I don’t know. I guess I do…by that I mean I read “Watchmen,” the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I know I’m not the first person to say this, and I certainly won’t be the last. But, holy shit. What an amazing read. An in, seriously. The depth at which every single character entailed in those pages is explored is brilliant. The psyche of these characters is so deeply explored it astounded me. If you don’t know (and you might not) Watchmen is about a group of Superheroes in 1985(or Vigilantes, since only one of the characters has what could be defined as a “Superpower.” And he is immortal. Funny that) who have been forced to retire. The death of one of them sets off a chain of events which could “change the course of history.” Holy shit, they got that one right.
The whole story surrounds the deep and dark flaws and pasts that these characters have (Rorschach in particular. He is one disturbed vigilante. And The Comedian. You just gasp at some of his horrific actions) and the implications such a life had on them, and why in fact they decided to do what they did (Running around New York city saving people in silly costumes.). History, as a result of their presence, has altered history. For example, Nixon is still president, the yanks won the Vietnam War, and USA and the Soviets are inches away from starting a nuclear war (So close, that construction of fallout shelters begins during the novel.).
The story is interesting, completely engaging and gripping. The way everything plays out is quite interesting, all the way up until the end. And, the ending. I won’t give anything away, but when I first read it I thought it was just ridiculous. Then, I thought about it for a while and realized why the perpetrator (Telling you that would ruin the story) did what he did. Despite such an obscure and unorthodox way to do it, it made perfect sense. And whether the actions were justified really does make for an interesting debate on the morality of it all, sacrificing one to save many. (another central theme which runs through the entire duration of the novel.).
However, when it comes down to it, the story belongs to the characters. And how each of them explored, and their (mainly) dark back stories. It is not a happy story; you have to wonder about the affects that their lives have had on their relationships with people, and their mental health. The careless Doctor Manhattan, the truly mentally disturbed Rorschach, the bastard The Comedian (it isn’t a spoiler to tell you he is the death at the start. It happens in the first few panels.), the kind hearted Nite Owl, the list goes on. There is a lot of depth to go into with these characters, but I don’t really have the time. I just urge you, if you are like this, to forget this is a comic book. It is simply a wonderful piece of literature that I believe should be read by all.
Reading the novel (in about 2 days, mind you.) has made me extremely excited about the movie. I really think that Zack Synder can pull this one off. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’ll leave you all with the trailer if you haven’t seen it yet.
Until next time.
- Will
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