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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think I hated every part of this up until the last two volumes. The characters are all detestable and loathsome. Intentional or not I hate them and dont understand how people can see Rorschach in a positive light. The pacing was horrendous with nothing happening until volume 4, and even then the meta comic and end chapter excerpts ground everything to a halt. The poltics are loathsome, misanthropic, nihlistic garabge.
The only upside to this is the last two volumes.
The only upside to this is the last two volumes.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“We have laboured long to build a heaven, only to find it populated with horrors.”
Rarely do you read, or encounter an artform that criticizes the very medium it’s situated on as gracefully and flawlessly as Moore’s 1987 classic graphic novel ‘Watchmen’. Moore - well known for several of the most respected books in comic history - continuing his written venture on deconstructing established tropes and archetypes from both the golden and silver age of comics. Watchmen, continuing that trend, critiques on the aforementioned inclinations albeit while exploring political, philosophical, sociological and ethical themes; while being grounded on what makes a comic book, a comic book in the first place. Adding to this, Moore reinvented the medium, blatantly stabbing the comic and the very industry by making it palatable to adults, and legitimizing the artform being a respective medium.
Historically, store racks and newsstands at that time were blurring the lines between reality and life being printed on paper. Late 80s western paranoia brought about the advent of the on-going cold war, and heavy consumerism giving birth to the ‘tyranny of choice’. The complete paradigm shift of most modern societies, and even developing ones brought about by the late 60s and the subcultures accompanying it, have single handedly changed the cultural landscapes in them. Comic books, known for encapsulating a ‘gradual’ rather than ‘revolutionary’ shift(s), were completely adamant to the changing environment. With the release of the book, Watchmen signaled the day that the notes of what the silver age and the golden age had written, being the final blow and outright being the day the music finally died. It had become in itself, the symbolic representation of the four horsemen. Gone are the campy, trouser wearing, absurd, and colorful nature of comics, to what can only be as some Kafkaesque or Orwellian nightmare that discomforts the readers into being more aware of the reality that they live in. If comic books and the very heroes in them comfort the readers and put them into harmonious trances, Watchmen embodies the societal ills that we have been accustomed to. The book writes its narrative on what needs to be written, rather than being ignorant and turning a blind eye to the grim reality that most readers at that time were simulated in.
In terms of its themes, several are explored in the book (Religion, War, Consumerism, etc.) that (were) rarely reflected within the panels of a comic book. However, being one of my personal favorites was the concept of ‘Vigilantism’ alongside ‘Justice’. At this juncture in time, comic books were entrenched on the idea that masked men could freely run around cities - and even in space - without any form of intervention. Alongside, the idea of “Justice” being the highest form of retribution. Watchmen contests both ideas being a moral grey area. The perversion of morality in comics has been a recurring theme that most writers subscribe to, being limited to terms and symbolically representing itself within banners of “Good” or “Evil”, what we commonly associate with being “White” or “Black”. Most heroes are seen as pristine embodiments of what is right and their sense of justice that they pernicious parade in are rarely questioned. Watchmen, not only pointing out how ironic and absurd the idea is, hosts one of the most vile and despicable heroes, predating Ennis’ whole roster. Such characters are also a Moore signature, in which his characters are flawed and tainted individuals, closer to the demise embodiment of the human race. Several of the book's characters represent the human psyche with each character being as flawed as the next one. The character’s sense of justice is oftentimes distorted, as if they are isolated ideas within an echo chamber, and do not serve anyone but the characters themselves. Heroes are then, symbolically speaking, flagellating themselves - albeit, in masks and campy costumes. Watchmen then tells readers what “Heroes” are compared to what “Heroes” ought to be. I have not read, nor heard if this is a form of callback, but I extensively admire this take on Ditko’s Spider-Man concept, in which anybody can be a hero under that mask - but what Moore’s take puts emphasis on the responsibilities and the dangers of becoming the person within the “Mask” and not just outside of it.
Watchmen remains to be a colossal titan and an extensive feat in graphic novel history. It paved avenues for darker, grimmer, and complex stories, without jeopardizing the medium it was written on. Although Spiegelmen’s ‘Maus’, Veitch’s ‘Brat Pack’, Sim’s ‘Cerebus the Aardvark’, Millar’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ and a plethora of contemporary writers have been crucial to the development of legitimizing comics as a respective subject matter on-par with the likes of philosophy, science, and politics. It's as if Shakespeare graced the lines of the book to mere poetry, and as if Caravaggio blessed us with panel after panel of what can only be described as pure elegance; but in our case, Moore, Gibbons, and Higgins collaboration can only be seen as serendipitous. Watchmen, for me, acted as the main impetus of the moment in history that comic books finally matured, evolving into this monumental artform. After almost several decades after its release, it remains a highly influential piece for both new and old readers alike. Its impact goes beyond sound recognition, and goes to universal acclaim in all aspects of art. But most importantly, without a single fragment of doubt in my mind, it remains one of the books that I wish I could have written.
