Watchmen

by Alan Moore

[ibeforem]

This book has been on my to-read list since the movie came out (though I still haven’t watched the movie). Overall I enjoyed it, with a caveat or two.

The art style is very traditional, which I appreciated. It did take some mental work for me to solidify myself in the correct time period, especially when so much is referenced back in the 60s. Actually, it was the back story that interested me the most – I enjoyed reading about how each superhero got to where he (or she) was. In fact, I liked those parts of the books much more than the overall plot. The main conflict in the book got a little too big for its britches, and ultimately didn’t hold together for me. By the time I got to the final resolution, I was just ready to be done.

Each graphic chapter of the novel is followed by something else – like a chapter from another book, a medical report, or a magazine article – that I guess is supposed to provide us with further back story. I liked these pieces at first, but after a while I realized that a good number of them didn’t do anything other than fill space. I outright skipped at least a couple.

When it comes down to it, I’m glad I read it, but more because of its place in history than anything else.