Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons & Jon HigginsDC Comics, 1987
Science Fiction (Graphic Novel); 416 pgs
Rating: 
(Very Good)
“In Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria . . .” So begins the song Russians written by Sting. While the song plays no part in the graphic novel or movie entitled
Watchmen, it certainly fits the dark and chaotic mood captured during that time period in history. During the early to mid-1980’s, in both our reality and the alternate one created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the Soviets and the United States were circling around each other and the fear of a nuclear war was on many people’s minds.
In
Watchmen, nuclear war seems imminent. The only reason the Soviets have not attacked is because of Dr. Manhattan, the United States' weapon that helped win the Americans the Vietnam War in the 1970’s. However, that changes when someone appears to be murdering masked crusaders in New York. Rorschach, a masked hero himself, is the only one who seems to suspect anything is a foul. He sets out to warn his fellow superheroes and get to the bottom of the recent murder of the Comedian, a hero that was both loved and hated by those who knew him.
In 1977, the Unites States passed the Keane Act, outlawing costumed vigilantes. It was a time when the general public was balking at authority figures and a major police strike only compounded the situation. Costumed vigilantes were no longer the heroes of society. Some turned their status as former superheroes to their advantage while others chose to fade away quietly into the background, resuming normal lives. The Nite Owl is one who chose a more quiet life, settling into a regular routine, middle age creeping up on him; whereas Ozymandias profited from his past as a superhero, using his money to better society and the earth. Dr. Manhattan, once a scientist whose fate was tied to a terrible accident in the laboratory, continues to work for the government. At his side is his lover, the former Silk Spectre. Rorschach is the only one among them who refused to give up his costume and continues to roam the streets, dealing out his own form of justice.
The characters, while parodies of fictional superheroes, are quite unique in their own right. They each have their own stories; stories that explain how and why they turned to vigilantism as an occupation and the direction their lives have taken with the changing times. The vigilantes described in the pages of the graphic novel and in the movie are flawed. It is not a simple case of right versus wrong or good versus evil. The characters as well as their stories, including the mail story arc, play on moral ambiguities.
Rorschach is perhaps the most sympathetic of the characters. My husband says he was the biggest parody of all in the book, and yet he tends to be many people’s favorite. Perhaps it is in part because his past is the saddest and garners the most sympathy. Or it could be because his view of the world in black and white is easier to stomach, especially when faced with the situations he has had to deal with. He fights on the side of justice, something most of us want.
Dan Dreiberg, the Nite Owl, is another of my favorite characters. He is good-natured and kind. He is a bit of a geek, interested in his gadgets and owl mythology. He became a costumed vigilante with the best of intentions.
My husband insisted I include something about the pirate story that runs through
Watchmen. There were moments I found it a bit distracting, I admit, the constant interruptions from the main story, but it really is an interesting tale that fits in nicely with the overall atmosphere of the novel. A boy sits day after day entranced by a comic book,
Tales of the Black Freighter, as the world around him appears to be falling apart, the threat of war imminent. In the story, a man rushes home to try and save his family, fearing he will return too late and the pirates will have gotten there first. By the middle to the end of the story, I was just as entranced as that boy must have been. I wasn’t surprised by the end of that particular tale. I was, however, surprised at how Watchmen ended.
When I finished reading
Watchmen, I turned to Anya, my eight month old kitten, and said, “That was horrible.” Then when my husband asked me a few minutes later what I thought, I repeated the sentiment. Those who have read the graphic novel will most likely understand what I mean. I was not talking about the novel itself. It’s an amazing story. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created a complex and intricate tale that has stood the test of time. I understand now why some consider it a classic in its genre. It was one of the first comics that dared to deconstruct the image of the superhero, painting them in more realistic and human light. The genius that went into the artwork and the structure of the book is also what makes it stand out. As for the ending, it really couldn't have ended any other way.
In regards to the graphic novel, I at first struggled to get a handle on who the characters were and at times the jumps in time and stories got a little confusing, but it all came together in the end.
Watchmen is much deeper than one might assume at first glance. There is a lot to it. A lot more than I expected, that’s for sure. This is definitely a graphic novel that deserves to be reread. I am sure there are many nuances I missed this first time around. This book would actually make a great book group selection.
I am quite glad I watched the movie so soon after having read the graphic novel. It made all those little movie Easter eggs stand out. I got a kick out of each one. The movie actually cleared up a couple of questions I had after reading the graphic novel.
Director Zack Snyder went to great pains to try and make the movie as close an interpretation to the book as he could. He did a pretty job of it too. There were definite differences. The pirate comic book story (
Tales of the Black Freighter) that ran through the graphic novel had to be left out (it will be included in the DVD version), the 1st generation of costumed vigilantes was glossed over quickly, and the biggest and most obvious change: the ending (the mood and outcome were more or less the same, however). There were others, of course, but you don’t really want me to go into each one. And even if you did, I wouldn’t. I have to let you find out some things for yourself, after all.
There were a couple of instances when I wished I could rewind the film to see a scene over again. Not because I was confused, but because I felt like I had missed something I should have caught.
Both my husband and I walked out of the theater satisfied with the movie. It was not last year’s
The Dark Knight, which I loved. This is no five star movie. Sure the Mars scene wasn’t nearly as spectacular as it is in the novel. It is obvious the story and characters came straight from a comic book. I especially appreciated how well the movie was cast—many of the characters looked exactly like they did in the pages of the graphic novel.
It is a very dark film in terms of storyline. It has its more violent moments and there is occasional nudity. Overall it was a fun movie. It was also thought provoking. The movie captured the overall feel and mood of the graphic novel—the moral ambiguity so well expressed in the book.
It’s been a long time since my husband and I had so much to say about a movie over lunch as we did
Watchmen. We’re still talking about it days later.
Movie: WatchmenGenre: Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R
Directed By: Zack Snyder
Writers: David Hayter & Alex Tse (screenwriters); Dave Gibbons (graphic novel illustrator) & Alan Moore (graphic novel, uncredited)
Rating: 3 Bags of Popcorn
.JPG)
