The murder of a costumed hero sparks a chain of events that will change the world forever.

If you're at all interested in the history of the comic book, you've heard of WATCHMEN. It revolutionized the medium and paved the way for all the edgier stuff that's come after. It's acclaimed not just as a comic book but as a serious work of literature. WATCHMEN may not be essential to an understanding of the late twentieth/early twenty-first century comic book, but it's undoubtedly an important work. I can't imagine why you'd want to cheat yourself out of it.

Alan Moore has been praised for deconstructing the superhero, but I'd argue that he's doing much more than that. He's also crafted an alternate world in which one important change has had organic, logical consequences for society as a whole, and in doing so he's deconstructed the comic itself. It's brilliantly done. It's deep and complex and subtle. And it's hella interesting.

In Moore's alternate world, Superman's first appearance inspired not just comic book creators but real people who donned costumes and hit the streets to fight crime. They've got day jobs and rent to pay and all the emotional problems that come along with everyday life. Few of them are wealthy. None of them have superpowers. They're just regular people who've costumed up for reasons as varied as their own personalities. Some of them really want to make a difference. Others hope to boost their careers. Some are on a power trip. A few just get off on the pretense. One is only in it because her mother has forced her. Moore comments on their place in the world via short excerpts from relevant sources, (autobiographies, scholarly papers, etc.), tacked onto the end of each chapter.

I say that none of them have superpowers, but that's not quite true. Jon Osterman --aka Dr. Manhattan--is the lone superpowered superhero in this world. Jon gains his powers during a horrific accident in which his corporeal body is annihilated. He gains the ability to see and understand all things at all times. He knows the past, present and future as one. He can see exactly how subatomic particles come together. He has complete control over his own reformed body, which is blue and glowing. And his powers have changed him, mentally as well as physically. He's not your standard, "I must use my powers to fight crime and save the world!" superhero; neither is he the typical, "I shall use my powers to enhance my own personal glory!" kind of a supervillain. He just... is.

He's had a huge impact on the world at large. The US won the Vietnam War, with his help. His ability to see and control subatomic particles has led to massive scientific breakthroughs, including efficient airships that have largely replaced airplanes and electric cars powered by public power hydrants. The world looks very much like our own, but it's really not. The changes are small, subtle, and absolutely vital to the way we react to the story. They don't sound like much on the surface, but they go deep. It's brilliant.

Perhaps the most interesting shift, though, occurs within this alternate world's comic book industry. Faced with real-life heroes like Hooded Justice, Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan, comic book creators feel no need to inundate the market with fictional heroes. Instead, comic books focus on pirates and ghouls - the very storylines, in fact, that came under so much scrutiny in our own world during the 1950's. Moore asks us to consider the comic book as escapist literature, as an art form, and in terms of its creative development. I find comic book history just fascinating, and I loved seeing how Moore's alternate world had diverged from our own where comics were concerned. My very favourite end-of-chapter excerpt dealt with how the government vetoed the creation of the Comics Code Authority, the organization that held such sway over our own comic industry for so long.

Moore blends all these elements so well that you'll never notice the seams. He's crafted an absolutely fantastic piece of work that forces us to consider not only the society within the book but also our own world and its own brand of heroics. There's so much here. I haven't even scratched the surface.

On the downside, Dave Gibbons's art is a little dated now. You'd never mistake this for a contemporary work; the use of line, coupled with John Higgins's colours, has a distinctly 80's feel to it. There are also some Cold War themes that may not resonate as well with those who didn't live through those times (translation: me).

But on the whole, it's excellent. I highly recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in comic books. It's a hefty tome, so far as graphic novels go, but it is most definitely worth it.

(A slightly longer version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

It’s difficult to write anything new about Watchmen. I read this book about five years ago, pretty much before I really got into the whole sequential art as a way of story telling. I’ll admit I was fairly nonplussed when I read it then. This time around, for whatever reason, I just got the story. The plot is dense but superbly written and the art just somehow fits with the book. The prose background pieces inbetween each issue made compelling reading as well. It’s easy now to see why this book is held in such high regard. An undoubted classic. ( )

Reviewed by Mr. Kome ( )

Watchmen is as good as you expect. It answers the question we always ask ourselves: What would super heros be like if they were real? Well, for starters they would all have to be a little crazy. Superman would be more god than man. Batman would be insane. You get the idea. The ultimate conclusions Moore draws are ones I fundamentally disagree with. But regardless of your world view, you will find something to latch onto. Long live Rorschach! ( )

Yeah I know but I read it before it was cool. ( )