Even casual observers such as myself know Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen is generally reputed to be THE graphic novel, or at the very least on the short list of the best and most influential in the whole medium, as well as one of the works that brought respectability to the form. I'm too young to personally remember the effect Watchmen had on the comic genre, but my brother was in middle school at the time of its release, and when he saw me reading the book recently he said the reaction to it back then was, "Like, holy cow." And it's not hard to see why. Moore's V for Vendetta was certainly a great book, but this one is so far ahead of its predecessor in terms of complexity, detail, and psychological depth it makes V look like, well, a comic book. Like V, Watchmen has heavy doses of sociopolitical ponderings mixed in with its more traditional action and interpersonal drama, but in Watchmen Moore creates a whole universe of frequently morally ambiguous characters, telling his story on an infinitely grander and more nuanced scale than before. This is a true novel, incorporating multiple plot strands and backstories, with as much emphasis on ideas as on the fast-paced narrative and lavishly colored and detailed artwork.
Ironically, Moore creates a world where comic-book-styled crimefighters are (or were) very real, and very human, and uses it to explore issues that go well beyond the purview of anything that could've been dreamed up in the early days of superhero myths. The world of Watchmen is an ugly one, filled with violence, social decay, and general depravity, where decent people strive to make a difference only to question whether anyone can, and where characters who face the darkness and insanity that surround them are defined by their reactions to it. The book's overarching plot expertly exploits the fear and paranoia of the Cold War era, along with any society's ever-present tensions between order and liberty, as an apparent scheme to knock off former costumed crimefighters (The Watchmen of the book's title) intersects with escalating hostilities between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the threat of nuclear holocaust hangs eternally overhead. And at the risk of overdoing the V for Vendetta comparisons, much like that book this one doesn't ask the reader to take sides: there are plenty of competing philosophies and worldviews on display in Watchmen, and while none of them are exactly idealized, all are at least explained.
Really, though, it's the embellishments that make Watchmen near-mandatory reading. I've read some novels that were pretty out-there in my time(Infinite Jest and House of Leaves, to name a couple of the more prominent), and while this one isn't quite as dense and narratively complicated as those two, it's up there. Interspersed between each chapter is an addendum of some sort, usually an excerpt of text, that sheds light on the characters and the world they inhabit. Even beyond that, the book is filled with little asides and interruptions that give it an almost stream-of-consciousness feel. Watchmen doesn't just show a guy sitting at a newsstand reading a chilling comic called The Black Freighter; it overlays passges from the book into the main narrative and throws in a biography of its creator for good measure. We don't just see a militantly right-wing newspaper editor thundering his philosophy at a hapless underling; we get to read one of his editorials for ourselves. Watchmen isn't just action or intrigue for its own sake; everything has its context.
Much as I hate to say it, the above review has been woefully inadequte, but there's just so much in here that's worth thinking and writing about that it's pretty much impossible to encapsulate it in a few paragraphs. Similarly, it's hard to digest everything in this book without some careful reading, but in the end it's more than worth it. Actually, if I had to come up with a complaint about Watchmen, it's that the ending is a bit of a letdown, but after the sustained brilliance that preceded it, that was practically inevitable. A great book all around.
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Who Watches The Reviews?
I had watched the Watchmen movie when it came out and thought it was good but moved on remembering not much other than how cool Rorschach is. When the HBO series came out I gave it a watch and it quickly became my new favorite show. I've binged all the episodes and wanted to get more into the Watchmen lore. It's curious that I'm so interested as I've never really been a fan of the Superhero movies and shows. I think it's the grit I'm attracted to.The book came without issue and is in mint condition. No issues with creases or misprints so far (I'm about half way through). I wanted to spring for the hard cover but couldn't bring myself to shell out the extra cash. In the end I'm not disappointed with the soft cover.And if anybody is wondering, this book does follow the narrative of the movie with some bonus scenes/lines.Would recommend.
Top reviews from other countries
RE BAYRAM
if you only read one graphic novel…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2024
Davide
una delle cose migliori che abbia mai letto
Reviewed in Italy on June 24, 2023
