...The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up to their wastes and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!" and I'll look down and whisper "no." -Rorschach's Journal. October 12th, 1985.
And with this picture, I killed the mood.
The Watchmen, a graphic novel known by many fans to be considered the greatest comic to ever grace the Earth. Sort of excited at the fact that they're releasing a movie for it, I decided to borrow a graphic novel off a friend and immersed myself in the pages of the Watchmen. Surprisingly, it wasn't as great as many people have pointed out to me. Sure, the dialogue was brilliantly written and the artwork is next to superb on any scale, but there were things lacking that failed to land it in the 'Best Comic Evar!' category. Not to say I didn't enjoy it; the alternate universe where America wins Vietnam and Russia conquers Afghanistan is easy to play with your imagination, though the plot seemed quite erratic for what I was expecting.
Before I get my hands dirty and people throw their hate bricks at me, let's talk about the story: Starting off with the murder of a fit, agile man, beaten and thrown from his sky rise window, a superhero detective known as Rorschach (say: Raw Shark), one of the coolest investigators to grace the pages of fiction aside from Sam Spade or Batman, probes into the crime scene. The dead man however, turns out to be an ex-superhero himself, which leads into some 'masked killer' plot.
The story basically delves into the lives of washed up superheroes, that have left the crime fighting world after the nostalgia of caped-crusaders wore off and left as men playing dress up but without the dolls. The story runs like the same melancholy river that Neon Genesis did, leaving the audience depressed along with the characters.
The Comedian isn't that funny.
What I loved about the graphic novel is the way it divides itself between comic panels and actually written out stories. At the end of each chapter, it gives a short tale on most of the heroes' backgrounds, fleshing them out a bit more in a way simple drawings couldn't, and giving them bit more depth. Alan Moore does an outstanding job writing it and really brings the horrors of the world and the fear of complete destruction of the A-bomb, alive.
However, like I stated above, I have a few qualms with the Watchmen. Firstly, while making great narrative, most chapters are dedicated only to the history of singled out characters. It's good and all, but most of the time, it was handed to us before we even had a chance to form a relationship with the characters; like being told the ending to Fight Club before watching it. The other fact is, the back-stories of the characters make up too much of the book leaving few chapters to progress in the plotline which only really shows itself in the last two or three chapters. At first I wondered how they could actually pull the whole thing off into a movie, but all they have to do is cut the back-stories and add a few as flashbacks to fill the remaining time.
My last point is the fact that the main 'villain' was more predictable than learning that the man with the scar over his eye and the hooked hand was actually the James Bond villain all along! The ending to the book had set itself up as a formidable twist, though with the least amount of panel time, and no back story until the end, they may have just placed a neon sign above the guys head for the reader.
I'm sorry, but Alan Moore looks like a hobo.
These niggling facts don't actually amount to much in all reality, because the Watchmen actually doesn't feel like a superhero comic at all. It's more of a 'behind the scenes' look to the life. The action, adventure and sense of heroism are swapped for questioning ethics, morals and arguing on what life actually is. So if you came looking for an action packed thrill ride like I was expecting from the way people made it out to be, you won't find it here. Although, for a deep and meaningful comic that will stick with you for a long while yet.
Overall, it was a good read. I would defiantly recommend it to people. If you're not a large fan I would even suggest borrowing it. There are a few little nitpicks I found, but not enough to ruin it's reputation. Along with V For Vendetta, this would be another of Alan Moore's great but I wouldn't say the 'best'. At least there's no Irish speaking officers in this to try and wrap your head around their speach bubbles.
I agree with your criticisms, but I actually LOVE Watchmen (and am currently in a perpetual battle with an English teacher over whether it is superior to Hamlet).
That's really Alan Moore? Looks more like the offspring of Jigsaw and Santa Claus...
I haven't read The Watchmen, and frankly I don't think I will. I honestly only ever heard about it as soon as the first film trailer popped up, and it really doesn't appeal to me.
It's a good review, but a little ambivalent. I thought you offered more criticism than praise, but you still offered a recommendation which I found to be a bit odd.
edit -- Proof that the Escapist is loopy for The Watchmen: This review yields more posts and hits in twelve minutes than most threads get in an hour in a more traffic heavy forum.
