Tuhnsoo reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Better than the movie
Paperback, 424 pages
English language
Published April 7, 1987 by DC Comics.
Watchmen
by Alan Moore,
Alan Moore
4 stars
(428 reviews)
[Comment from Lauren Beukes][1]:
It took me years to read Watchmen. Every time I'd get to the men in tights and the giant naked blue guy, I'd think, "Ack! Superhero comic!" and put it down again. It wasn't that I was against comics. I'd read 2000AD Monthly religiously since 1989 and Alan Moore's The Ballad of Halo Jones, about a girl from an interplanetary ghetto who wanted to get "out", was my favourite series of all. But I liked the dark, twisty stuff that had something to say about the world and superhero comics seemed tediously codified with no room for moral ambiguity. I should have known better. What Moore does best, even at his silliest or most obtusely philosophical, is subvert. He uses story to crack open the dark places of the human soul like a crab shell, revealing the pasty meat within, and then pokes it with a …
[Comment from Lauren Beukes][1]:
It took me years to read Watchmen. Every time I'd get to the men in tights and the giant naked blue guy, I'd think, "Ack! Superhero comic!" and put it down again. It wasn't that I was against comics. I'd read 2000AD Monthly religiously since 1989 and Alan Moore's The Ballad of Halo Jones, about a girl from an interplanetary ghetto who wanted to get "out", was my favourite series of all. But I liked the dark, twisty stuff that had something to say about the world and superhero comics seemed tediously codified with no room for moral ambiguity. I should have known better. What Moore does best, even at his silliest or most obtusely philosophical, is subvert. He uses story to crack open the dark places of the human soul like a crab shell, revealing the pasty meat within, and then pokes it with a cattleprod to see it writhe.
He's the kind of writer who makes you feel very smart (Kitty Genovese and the moral bankruptcy of crowds in Watchmen, for example) and very stupid (a dozen obscure Victorian literature references interwoven into every page of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) at the same time. He pushes the medium. Every panel, every background detail, every interlude, whether a vaudeville song or a beat-style short story or seemingly wholly unrelated pirate horror comic, counts. He stretches the boundaries of storytelling in ways other writers wouldn't attempt, let alone pull off – and does it with a ferocious social conscience that challenges everything we are.
And when he has a mind to, when he's not off on some grand mal meditation on the nature of magic or sexual desire or what stories mean, Moore tells the perfect story. Inventive. Surprising. Original. Utterly devastating. From being the comic I couldn't read, Watchmen became the narrative I hold up as what fiction can be.
[1]: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/14/science-fiction-authors-choice
neul reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
"We are alone. There is nothing else."
Shawn Towner reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I've heard this described as the greatest comic book/graphic novel ever, but I'm not sure if it's as good as [b:Garfield in Paradise|1435128|Garfield in Paradise|Jim Davis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1183569834s/1435128.jpg|1425682].
lowclasshifi reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
a startlingly assured work from two masters of the form absurdly early in their careers. it's one of those books that feels like it manages to contain the entirety of human emotion.
this book is a masterpiece. there's no other word to put on it.
Sarja reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A great story that features very interesting character development. I was very impressed with how well fleshed out the characters were, and amongst them, Rorschach would have to be my favourite. Certainly the best Western comic I've yet to read.
I would like to give this a four, but for now, it'll have to start at three.
Highly recommended!
abbybutinspace reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wow.
adastra reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The wealth of this book is incredible. Forget the film. Read it.
Jamie reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Not a cheerful beach read, but I get why people are enthused about this book.
Sean Tilley reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'GoodReads'
5 stars
One of the most poignant and important graphic novels in comic history. The movie didn't do it justice.
Pearson (he/they) reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Alan Moore's "Watchmen" is an excellent look at just how destructive humans can become if left unchecked. For a "comic book," "Watchmen" struggles constantly with deep philosophical and theological themes. Accompanied by beautifully visceral illustrations, this graphic novel paints a dazzling picture of a world where Super Heroes are ordered to unveil their secret identities and corrupt governments plot and scheme for more and more power. Alan Moore's characters are so believable because of the stark realism that surrounds their conversations, which lends credence to the absolutely absurd events that take place throughout the graphic novel. A stunning warning of what we are capable of, "Watchmen" is one of the most popular works of underground comic fiction.
Stephen reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Watchmen by Alan Moore (2008)
gtc-one reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Mind blowing
unicorndeburgh reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
When I read 'Watchmen' in 2006, it was the first graphic novel I'd ever read. I thought it was fabulous. The release of the movie has prompted me to read it again. Since then I've read Bechdel's 'Fun Home' and Lemire's 'Essex County' books, and 'Watchmen' now seems rather adolescent. The art is gorgeous, and the dialogue is good, but the two-dimensional characters � especially the women! Of course, I understand that Moore created 'Watchmen' more than 20 years ago. He was using the elements of superhero comics and taking them further than they'd ever gone before, laying the foundation for the kind of work that's being done today.
Michael @ Knowledge Lost reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The only graphic novel to make the 1001 books to read before you die list, the Watchmen is a reprinted of all the series and put into a collected graphic novel. Moore used the story as a means to reflect contemporary anxieties and to critique the superhero concept and he did this extremely well. Watchmen is a superhero story like no other. Watchmen takes place on an alternate history Earth where superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1960s, helping the United States to win the Vietnam War. The country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, freelance costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and most costumed superheroes are in retirement or working for the government. The story focuses on the personal development and struggles of the protagonists as an investigation into the murder of a government sponsored superhero pulls them out of retirement.
Bean reviewed Watchmen by Alan Moore
Review of 'Watchmen' on 'Goodreads'
Didn't get through it before it was due back at the library, so I'll have to give it a shot again sometime.
