Book Review: Watchmen, by Alan Moore

Watchmen by Alan Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
★★★★★ and a ♥

Synopsis: 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.
In A Sentence: A rather dark and graphic graphic novel, but extremely good and worth a look.

My Thoughts: I don't often read comic books, particularly graphic novels, but years back my husband (a huge comic book nerd) recommended that I try this novel. It turned out that I really liked it! Recently, I purchased a copy and decided to read it again. It certainly was worth the reread!
This novel isn't your typical comic book. It has an incredible amount depth to it. Reading it again, I was impressed by the collection of material they created for this story. Not only were there excellent comic book drawings, there were also made-up newspaper clippings, memoir excerpts, and letters that were created to add diversity to the novel. There was also a comic book story within the novel that was symbolically significant, and back stories for all the characters, big and small, giving the story more depth than your average graphic novel (not that I've read many of them, but I doubt they go as far this book did). And, to put the incing on the cake, the main plot to this story was very well done. When I first read this, I couldn't see where the story was going, and I got completely thrown by the ending. Excellent, excellent story!
A Word Of Caution: This is a very good story, but it's also a rather dark one. The novel looks at all the negatives in human life and then sprinkles flawed superheroes into the mix. It's not a happy story. It's also a very graphic for a graphic novel. They don't hold back on the violence, and some parts end up being rather gory. It didn't bother me so much this time around because I was prepared for it, but I cringed when I saw the pictures the first time around. Definitely not a comic book you'd want your kids reading.
In A Nutshell: This novel is violent and dark, but it's also full of depth and, above all, it's really, Really good! It's been critically acclaimed by just about everyone, and, despite the violence, it's great as an introduction into graphic novels. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons were geniuses! I love everything about this story and how it was put together. I strongly recommend you read this. If you haven't read it, read it soon; and if you have read it, read it again. There's absolutely no way you'd regret it!

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