, to me, was especially the most interesting.) From Moore's brilliant story-work--including his inserts from essays written by the fictionalized superheroes, and the comic tale of the Black Freighter (ghastly, by the way)--to Gibbons' powerful illustrations, Watchmen is a real treat for comic enthusiasts and literary nerds (such as myself) alike. I'm not sure how far Moore directed Gibbons in each of the panels, but even in the panels where there are no words, Gibbons' mastery of illustration does away with the necessity of words at all. His animation is enough to tell the story. But what about Higgins? People talk about Moore and Gibbons, but what about the colorist Higgins? His brights and darks and everything in between are what really help Gibbons and Moore bring the story to life. Without this trio, Watchmen wouldn't be nearly as powerful as it is. And so, I leave you with my opinion of Watchmen. Who knows how many people, if any at all, will actually read this, but I felt it necessary anyway to write a review about this fantastic novel. Watchmen is must-read for any kind of reader (except maybe the young, as it contains some pretty graphic material (no pun intended)). This story is a true delight, whether for its aesthetic appeal or its powerful literature.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-08 07:01:52.
(Language: English)
An amazing, overarching, and deeply moral and ethical work. It paints complex psychological profiles and intense social commentary in colors so darkly beautiful and so strikingly visceral that it can't help but touch an open, engaging heart. There were literally times in this story when I had to pause and say "WOAH", to sit there and digest because any more awesomeness would've been too much to handle. Even now, just after reading the last page, I'm not sure I can truly appreciate the totality and intricacy of the story-telling, the conflicts faced and questions raised upon the human condition. This is not a brainless, action-based comic book. It is a true misfortune that this amazing genre has come to be characterized in such a boorish and ignorant light. The "apex of artistry", as some reviewers have said, is entirely correct. The medium is perfect: in the last chapter alone there are panels that it is impossible to glance over just once, pictures that do much more than a page of description... This is truly a transcendental work. Someone seeking mindless action or 1-dimensionality will not find it here. Even if you cannot agree with its message or worldview, the striking power of its delivery cannot be denied. Absolutely Amazing.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-09 02:19:21.
(Language: English)
Twenty years ago, Watchmen was undoubtedly the peak of the comic art form, a defining and influential work that gave credibility to the format of the graphic novel with its multiple overlapping narratives, its post-modern deconstructive outlook on the nature of comic superheroes, given psychological depth through realistic characterisation and documentary interludes, using them as a metaphor for covert US activity in the wider political world - a force with no accountability ("Who watches the Watchmen?") that can either deter or precipitate an international crisis. Twenty years later as it is about to finally make its way onto the screen after numerous abortive attempts, Watchmen is however starting to show its age. The wordplay, juxtaposition of imagery, visual links and overlapping narratives that once seem sophisticated in the world of comics now seems very arch and even cheesy, but it's the dark tone of dread of an imminent nuclear Armageddon that dates the novel the most. Watchmen's place in the history of comic art is assured, Moore almost single-handedly shifting the whole concept of graphic novels onto a more sophisticated adult level, but in comparison to modern indie, autobiographical, and European works, Watchmen's heavyweight treatment of the superhero theme now seems more than a little pompous.
|
Share your views!
Similar books
