Watchmen

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.

I bought this graphic novel back in 2016 when I started enjoying comic books but, for some reason, I didn’t pick it up until recently. I have to say, I was mistaken to let it sit there for so many years. I will begin with a few recommendations and follow that up with my thoughts.First of all, I recommend everyone who reads this to do so before they watch the movie or the new HBO show. I haven’t watched either but from past experiences, they tend to do no justice to the original content.Second, I recommend everyone to read about the history and what was happening in the 1950-1980s. This book contains a lot of historical information, and if you read it without any knowledge of what was going on in this period, you might not enjoy it as much.Third, take your time watching the Illustration. This was a different comic book era. Nowadays, they focus more on the picture than actual storytelling. I have read comics where a whole issue has less than 20 sentences. Watchmen was created in a more storytelling era and it is a heavy read sometimes. As an example, my girlfriend has been reading it at about the same pace as I was (I finished it last night), and sometimes when I ask for her reaction or her opinion of why the illustrator (Dave Gibbons) added [insert something I noticed here], she would say: “Oh, I didn’t notice that”. So read, but pay attention to the illustrations. this book has its fair share of foreshadowing and you are like me, you will feel ecstatic when you find them and later find out you were right.Now, as for my thoughts, this novel is definitely up there in my favorites. Needless to say, it is beautifully written and illustrated. Without giving spoilers, something I really enjoyed is the story within the story (you will know what I’m talking about). At first I had no idea why they had created this story, but as I kept reading, and paying more attention to the illustrations, the more I understood it. By the end, I not just understood it, but really appreciated it. It was beautiful by itself.The psychological aspect of this novel is another plus. At first, one is led to believe that just one character is “crazy,” but if you look close enough, there may be more than just the one who are battling their own anxieties, demons, or whatever name you want to call them. This adds to the realness of this novel. No one is perfect, even if you are led to believe so, just like in real life.Dedication. Alan Moore dedicated a lot of time to each character. This makes you feel like you know them. You know their strengths, their weaknesses, their personality, everything. While I don’t consider this the best comic I’ve read, Alan definitely displayed his characters the best I have seen anyone do it. You feel like you really know them. Even the newspaper guy. That’s how great of a job Alan Moore does.I feel like I can go on and on about this novel, but I’m going close with this: if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? Don’t be like me. It might not change your life, but you will definitely enjoy it.