By: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 416 Publication Date: April 01, 1995 Release Date: April 01, 1995
Amazon.com: Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.
The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --Mark Thwaite
Product Description: Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --MarkThwaite
Classic This is one of the definitive works of this genre. While the artwork is not outstanding, the story is deep and compelling. Watchmen is one of my favorites.
If You've Never Read This... If You've Never Read This... Well, for the comic book lover then it's a must read. It's funny how often I run into someone who reads comics that hasn't read it. This is a staple, must read book...
Having said that, modern comic book readers will be reminded how much better comic book art and coloring looks now compared to when this was released. (Not that Dave Gibbons is not great because he is, but the look of comics has greatly improved) Also, this was groundbreaking when it was first published, now it's quite common to see SuperHeroes with so many flaws. Still, when you read something like Ultimates, it's important to know who first crafted such a tale.
Despite any disclaimer I may lay on a young, modern comic book reader who has no memory of newspaper print paper, limited color pallet or any idea what a thought baloon is... Watchmen is still the most amazingly crafted example of comic book art ever. This story never moved me much emotionally, but amazed me at how it was crafted, and made me as an adult believe in superheroes again.
The Best Out There The best graphic novel ever created.
Buy it.
Wolfe
There Was Something Magic Back Then... I can remeber it all so clearly, picking up "Watchmen" for the first time in the late 80's...shortly after devouring Frank Miller's "The Dark Night Returns".
The Watchmen treats us all like adults, and gives us the depth, detail, artistry, and excellence that defines the benchmark in the genre. This is high art and a literary masterpiece - if you are newbie, this is simply not to be missed.
I own the original series, the softcover collection, and the Absolute edition. My kids will read it when they are old enough.
Can't wait for March 2009 A truly fun and entertaining read. I didn't get too much into comics until 2 years ago, so I'm glad I waited to read this. I don't think I'd have appreciated it without a solid comics knowledge.
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