Reviews

Watchmen: The Deluxe Edition by Alan Moore

Only show reviews with written explanations

maiafeliu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

kingjk2002's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

My coworkers have all been reading and raving about Watchmen lately. This graphic novel tells the story of several generations of masked heroes. I have read several graphic novels in the past but never a “super hero” one. I am not much of a comic book fan either, so Watchmen was new territory for me in many ways.

I also read Watchmen because one of my book clubs selected Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I’ve been told that the lead character in that book is a fan of Watchmen. I figured I would read Watchmen to get better character insight for Diaz’s book.

I didn’t know much about the story of Watchmen before I started reading it. The “present day” in the novel is 1985 (which was around when the book was written) and superheros have been banned. America is also on the brink of a nuclear war with Russia. The story flashes between 1985 and stories of superheros from the 1940’s and 1970’s. In 1985, several superheros are showing up dead. The story is dark and pessimistic. The characters know that the world is approaching disaster and seem to have little if any hope of saving it.

In Watchmen, only one of the “superheroes” has a true super power. The rest are regular people who decided to become a masked hero. Moore did a good job of showing us the psychology of superheros–why different people make the decision to don a mask and costume. Some do it for fame, some for power, some to fight, and some to try to make the world a better place. The book makes you ask questions like what is good and what is evil? do the ends always justify the means? and of course… what would my superhero costume look like? ;)

Watchmen is considered a classic of the genre and I am glad that I’ve read it. It won the 1988 Hugo Award. I probably won’t rush out to buy and read more superhero graphic novels, but if one happens to mysteriously land on my to-read pile, I would read it.

happyman778's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ohdearmariie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jeffs_300's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Amazing. Deserve all the praise it gets. So much more than a “comic book.” It’s not even close to a “comic” or “graphic novel.” It’s an insight into reality and reflective. However, it’s still sooo entertaining and captivating.

The illustrations are moody and artistic. The use of color and composition is masterclass, layered with the poetry of the writing, I doubt Watchmen can be beat.

Took WAAY longer to read than I expected, but that made reading Watchmen a habit I looked forward. I’m sad it’s over, but so happy at how it went. 5 stars!! Recommend to EVERYONE.