Maet: That's really Alan Moore? Looks more like the offspring of Jigsaw and Santa Claus...
I want to disagree, but I really can't.
Maet: It's a good review, but a little ambivalent. I thought you offered more criticism than praise, but you still offered a recommendation which I found to be a bit odd.
Yeah, I wanted to say more, but the best points basically come from the whole 'ethics' and 'meanings' discussed. But you're right. The review seemed a bit erratic.
The Sorrow: I agree with your criticisms, but I actually LOVE Watchmen (and am currently in a perpetual battle with an English teacher over whether it is superior to Hamlet).
Beat her head in! I liked the Watchmen, alot, but I enjoyed V a bit better and a few others.
Have to agree - while I enjoyed 'Watchmen' greatly, I certainly don't rank it as the greatest ever - not even Alan Moore's best in my opinion. I always thought the ending felt a bit flat - as you say, the plot is secondary, which is fine until you get to the crunch.
I also never had any time for the pirate story, although most people seem to love it.
For me, the Best Comic Evah has to be 'The Sandman' - although my favourite is probably Transmetropolitan.
I'm still interested to see how the movie turns out though.
Maet: That's really Alan Moore? Looks more like the offspring of Jigsaw and Santa Claus...
I want to disagree, but I really can't.
that's actually a good pic of him too
i will go see the movie when it comes out, i ended up buying the graphic novel cause i wanted to read the story before i saw the movie.
tho the main problem with the movie is Alan Moore, yes he is a good writer and tells a good story, HOWEVER as i've said before he is offered input into helping the director in helping out with the movies made from his books, tells them to bugger off and then complains about what a piece of crap the movie is, granted some have been bad HOWEVER when you refuse to help you lose the right to complain about how bad it is and not be a total prat about it all
Ironically, your final perception of Watchmen, that it really isn't a superhero novel, is what really made me enjoy reading it. Watchmen remains the only comic book I've ever read, largely because outside of the theater I'm not all that interested in superheroes. I've always thought that they were a bit predictable and silly, and Watchmen does a good job of playing with those perceptions.
I had an interchangeable-mask-insert for my fedora, so I could be Roschach for All Hallow's Eve, but some guy offered me $950 for it. I made it out of old white book covers, so I didn't argure.
Dr Spaceman: Watchmen remains the only comic book I've ever read, largely because outside of the theater I'm not all that interested in superheroes.
I agree! I have yet to see a good, thought-provoking comic that wasn't superhero related. Except the works of... Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Jhonen Vasquez, Art Spiegelman and Steve Purcell
Dr Spaceman: Watchmen remains the only comic book I've ever read, largely because outside of the theater I'm not all that interested in superheroes.
I agree! I have yet to see a good, thought-provoking comic that wasn't superhero related. Except the works of... Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Jhonen Vasquez, Art Spiegelman and Steve Purcell
But who cares about those no-name hacks!
Not really my point, I do understand that there are comic books outside the realm of superheroes. I mentioned that Watchmen is the only comic book I've read, and I read it pretty recently. In fact, it's opened my eyes to the fact that comics can cover greater topics than Peter Parker and his angst. As a person who hasn't been all that immersed in comics culture, you must understand that I (along with most of the general public) was under the impression that comic books were solely the domain of superheroes.
Clearly I have been called out for being the idiotic, culture-less philistine I always thought I was. Well played, sir.
You do make some good points but Watchmen is probably my favourite comic book of all time. And there is no need to worry about the movie being a screw up because Zack Snyder (the guy who did 300) is the director so I think it's in good hands.
tho the main problem with the movie is Alan Moore, yes he is a good writer and tells a good story, HOWEVER as i've said before he is offered input into helping the director in helping out with the movies made from his books, tells them to bugger off and then complains about what a piece of crap the movie is, granted some have been bad HOWEVER when you refuse to help you lose the right to complain about how bad it is and not be a total prat about it all
This is a ridiculously one sided account of the situation. DC treated Moore horribly. Their contract stated that DC would have the ownership rights for the first printing run of Watchmen, after which the rights would revert to the creators. They have never officially "ended" that first print run. Not to this day. They did the same with V for Vendetta - they've still got the rights for that, since they're still in the "first print run", and when they made the movie (against his will) he got no money for that whatsoever. And he's not getting any for Watchmen. He wrote some of the most influential and well-known graphic novels in the world, and DC screwed him over severely. He's got every right to be pissed.
