Product Description

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.

One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04-01
• Released on: 1995-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.com
Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.

The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --Mark Thwaite

Review
"A work of ruthless psychological realism, it’s a landmark in the graphic novel medium. It would be a masterpiece in any."
–TIME, TIME MAGAZINE’s 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present

Customer Reviews

Who watches the watchmen?
Don't let the fact that this is a graphic novel (e.g., "comic book") fool you. Watchmen is a fantastic piece of fiction, and was well-written, fantastically illustrated, fast-paced, and thought provoking. The geo-political issues felt a little dated, but one doesn't have to think to hard to extrapolate the issues to modern times. This is a "must read"!

Good, but not the best!
I thought it was a very very good book...for it's time! Don't get me wrong, yes, it was a great book! Everyone should read this!! I just thought it was a long long long long read, for such a so so ending. If you haven't read this, please give it a try, I just didn't think it lived up to the "Best Graphic Novel"

Not really a "masterpiece".
I'm not going to make this long but basically I saw the trailer for the movie and was blown away. When I found out it was based on "the greatest graphic novel of all time" I knew I just had to get a copy. I'm not much of a comic person but the artwork is impressive. The story has interesting characters, the ending is VERY unpredictable. Other than that, if you're like me and you read lots of novels, short stories, and movie scripts don't expect to be knocked off your feet.

I hope the movie does well for everyone involved. The special effects will have everyone running to see it. After the first two weeks of release we'll see how well it does. If you're like me, a person who had never even heard of the Watchmen before, read the book and post what you think.

Not bad but not "incredible" either.