Book Review: Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
I have wanted to read this for some time and read it after the film came out, but before I had watched it. It is amazing.
There is not a lot to say that has not or cannot be said by others. That seems like a cop out of an answer, but this is a healthily reviewed piece. Some quick observations.
- For its release, the book turned comics on its ear. It was released in 1986 to a comic world completely taken by storm.
- The narrative is non-linear and all (except the last issue/chapter) contain a second or supplemental narrative.
- The layout is fixed with nine panels on every page except for the title pages and the center spread of the entire work. This was a conscious decision made to create an authoritative layout.
- There is a second comic within it, Tales of the Black Freighter , a pirate tale.
In the end, the book is as much about comics and the medium as it is about the characters. I think this lends itself to Alan Moore claiming it was unfilmable since he saw the medium and the story as one.
The art is stunning and the amount of detail in each frame is dizzying. I feel like I could read and look at this over and over. It has a depth that I am not sure I have touch in a while, and at the same time a level of dark comedy.
