Written by Alan Moore, Watchmen invites readers into an alternate reality where superheroes exist. Most of my life, I have known about the classical superhero who has a strong moral compass, but Watchmen introduces me to a new type of superhero that is morally ambiguous. I enjoyed the character, Rorschach because he represented an individual who possessed zero tolerance of evil even in the face of Armageddon. With Doctor Manhattan, I witness a person who wields unlimited power and immortality and as a result becomes detached to the mortals around him. The villain is what I would categorize as a gray character because his intentions to unify the world were good, but the price he was willing to pay to make that happen was too high. I enjoyed the complexities of his plan and the steps he took to make his goal a reality. What this graphic novel shows its audience is that the world is not as black and white as most people think. Instead, it consists of different shades of gray with individuals who are neither good nor evil, but in between. I would recommend this graphic novel for anyone who is searching for an elaborate and intriguing story.
GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: WATCHMEN
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Saw the movie, love the art. It is telling that the people who represent the unsustainable extremes (and therefore endanger their own goals) are the “super” “heroes”.
I saw the movie as well. Even though I enjoyed it, I did not like that they changed Adrian Veidt’s plan to unify the world from a fake alien invasion to framing Doctor Manhattan.
I watched the movie first and I couldn’t stand the ending then. I then read the graphic novel and the ending blew me away. The filmmakers should have trusted that the audience would be able to handle the complexities of Adrian’s plan in the Graphic Novel.
I’ve always been a bit scared of science fiction, but I am really impressed with your review, so maybe I’ll give it a try!
I highly recommend it even though there are some parts that are hard to watch.
Neither was a plausible scenario, and one of two gripes with the ending.
This was the first graphic novel I ever read. It is a great introduction to the genre. Great review!
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Great review! I am now intrigued about this genre. Thanks for the follow and good luck to you!
Great review! I am a long time fan of this book and movie and I love it for many of the same reasons you do. The grey area moral questions explored in the book are great and so are the characters. As a social studies teacher I appreciated the “alternate reality” predictions of how the 20th century would have looked with the existence of super heroes.
Have to give this novel a try, I love weird shit!
I love science fiction. One of my favorite anime is “Ghost in the Shell”, I definitely recommend you guys look it up!
Thank you. I have seen the first movie and I thought it was a fascinating interpretation about combining human with machine.
I really like your brevity here. You give us a clear and concise review without rambling on for thousands of words.
I haven’t read the graphic novel, but I did see the film. It’s the only film with superheroes that I liked. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, they all see silly to me, with their Three Stooges like violence. I liked the Watchmen movie because the violence was a bit more realistic.
the reason the movie ending was changed was because the foreshadowing in the book would have given away the ending in the movie – or so I’ve read. personally I think they should have left it alone.
I strongly recommend that you read “Preacher” and “Astro City” if you like comics that make you think and aren’t the usual same old cape stories
I really enjoyed Zack Snyder’s film adaptation of this story. I think it’s his best work. Still haven’t gotten around to reading the original novel, though I’ve heard from absolutely everybody that it’s amazing.
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Great descriptive narrative in this review. Thanks for entertaining me. I will stick around to follow you! Check me anytime.
300 is based on a graphic novel – I like them .
nice post .
You inspire me a little because I have to confess I have never read a graphic novel! ‘Watchmen’ then – I’ll give it a try.
The graphic novel blew my mind. I’d read superhero comics, but nothing like that. Rorschach really stood out to me as an excellent anti-hero. There was a job to do, and he’d do it by whatever means necessary. That’s scary, but that’s the fine line Batman walks too.
Have any of you read any of the “Before Watchmen” graphic novels? I’ve read the one about Night Owl and Dr. Manhattan. I just started reading the volume about Rorschach and the Comedian.