Author: Alan Moore
Illustrator: Dave Gibbons
Publish Date: compilation 4/1/95
Meeting Host: Jen
Meeting Date: 5/2/09
Amazon.com Summary:
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
Illustrator: Dave Gibbons
Publish Date: compilation 4/1/95
Meeting Host: Jen
Meeting Date: 5/2/09
Amazon.com Summary:
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
This was a great meeting that took place 5/2/2009 at Jen's house. She made themed cookies featuring yellow icing smiley faces with red icing "blood" dripping over the right eye. Louise wore her Watchmen smiley face pin and, as she pointed out, the red drip could be blood from the murder of the Comedian or it could be ketchup from the reporter's drippy hamburger.
ReplyDeleteThis book was my first opportunity to read a graphic novel. It takes a while to read such a book and wrap your head around the words and the graphics. I liked the book and believe seeing the movie with some of the WMBLS members in advance of reading it really helped me follow what was happening. I usually figure out the ending of a book/movie well before the conclusion, but that was definitely not the case with The Watchmen.
Thanks, Jen, for recommending the book and for hosting a well-planned, thought-provoking meeting that was thick with interesting discussion.
-Sharon
This too was my first experience reading a graphic novel, but as an avid fan of comic books growing up (I still read the "funny papers" daily), WATCHMEN proved to be a great read. I was fascinated with the amazing graphics and thought the many layers of the plot pure genius. Although Alan Moore detested the movie, I enjoyed it immensely and was surprised at how well it maintained the integrity of the story, especially since the film was not an animated version. If anyone is interested in delving into the graphic novel, I believe WATCHMEN would be a good starting place.
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