When you talk Graphic Novels you have to start with Watchmen. This piece of work could be called the greatest piece of visual media of the genre. Strong words, of course, however this is a work unparalleled and a standard by which all other Graphic Novels are measured.
Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen is an in depth look at our world in a fictional Cold War era with real superheroes. The Comedian has been killed and Rorschach the last of the active superheroes suspects that this is no mere homicide. So begins a deeply written exploration into the psychological aspect of super heroism and the world that we and the characters live in. This is not some bad guy versus good guy kid’s story. Watchmen is an adult dark view of the real world with real consequences of average people dressing up to fight crime. The world changes when a real “super-man” actually comes onto the scene. The character of Dr. Manhattan is done so well its missed by most readers (hint: watch the clothing he wears as the book goes on). He is god-like. How would that affect a human being? Read it and find out!
Watchmen is a psychological study of people at its core and a study of the world at most. Alan Moore is pure genius. Watch the words. Watch the pictures. The story is not made up of one or the other it is both. Nothing is insignificant; every line of dialog, every scene from foreground to background is important to the story that we are being told.
There are stories within this story that help with the main plot. Read separately you will find that the Tales of the Black Freighter and Under the Hood are clues as to what the novel as a whole is trying to say. They are not distractions they are specific points of understanding that parallel the premise of Watchmen.
Here is some help for those of you brave enough to take this journey. Pay attention to the genius of Chapter IV, Watchmaker as a study of Dr. Manhattan. This chapter shows with amazing detail how Dr. Manhattan sees the world. Chapter V, Fearful Symmetry is one that the reader needs to look at as a whole. Open the book to page one and then flip to the last page. Notice the panel arrangement? Page two and the second to last page. Back and forth until you get to the center. Piqued your interest yet? Try Chapter IX, The Darkness of Mere Being turn to page 27, the top panel. Now go to the internet and look up “Mars Anomalies Face on Mars” (or something like that). What Alan Moore did for effect and artistry turned out to be an interesting coincidence. These are just a few of the myriad of instances of the mastery of this work.
The end I will not spoil for you. Suffice it to say that if it doesn’t make you think then you probably missed the point. Give yourself a moment to re-read it. The message is there.
The movie is a review for another time. I will review the movie and then write a comparison of the two. For now pick up a copy of Watchmen; take some time, grab a drink, send the kids to bed and immerse yourself with words and pictures in a true literary experience.
WRITTEN BY: Jerry Browning
TWITTER: @Endless102