tho the main problem with the movie is Alan Moore, yes he is a good writer and tells a good story, HOWEVER as i've said before he is offered input into helping the director in helping out with the movies made from his books, tells them to bugger off and then complains about what a piece of crap the movie is, granted some have been bad HOWEVER when you refuse to help you lose the right to complain about how bad it is and not be a total prat about it all
This is a ridiculously one sided account of the situation. DC treated Moore horribly. Their contract stated that DC would have the ownership rights for the first printing run of Watchmen, after which the rights would revert to the creators. They have never officially "ended" that first print run. Not to this day. They did the same with V for Vendetta - they've still got the rights for that, since they're still in the "first print run", and when they made the movie (against his will) he got no money for that whatsoever. And he's not getting any for Watchmen. He wrote some of the most influential and well-known graphic novels in the world, and DC screwed him over severely. He's got every right to be pissed.
ummm no, how does them doing that affect him saying "no" to helping out with the development of the movie? they are 2 very different things
also it's not that DC is refusing to pay him, it's he's refusing to accept payment for any of his movies, he's been offered the money every single time and he's said "no pay the other guys who made the comic not me" and it's been brought up many times in various articles about him and interviews he's done
so really go read a bit more about him, yes he's had some issues with DC but he's also been offered input into AND money for his comics they turned into movies and he's told them to bugger off
He didn't want the movies to be made in the first place. It should be his right to decide what's done with his work. Why would he want to help out producing something that he doesn't want to exist?
Break: He didn't want the movies to be made in the first place. It should be his right to decide what's done with his work. Why would he want to help out producing something that he doesn't want to exist?
well at first he was kinda apprehensive about it, much like Frank Miller, and then he was outright against it after seeing it. Frank Miller refused to license out his stuff to movies until Sin City because he was given the clip "The customer is always right" with a note that said "if you like it, we can make more, if not then you got a cool thing to show to your friends" and as they say the rest is history
I like this review, but there are a few typos that I found jarring. Remember, just because the spell-checker says it's OK, doesn't mean that it's correct.
PurpleRain: The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up to their wastes
Should be "waists".
which leads into some 'masked killer' plot.
That's a mask killer, not a masked killer. The former is someone who kills masks (i.e. superheros), the latter is a killer who wears a mask.
I would defiantly recommend it to people.
Unless you think people are going to argue with you when you recommend it, I think that you meant "definitely", not "defiantly".
tho the main problem with the movie is Alan Moore, yes he is a good writer and tells a good story, HOWEVER as i've said before he is offered input into helping the director in helping out with the movies made from his books, tells them to bugger off and then complains about what a piece of crap the movie is, granted some have been bad HOWEVER when you refuse to help you lose the right to complain about how bad it is and not be a total prat about it all
This is a ridiculously one sided account of the situation. DC treated Moore horribly. Their contract stated that DC would have the ownership rights for the first printing run of Watchmen, after which the rights would revert to the creators. They have never officially "ended" that first print run. Not to this day. They did the same with V for Vendetta - they've still got the rights for that, since they're still in the "first print run", and when they made the movie (against his will) he got no money for that whatsoever. And he's not getting any for Watchmen. He wrote some of the most influential and well-known graphic novels in the world, and DC screwed him over severely. He's got every right to be pissed.
ummm no, how does them doing that affect him saying "no" to helping out with the development of the movie? they are 2 very different things
also it's not that DC is refusing to pay him, it's he's refusing to accept payment for any of his movies, he's been offered the money every single time and he's said "no pay the other guys who made the comic not me" and it's been brought up many times in various articles about him and interviews he's done
so really go read a bit more about him, yes he's had some issues with DC but he's also been offered input into AND money for his comics they turned into movies and he's told them to bugger off
Yes, because he believes his comics should remain comics. That's how they were written, and that's how they were meant to be seen. If he wanted them to be films, he would have written them as films.
