OK, the secrets out; I might as well admit it... I am a comic book geek. It's true, I like graphic novels - please don't hold it against me, but we've all got our vices right? But I got into them later on in life than most of the fan boys out there. So that doesn't mean I can tell you what happened in third panel of the eighth page of book #57 of The Amazing Spiderman, but it does mean I'm partial to the odd comic book movie and probably feel it more when Hollywood destroys a perfectly good premise with a war zone's worth of explosions (that's right X-Men 3: The Last Stand, I'm talking about you).One movie that I'll be looking forward to is Watchmen and with that in mind read and the fact it was a Christmas present, I decided to read the graphic novel. The front cover proudly boasts that it's one of Time Magazines top 100 novels (not graphic novels, novels!). It shares list space with some of my favourite pieces of work. Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man, Harper Scott Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird even George Orwell's 1984. Even I wondered what the heck it was doing on the list.
The story is set against the backdrop of a tense 1985 were America and the Soviet Union are still embroiled in a Cold War and nuclear attacks are a distinct possibility. Masked vigilantism, once accepted and even celebrated by society is now outlawed, with most heroes retired and keeping a low profile. Only one is still active and it's his investigation into the death of a fellow costumed hero starts a chain of events that drives the story to it's jaw dropping climax. Cue conspiracy theories, plot twists and more intrigue than should theoretically even exist within the pages of anything labeled a children's medium. I'll admit, the art work of Dave Gibbon's can be hard to get to grips with but luckily Alan Moore's story telling and attention to detail ensures that once you do, it's clear it's appearance on Time Magazine's top 100 novels is completely justified.
I'm not going to give any of the story away, but this is definitely one of the most original takes on the 'Hero' genre and much of what has followed in that ilk owes much to the vision of Alan Moore. The show Heroes owes it's entire first season plot to Watchmen (and actually most of the third)! Even if you're not a comic book fan, I'd recommend reading this one novel... not because it'll change your thoughts on the medium, but because from a literary point of view you owe it to yourself.
Update - 07/03/2008
I went to see Watchmen last night and while I was slightly disappointed with some alterations - but the changes were completely understandable. The problem is not with the film itself, it's with the advertising, leading the general population to expect a different film to the one they actually get. It's been sold as another ensemble superhero movie, when in reality most of the main characters feel nothing but isolation. Still worth my entry fee though and it's been a while since I said that after going to the movies!
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