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Liked It3 of 3 members found this review helpful “A comic book series (limited to only 12) that popularized the graphic novel format and was the first superhero comic to ever be considered serious literature. Primarily composed of adult situations, the murder mystery storyline deals with a world where superhero vigilantes were spawned by the...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It5 of 9 members found this review helpful “Let's get right to the point with this one; I just didn't connect with this story. I found it slow, with more than half the book being world set up and a series of convoluted flashbacks. I found none of the characters sympathetic, save for Jon (and possibly Night Owl), and in fact greatly...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“I was looking forward to reading this book. I had heard and read about it, and even watched the movie adaptation (which, in my opinion, is not as good as the book itself) before reading it. I wasn't disappointed. While this book probably must have had a much greater impact at the time the comic first appeared (due to the political and economic climate) it's still a wonderful read today. To top that off, it's presented in a very original way, as far as comics go.
Sofia Carvalho wrote this review 12 hours ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I won't go deep into the plot here, to avoid spoilers. The atmosphere is dark, almost depressing, mostly detached. The most interesting thing for me was the psychological and philosophical studies of the characters' motives. The side stories, newspaper clippings and excerpts, and even the "comic within the comic" added interest to an already intricate story. I found myself fascinated by Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach. Not your usual comic book heroes, that's for sure.
All in all, an excellent read. ”
“2.5
Stephanie B wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“An immensely dark work which I'm still trying to absorb. Moore paints a bleak alternate reality in which so-called superheros seem to have done more harm than good, driving a world which was already teetering on the edge of chaos closer to apocalypse. These vigilantes range from being slightly naive and altruistic, like the two Night Owls, to psychologically disturbed and vengeful, like the Comedian and Rorschach. One individual -- Jon -- has become so removed from his humanity via the machinations of science as to have little emotion left at all.
Thomas Johnson wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
These "superheroes" aren't really heroes, but that seems to be part of the point. While many start out with good intentions, they come to realize that their heroics aren't fixing the major problems which are bringing the world closer to apocalypse: while they catch purse-robbers, the arms race chugs on. But does this make their actions meaningless? And what is the moral price of solving these bigger problems, and is it worth paying?
Moore addresses all these questions through his characters, some of whom have given up on the world, and others of whom still see its potential for good. The search for any kind of meaning in life is something which all the characters, even the background characters who fill the streets of New York, are trying to find. By the brutal and morally dubious climax of the story, I wasn't sure if Moore was trying to say that such a search is ultimately meaningless in-and-of-itself and that means are ultimately justified by their ends, or that, as the Earth is always heading toward apocalypse, committing despicable actions in service of preventing such an event iis never justified.
Regardless, the last scene presents a blank slate: the Watchmen cannot be expected to be humanity's saviors, because they are as flawed as those they are protecting. The human race must make the collective decision to save itself -- its all in our hands. This is certainly an unsettling ending, but it fits the unsettling tone of the rest of the story. While I may disagree with some of Moore's conclusions, this is a well-written, thought provoking work that deserves to be read and discussed by many.”
“excellent”
Philip M wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a wonderful book.I really like it.If you read it you will learn what I mean.”
volkan ç wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Not really a comic book reader, but this was a good read, especially for something different.”
Bill C wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Excellent story for a graphic novel. Especially the running of parallel stories. Definitely recommended!”
Nishank C wrote this review 9 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“i want to read this book because most iof my freinds have read this book and said great things about it so i want to share the experiance...”
kashawn s wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“ World War 3 is looming above us. Who can avert this war and bring peace to the world? Why the Watchmen of course! Alan Moore’s Watchmen follows four superheroes in their quest to stop evil and avert World War 3. Dan Dreiburg, Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, and Laurie Juspeczyk are our main characters in this graphic novel, but what exactly do they do?
Peter G wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The four characters start separate, but eventually all team up to save the world. Anywhere else this would be a cheesy goal, but the artwork in each panel of this graphic novel gives the book a dark feel, and the story itself is worded very well. The panels show recreations of New York, Antarctica and Mars in 1985. The four superheroes are not really super; they are just normal people that have good intentions, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan was a scientist who got into a freak accident in the lab and was given god-like powers.
While reading about god-like beings and normal people with good intentions might sound like someone could read this to a child and show them the pictures, this is not the case. I would recommend this book for ages 13 and up. There is violence, sex, and several social issues in this book that would just not be appropriate for kids. Discrimination is brought up in the book, since everyone hates and fears the Soviet Union and people who move away from there. Also brought up is murder for a greater good. Is it alright to kill millions of innocent people so that billions can survive? This novel tugs on the reader’s moral fiber with controversial decisions and blurs the line between good and evil. Even with the controversial material and the adult themes, this book was a very good read.
Intense plot, vivid panels, somewhat likable characters, a little controversy? Check, check, check and check. While not appropriate for all ages, the book was a good read, and I would recommend it to someone who has asked about the book. Wait, why are you reading this, the best review for you is your own; start reading!
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