Watchmen

Title: Watchmen
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Published: 1986 and 1987 in 12 issues by DC Comics
Genre: Superheroes!
Pages: 12 x ~30 pages


This is superhero comics at their best.

If you haven't heard of Watchmen lately, you've probably been living under a rock. Called a "landmark", "peerless", "remarkable", "brilliant", "groundbreaking", "masterwork" and "greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced" (and that's just the back cover of the compilation), this bible to the comic -or maybe graphic novel is a better term here- loving people is coming out as a blockbusting movie next week.

Watchmen has been praised by better writers over the years, so I'll just borrow a few words from the back cover again: "This is the book that changed an industry and challenged a medium. If you've never read a graphic novel, start with WATCHMEN. And even if you have, it's time to read it again."

I decided to read Watchmen before the opening night. Having already read it in my early twenties, I could remember most of the major twists. Knowing how it's going to end didn't make reading any easier. Despite running around in somewhat silly costumes, the reader can still relate to (most of) the cast. They're just people who are living their lives and trying to make the best of them. I can only marvel at Moore's writing, his characters and the inevitable conclusion, hinted at but not made clear until the heroes themselves figure it out.

Already a phenomenon, the movie will no doubt get more people to read the comic itself. It's a horrifying but strangely optimistic fantasy story which could well be real, and so deep that the reader better bring a life vest. Layered like a cake -or maybe onion- it's one of those books you can read again and again. Alan Moore tells the best bedtime stories.

"Somebody has to do it, don't you see? Somebody has to save the world..."