Thursday, January 17, 2008
Watchmen
Alan Moore
1986
This is a graphic novel about superheroes fighting evil.
Wow. There are several stories playing out simultaneously in the novel, fitting given that the nature of time is one of its major themes. This book is revered as being the groundbreaking graphic novel, essentially creating a new genre. Aside from it's length, the truly groundbreaking aspect to this book has to be its sheer intellectual depth. Quotes from Bob Dylan are side by side with poetry by Shelley amidst storylines weaving particle physics, existentialism, political philosophy and human emotional complexities. There is more to be interpreted from one frame of this book that from a whole page of a traditional brute force comic. Which, given that the book is hundreds of frames long makes the full weight of its interpretative potential staggering.
There are essentially stories. A loosely connected group of aged and outlawed masked heroes with now supernatural powers tries to cope with their increasing irrelevance. An actual super powered man who keeps the balance of power between Russia and the US in check by his simple ability to destroy any nation with one thought moves beyond the influence of the US government after becoming disillusioned with the human race. A deteriorating and dysfunctional American society slides even further into barbarianism having to cope with too many internal collapses. A billionaire genius plots a way to enrich himself even further while saving humanity from itself. An shipwrecked Victorian era sailor is driven mad by torturous drifting on the endless sea.
Often many groundbreaking works are dwarfed by the later phenomenal works in the genre they created. Thought I've only read only Maus and Give Me Liberty, I can pretty surely bet that Watchmen is not dwarfed by any other graphic novel and won't be any time soon. It is simply a brilliant story told with creativity and boldness. It is entertaining and intriguing to read and it is as engrossing as any full length novel could ever be.
Alan Moore
1986
This is a graphic novel about superheroes fighting evil.
Wow. There are several stories playing out simultaneously in the novel, fitting given that the nature of time is one of its major themes. This book is revered as being the groundbreaking graphic novel, essentially creating a new genre. Aside from it's length, the truly groundbreaking aspect to this book has to be its sheer intellectual depth. Quotes from Bob Dylan are side by side with poetry by Shelley amidst storylines weaving particle physics, existentialism, political philosophy and human emotional complexities. There is more to be interpreted from one frame of this book that from a whole page of a traditional brute force comic. Which, given that the book is hundreds of frames long makes the full weight of its interpretative potential staggering.
There are essentially stories. A loosely connected group of aged and outlawed masked heroes with now supernatural powers tries to cope with their increasing irrelevance. An actual super powered man who keeps the balance of power between Russia and the US in check by his simple ability to destroy any nation with one thought moves beyond the influence of the US government after becoming disillusioned with the human race. A deteriorating and dysfunctional American society slides even further into barbarianism having to cope with too many internal collapses. A billionaire genius plots a way to enrich himself even further while saving humanity from itself. An shipwrecked Victorian era sailor is driven mad by torturous drifting on the endless sea.
Often many groundbreaking works are dwarfed by the later phenomenal works in the genre they created. Thought I've only read only Maus and Give Me Liberty, I can pretty surely bet that Watchmen is not dwarfed by any other graphic novel and won't be any time soon. It is simply a brilliant story told with creativity and boldness. It is entertaining and intriguing to read and it is as engrossing as any full length novel could ever be.
