Two Reviews of Watchmen (Plus, a Bonus)
No, not reviews of the movie. Sorry.
My friend Kim over at Bold.Blue.Adventure has taken it upon herself to read Watchmen and she has posted her review. I think this will be of interest to a lot of people because her review is from the perspective of someone who has, like so many people in America, seen most of the superhero movies of the last ten years, but never picked up a superhero comic book. This is a review of Watchmen from someone who (she admits) probably didn’t pick up on all the nuances of the book, the commentary on or the deconstruction of the genre as deeply as those more steeped in it might have.
In other words, it’s a review for “normal” people.
Contained within her review are snippets of other great reviews for “normal” people that are worth checking out. For example, one that I found particularly interesting was this review from a different Kim, from Sophisticated Dorkiness, who read the book for a class earlier this year. She, like my friend Kim, had no previous experience reading superhero comics, yet was coming at Watchmen from an academic perspective.
Hopefully these reviews are helpful to you if you’re a “normal” person curious about all the buzz or even interested in checking out the book before the movie comes out March 6th. If so, this annotated guide to reading the book will help flesh out a lot of the meaning and symbolism that might otherwise be missed as you go through it, especially if you’re new to the genre. That’s only if you’re really serious about going deep when you read it, though! 
Finally, for those waiting for the film, a bonus. The new Watchmen video journal is out. It’s the sixth so far, and this particular one discusses “The Look of Watchmen” with the film’s director of photography, Larry Fong. Thanks to IGN for the clip.
Reader Comments
It is pretty interesting reading reviews of comic books by “outsiders”. I have to admit that I read through it pretty quickly. I think I tend to be one who is drawn more by visuals than story (just my artisitc bacjground, I suppose). I’ve tried some of Moore’s other works like V For Vendetta and LXG. I guess I give him credit for thinking outside the box, but can’t say I’m a fan. I am very excited for the film just because it’s a chance on seeing a superhero movie that isn’t really about superheros.
Similarly, if anyone want’s to peruse through some other graphic novels that are on epic scales (I know Aaron can attest to this), check out CrossGen comics. I have been working through all the titles our library has to offer and I can see what I was missing.
Yeah, Alan Moore is all about story. I’m not a huge fan of all of his stuff, but LXG, Top Ten, and Watchmen are all amazing works. A lot of it is very cerebral, though, requiring more than just a casual read. Taking time to understand what he is referencing is very important. LXG, for example, requires at least a working knowledge of literature — and a deep, more-than-just-working knowledge to get out of it everything that he put into it.
As far as Crossgen goes…what a bittersweet tale. Crossgen created some amazing comics (not Alan Moore amazing, but still), but died before they were done. An incredible variety of genres that all tied together with a unifying thread, all created by top-notch creators that are still major names in the industry. What happened? Company founder Mark Alessi didn’t manage his resources well and got into a situation where he couldn’t pay his talent. Ultimately, the company folded after releasing issue #2 of the miniseries that was to be the culmination of everything they had put out so far. After investing years and lots of money in buying their comics, the fans were left high and dry six issues from the end of it all.
I’m still ticked about it.