2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Wow. Mind-blowing stuff. The ultimate superhero comic book epic, it seems.
In its most basic form, 'Watchmen' is a realistic, alternate-universe/history version of our world where ordinary people have been going out as costumed vigilantes since the 1940s. It is about the lives and multiple interactions of said group of heroes - the ones not killed in action or inaction anyway - who, in present day 1985, have long since retired (and outlawed from fighting crime). Some still fight - killing more lives than saving them, mind you - in the name of glory, the thrill, human enhancement, or mere publicity. But mostly the Minutemen are decades-old news.
The murder of one such "hero", The Comedian, on page one jump-starts the plot, and a mystery is set. Is there a conspiracy where someone, for whatever reason, is killing or incapacitating former crime fighters?
While the murder mystery goes on in the forefront, in addition we move through a strange yet straightforward and relevant cacophony of histories, chapters dedicated to the backstories of each major and minor character, and a truckload of symbolism and subtext. ‘Watchmen’ is vastly character-driven, and draws its ideas from real-life political issues and an existential philosophy.
Details matter, and at over 400 pages it is not to be read in one afternoon sitting - it is a graphic novel with an emphasis on novel, and should be treated as such. After reading this monster of a comic, it is not hard to see why Alan Moore is considered a revolutionary genius; a “hero” of a medium that was widely underappreciated and written off as cartoonish. In 1986, 'Watchmen' came and fired that perspective into deep space.
Moore deconstructs the superhero genre down its nitty, gritty complications and implications. He even explores the origins of the comic book and why some people, deep down, would like to be superheroes or at least feel inspired by them to make the world a better place. 'Watchmen' demonstrates how much power fiction has - particularly in stories featuring uncomplicated, black-and-white heroes and villains - and how much we need it in our lives.
For art mirrors life.
There are intermissions at the end of each chapter which include written historical documents relating to the Minutemen, including an autobiography (one of my favourite parts). While this might at first be off-putting in a graphic novel - where all should be visual - it helps add realism, and fills in blanks without drowning the book itself in too much exposition.
All the characters are people, not necessarily "heroes". They are relatable, and are easy to hate because of that. But they are still interesting in their uniqueness as human beings who deny truths and make mistakes as ordinary humans do. Their psyches are explored externally in graphic novel form via colours, shades and in-depth symbolism (i.e. the 'Nostalgia' perfume and the in-universe pirate comic book), and internally in just how much they have to deal with in their lives, before or after they chose to become superheroes for various reasons. Some of the “heroes” have bad intentions, some no intentions at all, and others good intentions – which can prove to be even more destructive.
As a side note, the death of The Comedian in the beginning is probably a good thing in hindsight, as the reader shall see in flashbacks what a repulsive, violence-obsessed and egotistical sociopath he was, especially in his interactions with the other Minutemen. He is fascinating, however, in how he viewed the world as one big joke without a punch line. He didn't believe in principles or any abstract ideas such as justice. No, he did what he wanted - and as violently as possible - in order to infuse some sense of humour and purpose to life's meaningless existence, even as a government-sponsored hero. But to have any chapter where we delve deep into his past, and deeper into his mind and the reasons for his actions, would have been too much, since there is already no room left for sympathy. The readers are not meant to empathise with The Comedian on any major level, and by having him be the old "hero" who’s killed off at the start of the story, they are spared from doing so, leaving more room for developing the living characters. There’s a chance to sympathise with them instead.
There are a few more characters I feel are worth mentioning.
One is Dr. Manhattan. He is the only person in 'Watchmen' with actual super powers. (Caused by a laboratory incident; he's not an alien like I thought he was before reading). He is superhuman, capable of doing anything, but he does nothing. Dr. Manhattan is in danger of being used and abused as a weapon by the American government, when at war with other countries (his name was even chosen to strike the fear of America on the rest of the world). He is awed, feared and slandered by the people he looks down on - which is everyone, including those he cares about. While to some degree he feels human emotion, he can't help that as a god-like entity, he sees humanity as worthless and inconsequential; shown through his spending most of the comic in isolation on Mars, where he tries to build a new home for himself. This doctor is immortal; life and the universe just keep going, dying. Humanity will continue to kill itself, and eventually it will (he can see into the future, which he thinks is pointless to try and change), so he will want to move on from it all, and explore the rest of the infinite universe. Dr. Manhattan is a highly complex, tragic creation; a non-hero no one would want to be even with his powers and immortality.
