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Watchmen (Paperback)

by Alan Moore (Author), Dave Gibbons (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
RRP: £17.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 424 pages
  • Publisher: Titan Books Ltd (1987)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1852860243
  • ISBN-13: 978-1852860240
  • Product Dimensions: 25.6 x 17 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 739 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Authors > Moore, Alan
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    #1 in  Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Cult Graphic Novels > Watchmen & Other Classics

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Has any comic been as lauded as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns but Watchmen remains the critics' favourite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and recently From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to garner praise since.

The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterisation is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling, rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the fine pace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it retains its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --Mark Thwaite



BookMunch Online Book Reviews June 2002

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Customer Reviews

146 Reviews
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 (8)
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 (2)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (146 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Depressing Story Ever Told, 24 Oct 2008
By R. Hill "Rikk Hill" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Alan Moore is a genius of the very worst kind. He produces work which you have to read, because frankly it's brilliant, but which you really don't want to, because fundamentally it's horrible.

Well, except Voice Of The Fire. Even an endorsement by Neil Gaiman couldn't put a shine on that.

Watchmen, however, is fantastic. I don't want to give it five stars, but it pries them from my begrudging hands. I have never come across a work of art so good which left me feeling so bleak and hopeless. If you're questioning your faith in humanity, or feeling at all bummed about the world, you might want to wait a bit before picking this up.

Don't say I didn't warn you. I did. This is me, warning you.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Go on - try it - you'll be rewarded!, 23 Jan 2009
By Jimbo (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
Okay, I confess it... this is the first graphic novel that I have ever read, and one I picked up only on account of the hype surrounding the film. The regard with which the book so I thought I'd give it a go - and I have to confess that I loved it!

What is special about Watchmen is the range of themes included. The book begins with the murder of former masked vigilante The Comedian, and the writers quickly introduce us to a range of former masked vigilantes (they are specifically prohibited by the law following a police strike, unless expressly allowed by the government) including the second Nite Owl, Ozymandias, the second Silk Spectre, Rorsarch and the one person with genuine superpowers, Dr Manhattan. As the book and plot progresses the writers generously fill in their back-stories, as their motivation for becoming masked vigilantes and reactions to their forced retirement are revealed.

The masked vigilantes are required again to try and save the world and act outside of the law again. In doing this, the writers raise questions around the effects vigilantes can have on society, and is summed up by the slogan that is constantly inserted in panels as graffiti, "Who Watches The Watchmen?" The book explores many themes around contemporary society but hasn't dated since the end of the Cold War.

The well-drawn and entertaining comic strips are supported by exerts from written texts that further serve to flesh out the history of the characters and the situation in which they find themselves, and the comic within the comic works well in supporting the main thrust of the story.

This is not a book to be undervalued on the grounds that it is a graphic novel - it is a serious and enjoyable piece of work and if you have never read a graphic novel, you should definitely give it a go.
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51 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Trend Setter, 12 Jul 2005
By DocBhoy (Invercargill , New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
At the time of it's release , Alan Moore ( author of 2000 AD stories such as Skizz , Halo Jones and D.R. & Quinch , not to mention DC stalwarts such as Swamp Thing ( he invented John Constantine in this series ) , and several short Superman stories ) had grown tired of the spandex brigade in mainstream comics , and decided to re-invent superheroes as if they had come to life in our own world . This tale is a classic tragedy about the trials and tribulations of a former group of vigilantes , who find themselves thrown together when one of their number dies .

This is no short 5 minute read , like those who are uninitiated with graphic novels may expect . Instead , this is a story that will take time to read ( and should be relished ) , with intermissions between chapters that help to flesh out the protaganists characters and give us insight into their world .

The story has been rightly decribed as one of the main influences on modern comic story-telling , and the superlatives have been deserved .

Without doubt , a story deserving of anyone's attention , whether a graphic novel enthusiast , or new to the genre .

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
Thought provoking and exciting - the graphic novel everyone should read! It tells a scary alternative Cold war story with a new approach to the superhero genre - A Master piece!
Published 27 days ago by Kristian H. Nielsen

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragic parallelity that grows on you
I have just been reading Moore for about a year or two, in Sweden we don't see much of his works, or they are out-of-print since long. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Jansson Andreas

5.0 out of 5 stars Why watch the Watchmen... when you can read it!!!
I have long put off reviewing this graphic novel as it's hard to know what to say. Now that the film has finally been made Watchmen is hard to avoid. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hollie

5.0 out of 5 stars Why watch the Watchmen... when you can read it!!!
I have long put off reviewing this graphic novel as it's hard to know what to say. Now that the film has finally been made Watchmen is hard to avoid. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hollie

5.0 out of 5 stars Why watch the Watchmen... When you can read it!!!
I have long put off reviewing this graphic novel as it's hard to know what to say. Now that the film has finally been made Watchmen is hard to avoid. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hollie

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Thing I Have Ever Read
Nuff said. The characters, the story, the situations, and the world of Watchmen is absolutely fascinating. Read more
Published 1 month ago by L. Whitehurst

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice pickup
This is the 16th copy of the collected issues that I have bought - that should be enough of a review of the comic itself, not only do I buy it again and again but people borrow it... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Feargal Halligan

5.0 out of 5 stars This seminal graphic novel is a must for any comic or superhero fan
What can i say!!! I was one of the uneducated in terms of graphic novels, but am now the proud owner of a well read version of this timeless classic!
Published 2 months ago by Mr. V. S. Randhawa

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Very entertaining and also thought provoking. Clever stuff, and with the subtlety of a good novel. Good twists and turns, well drawn pictures, really nice book.
Published 3 months ago by Top Tec

1.0 out of 5 stars OVERRATED
Alan moore's most overrated graphic novel , is slow opaque dull and unrewarding it misfires on more than
one occasion, and it's only three dimensional character is killed... Read more
Published 3 months ago by S. D. Campbell

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