Yes, because he believes his comics should remain comics. That's how they were written, and that's how they were meant to be seen. If he wanted them to be films, he would have written them as films.
right and aren't comics just large colourful story boards for films? isn't what Robert Rodriguez proved with Sin City? it got Frank Miller to start giving the rights to his movies and he outright refused to give them to anyone
i can see what Alan's trying to say and also the short sightedness that he has for visual creativity especially when he gave them a good template to follow in order to bring life to it
i sometimes think he's causing some of his own issue, such as the licensing thing, granted DC did do some bad things but why aren't other artists screaming foul bloody murder as well?
Yes, because he believes his comics should remain comics. That's how they were written, and that's how they were meant to be seen. If he wanted them to be films, he would have written them as films.
right and aren't comics just large colourful story boards for films?
No.
isn't what Robert Rodriguez proved with Sin City?
No.
it got Frank Miller to start giving the rights to his movies and he outright refused to give them to anyone
Well bully for Frank Miller.
i can see what Alan's trying to say and also the short sightedness that he has for visual creativity especially when he gave them a good template to follow in order to bring life to it
And with that, you lost me. Alan Moore creatively short sighted? If I was him, I'd be insulted. And as for calling Watchmen 'a good template'... you just don't get it, do you? Watchmen can only work as a comic! Any film based on it, no matter how good, will pale in comparison to the comic. the whole premise is based on the conventions of comic books.
i sometimes think he's causing some of his own issue, such as the licensing thing, granted DC did do some bad things but why aren't other artists screaming foul bloody murder as well?
For me, the Best Comic Evah has to be 'The Sandman' - although my favourite is probably Transmetropolitan.
I'm still interested to see how the movie turns out though.
There's a good bit in "Development Hell" where Neil Gaiman tells how the Hollywood rewrite had Dream running after a mugger that just punched his girlfriend, to beat him up.
It's a good review but I'm kinda sad that you went in with a false impression of the book. You may have gotten more out of it if it was otherwise. Another thing is that when people go around calling something the best thing ever, it isn't the best thing ever. Everyone should know this by now. When something is very good and stands out amongst other things, you have to over-rate it a bit to get others to even think about looking at page one.
As for "Predictable plot twist" - I think what I love about it is this:
Watchmen ending, if you haven't read it then **** off
What makes watchmen stand out amongst the rest for me though, is that it answers the simple "What if superheros existed?" question, with not so simple answers. They even got it right down to what people would read (pirate comic books instead of superhero books) and how the world reacts to them. How only Dr. Manhattan has "powers" and instead of being idolized, people fear him and feel meaningless when a practical incarnation of God himself is walking amongst earth, etc.
Oh, and the comedian isn't supposed to be funny (although I know you were just doing that as a joke, but I'm just on a roll here), he just "sees the funny side of things" and opens your eyes. He's more of a George Carlin. They both have a funny take on the American Dream too!
"What happened to the American dream?"
"It came true - you're lookin' at it!" - Comedian
"It's called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it." - George Carlin
though I just brought that up because I was working on a tangent.
cleverlymadeup: right and aren't comics just large colourful story boards for films? isn't what Robert Rodriguez proved with Sin City? it got Frank Miller to start giving the rights to his movies and he outright refused to give them to anyone
i can see what Alan's trying to say and also the short sightedness that he has for visual creativity especially when he gave them a good template to follow in order to bring life to it
i sometimes think he's causing some of his own issue, such as the licensing thing, granted DC did do some bad things but why aren't other artists screaming foul bloody murder as well?
Wow. I didn't think it was possible to miss the point so much. I'd applaud if my hands weren't so busy facepalming.
cleverlymadeup: right and aren't comics just large colourful story boards for films?
No.
I'd actually side with cleverlymadeup and say they are. Perfectly framed and actions/dialogue within. They're basically the best stary boards used for film. I'm sure Robert Rodriguez used the Sin City comic pannels while doing the movie.