My favourite character is Rorschach. I love his design - both in costume and out - and the idea behind his conception. He is the one to immediately investigate The Comedian's death and conclude that there is indeed a conspiracy. He keeps a journal which is laid out in notes throughout his scenes in the comic, giving the reader a glance of how his mind works and why he hates the world so much as to lash out, to make right when it did him wrong. Messed up and hinted to have an antisocial personality disorder, Rorschach is every bit the antihero, and a murderer of murderers and rapists. A believer in a narrow view of justice - who acts as its judge, jury and executioner. But he is very smart; smart enough to be all too aware of how the world and everyone in it works. Which makes him literally a psychologist's worst nightmare. Despite being a murderous terror, the fact that he does try to bring about justice in his way, coupled with his past and the state of the world he's in, is still somewhat noble in its own right. At one time he is also shown to have a soft side when faced with children, who he refuses to do anything violent to or in front of. His own deeply troubled childhood makes this understandable as well as admirable. Anyway, Rorschach: a tragically-deluded psycho - and poet - who gets stuff done, and as bloodily as possible. A deconstruction of Batman as a poor man, he is incredible.
Lastly, I want to talk about Laurie, aka the second Silk Spectre. Despite some people saying she is the weakest character, I thought she was really well-written and multifaceted. Upon starting 'Watchmen' I was wary of how the lone major female hero would be represented. As it turns out, I was surprised by how much time is spent on her development: her past, and thoughts and feelings as a human being. Though yes, Laurie doesn't do anything of significance to enhance the plot; she's just going along for the ride. She's romantically involved with two of the male “heroes”, and any moment of badassery is ruined by her making mistakes and needing men to help her out. Storywise, Laurie exists for the development of the male leads, but in terms of her own character, I found her to be progressive for a comic book from 1986. She's smart, assertive and aggressive when need be. A people-person who smokes, loves sex and having a drunken night out with old friends. Laurie is someone "normal" for the reader to connect to amidst the weirdness and darkness of 'Watchmen'. That she says she never liked being a crime fighter, yet puts on her old costume when going out to rescue people from a burning building (with Nite Owl, admittedly), says a lot about her. Laurie Jupiter is a more realistic Lois Lane, and as multi-layered as the rest of the cast. I liked her.
Her mother, Sally the first Silk Spectre, on the other hand is pathetic, and even more useless and passive than Laurie. I'm glad she appears very infrequently in the book, even when keeping in mind that women and victims like her do exist in real life, sadly.
The artwork is great, reminiscent of the Action Comics of the 1930s onwards, and like the story it is richly detailed. Every panel is illustrative in more ways than one - emblematic in subtext. The hard work that went into creating 'Watchmen' shows on every page, jumping out at the reader. Everything about this graphic novel masterpiece is admirable.
Of course there are downfalls to it. Patience is vital whilst reading ‘Watchmen’, however the ride can still be enjoyable and exciting as well as suspenseful. Not so much when the exposition goes overboard both in the story content and the "samples" of history after every chapter. Nowhere is this more apparent than near the end, which I won't spoil, but it's when an "evil plan" is revealed and page after page is dedicated to explaining it right down to the tiniest faucet of detail. It’s boring and unnecessary, even if we need to know it all to understand character motivation. It's here where I saw why some people might call 'Watchmen' pretentious or trying too hard to impress.
And why is Ozymandias's female secretary barely mentioned after what happens to her in her introduction? I don't think she was even given a name. That's disturbing in of itself.
Even with its flaws, however, it is not at all hard to see why 'Watchmen' is hailed as one of the best graphic novels of all time, read even by none-comic readers. It's very dense, dark and shocking, with an end-of-the-world vibe lurking in the foreshadowing pages always, but it's balanced out with spectacular moments of character and genuine feeling for a world gone mad - in reality and in art.
'Watchmen' appears to be a story about heroes. But in actuality it is about humans. A universal, existential exploration of the human condition.
I applaud Alan Moore for his effort of insight and gravitas, much rewarded.
Final Score: 4/5
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