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scoobygirl93's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Genocide, War, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cursing, Child death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Blood, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
chaoticbeing's review
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Sexual content, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Death, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: War, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Ableism, Alcohol, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Animal death, and Cancer
Minor: Genocide, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Antisemitism, and Racism
ad1t1s's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Sexual content
Minor: Racial slurs
steveatwaywords's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This ambitious and nearly flawless work has already made history and there is little I want to add here to that: it's complex and tightly-woven with nuanced and genuine characters acting as best they are able. As clumsy and human as they are, their physical and emotional frailties are foremost at focus as they try to do nothing less than every superhero comic: save the world.
Moore's alternate history is (especially today) too too plausible, and the dozens of different readings his characters make of it could as easily be applied to today's news. He details only one of the key differences between universes, however, and that is the step a few individuals make from reading 1930s hero comics to themselves donning vigilante costumes. After that, the political and sociological changes seem relatively inevitable.
And that, as many have argued, offers us a deeper and unsettling look at our affinity for superheroes, the nature of justice and authority and legitimacy, of our collective psychological desperations created by and answered by marketing lifestyles. And, in the truths spoken by Dr. Manhattan, how utterly trivial and uninteresting it all is.
So why not a full 5 stars? The storytelling and artwork are fine enough, the complete work ambitious enough, its execution almost as much. And it's the almost. As immersive as Watchmen is, there are several moments when readers are thrown out of it, where the authorial crafting is too obviously authorial crafting. I'm thinking of a parallel pirate comic that is read at a newsstand, as a for instance, or chapters where each page is a different scenic moment which all (seemingly coincidentally but cosmically) align in word and concept. They are clever, and calculated . . . and so also first clever and calculated, second impactful as narrative. Moore is too excited to show us what he can do, and that excitement--especially for me--was loud enough to disturb the reading.
A quibble, perhaps, but Moore has gone on to do other works. A mesmerizing standard for graphic novels which follow, Watchmen's imitators in later years still pale.
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Rape, War, Death, and Gore
josiah17's review against another edition
3.5
Edit 11/11/23: Bumping down to 3.5
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Genocide, and Sexual content
graysondyed's review against another edition
- 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
Watchmen is unforgettable, and I hope to find another graphic novel that fills the hole Watchmen occupied when I was reading it.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
manjal's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, War, Bullying, Racism, Rape, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Hate crime
Minor: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Sexism, Stalking, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
vlpfeiffer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Animal death, Murder, War, and Blood
Minor: Torture, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
thehobbitbarbie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Cancer, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, War, Cursing, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction and Lesbophobia
nila's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Sexual content, and Blood