ElArabDeMagnifico: As for "Predictable plot twist" - I think what I love about it is this:
Watchmen ending, if you haven't read it then **** off
Agreed. I was mainly targeting the villian as the twist, though his 'evil' plan was quite cunning if not morally wrong of him. The ending was depressing for all characters...
Things you can do in comic books and not in storyboards: -Look at characters' thoughts -Dialogue between characters and narration/soliloquy happening simultaneously -Fast and immediate cuts between scenes happening at the same time, or just for effect (in film, you disorientate the viewer if you go too quickly) -Less length/time restrictions
...The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up to their wastes and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!" and I'll look down and whisper "no." -Rorschach's Journal. October 12th, 1985.
And with this picture, I killed the mood.
The Watchmen, a graphic novel known by many fans to be considered the greatest comic to ever grace the Earth. Sort of excited at the fact that they're releasing a movie for it, I decided to borrow a graphic novel off a friend and immersed myself in the pages of the Watchmen. Surprisingly, it wasn't as great as many people have pointed out to me. Sure, the dialogue was brilliantly written and the artwork is next to superb on any scale, but there were things lacking that failed to land it in the 'Best Comic Evar!' category. Not to say I didn't enjoy it; the alternate universe where America wins Vietnam and Russia conquers Afghanistan is easy to play with your imagination, though the plot seemed quite erratic for what I was expecting.
Before I get my hands dirty and people throw their hate bricks at me, let's talk about the story:
Starting off with the murder of a fit, agile man, beaten and thrown from his sky rise window, a superhero detective known as Rorschach (say: Raw Shark), one of the coolest investigators to grace the pages of fiction aside from Sam Spade or Batman, probes into the crime scene. The dead man however, turns out to be an ex-superhero himself, which leads into some 'masked killer' plot.
The story basically delves into the lives of washed up superheroes, that have left the crime fighting world after the nostalgia of caped-crusaders wore off and left as men playing dress up but without the dolls. The story runs like the same melancholy river that Neon Genesis did, leaving the audience depressed along with the characters.
The Comedian isn't that funny.
What I loved about the graphic novel is the way it divides itself between comic panels and actually written out stories. At the end of each chapter, it gives a short tale on most of the heroes' backgrounds, fleshing them out a bit more in a way simple drawings couldn't, and giving them bit more depth. Alan Moore does an outstanding job writing it and really brings the horrors of the world and the fear of complete destruction of the A-bomb, alive.
However, like I stated above, I have a few qualms with the Watchmen. Firstly, while making great narrative, most chapters are dedicated only to the history of singled out characters. It's good and all, but most of the time, it was handed to us before we even had a chance to form a relationship with the characters; like being told the ending to Fight Club before watching it. The other fact is, the back-stories of the characters make up too much of the book leaving few chapters to progress in the plotline which only really shows itself in the last two or three chapters.
At first I wondered how they could actually pull the whole thing off into a movie, but all they have to do is cut the back-stories and add a few as flashbacks to fill the remaining time.
My last point is the fact that the main 'villain' was more predictable than learning that the man with the scar over his eye and the hooked hand was actually the James Bond villain all along! The ending to the book had set itself up as a formidable twist, though with the least amount of panel time, and no back story until the end, they may have just placed a neon sign above the guys head for the reader.
I'm sorry, but Alan Moore looks like a hobo.
These niggling facts don't actually amount to much in all reality, because the Watchmen actually doesn't feel like a superhero comic at all. It's more of a 'behind the scenes' look to the life. The action, adventure and sense of heroism are swapped for questioning ethics, morals and arguing on what life actually is. So if you came looking for an action packed thrill ride like I was expecting from the way people made it out to be, you won't find it here. Although, for a deep and meaningful comic that will stick with you for a long while yet.
Overall, it was a good read. I would defiantly recommend it to people. If you're not a large fan I would even suggest borrowing it. There are a few little nitpicks I found, but not enough to ruin it's reputation. Along with V For Vendetta, this would be another of Alan Moore's great but I wouldn't say the 'best'. At least there's no Irish speaking officers in this to try and wrap your head around their speach bubbles.