Monday, November 13, 2006

Who Watches The Watchers

 

Watchmen
Alan Moore

Watchmen is a comic epic.  Alan Moore creates a world straight from the crime pulps of the 30's and 40's and makes the hero's that police it outlaws.  If you want bright shiny colors and heroes that save the day with a smile and a handshake, you may want to look elsewhere.   Watchmen is dark, the heroes do not have superhuman powers (except for one), and they are not afraid to kill the bad guys, be they henchmen, thugs, or masterminds. 

The story takes place in New York City in the year of our Lord, 1985.  In the late 30's vigilante justice sprung up, inspired by comic books, to take back the streets.  As the first wave was calling it quits, a second generation came forth inspired by the first.  By 1977 public outcry forced the government to take action and make vigilante justice illegal.  New York is a cesspool of crime and corruption.  Poeple stand by and watch as neighbors are raped and killed in front of them.  Drug use, child pornography, and gangs run rampant.  The police are impotent, it is time for the heroes to make another stand. 

This story is a dystopia.  Whatever could go wrong, has and is continuing to do so.  There is no Superman, no perfect boy scout to light the way.  The heroes are flawed and some are even mentally unstable.  They are not noble and they are not kind.  This story is Dark.  Not recommended for anyone under 14.  They wouldn't really get it and it is too graphic and dark anyways.

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8 comments:

gamany said...

sounds interesting. i worked for my dad at his comic book store and i remember stocking this title but i don't think i ever read it. i read somewhere (or heard) that they're bringing the watchmen to the big screen. i don't know how much more i can add to my reading list but if there's going to be a movie adaptation, i have to read this.

Budd said...

How cool is that. You grew up in a comic store. That would have been heaven for me. Of course, I am a comics nerd. You can read comics trades as pretty light reading. Akira was 300 pages long and I read it in one sitting. Watchmen is a bit deaper, so it would take a bit longer. Rewarding though. I want growing up in a comic store stories. I bet they rock.

Jeepz said...

Yay for comic book geeks! Y'know, I own Watchmen, but have never read it?! How crazy is that? Got the trade used, and it just never made it to my reading list. Maybe this was the sign I needed to find it again and give it a good once over.

gamany said...

i wish i hadn't abandoned my comics nerdiness. after going off to college, i had little exposure in rochester and money was tight....comic store stories. mmm, i'd have to do some serious thinking. actually, i'd have to look for photos to help refresh my memories. if you can't tell, i'm an uber visual person. actually, i'm helping my dad put some of his comics up for sale so maybe the process will help with some stories.looking in the box right in front of me right now and i see the golden age, book one of four. d'oh! never read that one, but you're the comics nerd--bet you've read that one! ;-)

Budd said...

Jp: Truly a sign. I didn't know what to expect and was pretty blown away.
GaMaNy: Alas, I fell into the same "can't afford them" boat as you did. I am getting trades from the library right now. My wife thinks my "cartoon books" are a waste of time. I am not familiar with the golden age. You will have to review it after you read it.

Jeepz said...

I'm lucky, my wife totally supports my comic geekdom. I don't get too many single issues any more (though I still get a few), I'm mostly getting trades and graphic novels these days, and mostly from 'indie' publishers.

Lorelei said...

I can't believe I missed this post. This ranks up there as a favorite - superceded only by Maus. The Sandman comics are completely different and that's a different altar that I worship.

lollerkeet said...

I borrowed it from a housemate, and literally walked around with the thing for an entire weekend, reading a few pages every spare minute I got. I haven't been that hooked on a book since the first time I read Perfume.Showing supers the way they would seem to the world instead of themselves was refreshing; nothing really shocking to me, but then I grew up reading all the stuff that this influenced. The real complexity of the relationships is beautiful, to the point where the main plot runs secondary to the character's journeys.One of my favourite books.