Rarely do you read, or encounter an artform that criticizes the very medium it’s situated on as gracefully and flawlessly as Moore’s 1987 classic graphic novel ‘Watchmen’. Moore - well known for several of the most respected books in comic history - continuing his written venture on deconstructing established tropes and archetypes from both the golden and silver age of comics. Watchmen, continuing that trend, critiques on the aforementioned inclinations albeit while exploring political, philosophical, sociological and ethical themes; while being grounded on what makes a comic book, a comic book in the first place. Adding to this, Moore reinvented the medium, blatantly stabbing the comic and the very industry by making it palatable to adults, and legitimizing the artform being a respective medium.
Historically, store racks and newsstands at that time were blurring the lines between reality and life being printed on paper. Late 80s western paranoia brought about the advent of the on-going cold war, and heavy consumerism giving birth to the ‘tyranny of choice’. The complete paradigm shift of most modern societies, and even developing ones brought about by the late 60s and the subcultures accompanying it, have single handedly changed the cultural landscapes in them. Comic books, known for encapsulating a ‘gradual’ rather than ‘revolutionary’ shift(s), were completely adamant to the changing environment. With the release of the book, Watchmen signaled the day that the notes of what the silver age and the golden age had written, being the final blow and outright being the day the music finally died. It had become in itself, the symbolic representation of the four horsemen. Gone are the campy, trouser wearing, absurd, and colorful nature of comics, to what can only be as some Kafkaesque or Orwellian nightmare that discomforts the readers into being more aware of the reality that they live in. If comic books and the very heroes in them comfort the readers and put them into harmonious trances, Watchmen embodies the societal ills that we have been accustomed to. The book writes its narrative on what needs to be written, rather than being ignorant and turning a blind eye to the grim reality that most readers at that time were simulated in.
In terms of its themes, several are explored in the book (Religion, War, Consumerism, etc.) that (were) rarely reflected within the panels of a comic book. However, being one of my personal favorites was the concept of ‘Vigilantism’ alongside ‘Justice’. At this juncture in time, comic books were entrenched on the idea that masked men could freely run around cities - and even in space - without any form of intervention. Alongside, the idea of “Justice” being the highest form of retribution. Watchmen contests both ideas being a moral grey area. The perversion of morality in comics has been a recurring theme that most writers subscribe to, being limited to terms and symbolically representing itself within banners of “Good” or “Evil”, what we commonly associate with being “White” or “Black”. Most heroes are seen as pristine embodiments of what is right and their sense of justice that they pernicious parade in are rarely questioned. Watchmen, not only pointing out how ironic and absurd the idea is, hosts one of the most vile and despicable heroes, predating Ennis’ whole roster. Such characters are also a Moore signature, in which his characters are flawed and tainted individuals, closer to the demise embodiment of the human race. Several of the book's characters represent the human psyche with each character being as flawed as the next one. The character’s sense of justice is oftentimes distorted, as if they are isolated ideas within an echo chamber, and do not serve anyone but the characters themselves. Heroes are then, symbolically speaking, flagellating themselves - albeit, in masks and campy costumes. Watchmen then tells readers what “Heroes” are compared to what “Heroes” ought to be. I have not read, nor heard if this is a form of callback, but I extensively admire this take on Ditko’s Spider-Man concept, in which anybody can be a hero under that mask - but what Moore’s take puts emphasis on the responsibilities and the dangers of becoming the person within the “Mask” and not just outside of it.
Watchmen remains to be a colossal titan and an extensive feat in graphic novel history. It paved avenues for darker, grimmer, and complex stories, without jeopardizing the medium it was written on. Although Spiegelmen’s ‘Maus’, Veitch’s ‘Brat Pack’, Sim’s ‘Cerebus the Aardvark’, Millar’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ and a plethora of contemporary writers have been crucial to the development of legitimizing comics as a respective subject matter on-par with the likes of philosophy, science, and politics. It's as if Shakespeare graced the lines of the book to mere poetry, and as if Caravaggio blessed us with panel after panel of what can only be described as pure elegance; but in our case, Moore, Gibbons, and Higgins collaboration can only be seen as serendipitous. Watchmen, for me, acted as the main impetus of the moment in history that comic books finally matured, evolving into this monumental artform. After almost several decades after its release, it remains a highly influential piece for both new and old readers alike. Its impact goes beyond sound recognition, and goes to universal acclaim in all aspects of art. But most importantly, without a single fragment of doubt in my mind, it remains one of the books that I wish I could have written.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First time reading a graphic novel, and I don’t think I’ll ever be another one. Everything about Watchmen scratched my brain and captured me. If someone were to ask, I guess I’d say Watchmen is about everything American and continues to be poignant almost forty years later. American society hasn’t changed, the problems are the same, and the solutions proposed could still work. Tackles morality, heroism, and society all while mixing comics with various long-form media for light exposition. It’s done brilliantly, answering questions while still leaving mysteries. It allows the reader to imagine the world and immerse themselves into it, simultaneously familiar and foreign. What makes a superhero?
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The message is interesting, and it certainly makes you think about the boundaries of morality.
It was not what I had expected. It was a lot less action, and a lot more tension building. It suffers a little from some sections being bloated and boring, but for the most part is very good.
It was not what I had expected. It was a lot less action, and a lot more tension building. It suffers a little from some sections being bloated and boring, but for the most part is very good.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes