Well, this requires an explanation. My mom has decided that in order to get me to read more over the summer, I have to read a book every week and write up a book report. Since I was already reading Watchmen, she allowed it to count. Since I figured more blogging experience would be beneficial, I also managed to bargain for blogging rights on the reports. So this is going to be a bit different from my usual posts, in that it's going to sound a little more formal, and it's going to provide a more detailed synopsis. So, onto the report.
Watchmen was written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins. The book was edited by Len Wein and Barbara Kesel. There were 12 issues, published from September 1986 to October 1987. Later that year, all the issues were collected and published as a graphic novel. The comic received universal acclaim, with Time Magazine even going as far as to call it one of the greatest novels of all time.
The main characters of Watchmen are Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian, Dan Dreiberg, a.k.a. Nite-Owl II, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, Laurie Juspeczyk, a.k.a. Silk Spectre II, Jon Osterman, a.k.a. Doc Manhattan, and Rorschach, a.k.a. Walter Kovacs. Important supporting characters are Hollis Mason, a.k.a. Nite-Owl I, Sally Jupiter, a.k.a. Silk Spectre I, Captain Metropolis, Hooded Justice, Bernard, the newspaper stand-owner, and Bernard, the pirate comic reader. The story takes place in 1985, in an America where superheroes first appeared in the 1940's, and again in the 70's. Their existence allowed America to win the Vietnam War, and has shaped the political situation during the Cold War.
The story begins when the Comedian is murdered, which Rorschach investigates. His investigation leads him to conclude that the murderer may be targeting superheroes and former masked heroes. He goes to warn Dreiberg, his former partner, Veidt, a successful businessman and athlete with a reputation for being the smartest man in the world, Manhattan, a scientist who fell into a nuclear reactor and became the only superhero to have genuine superpowers (that border on godhood), and Juspeczyk, who is living with Manhattan. All but Manhattan and Rorschach have retired from 'adventuring' as they call it, due to an act which banned superheroes, unless they were working with the government. After the Comedian's funeral, Manhattan is accused of giving people he interacted with cancer, which causes him to teleport to Mars. Laurie, now without a home, eventually moves in with Dreiberg, and the two become lovers. Meanwhile, an assassin attempts to kill Veidt, but fails. Spurred on by the recent events, Rorschach continues to investigate his mask killer theory. He finds an old supervillain, Moloch, murdered in his home, and is taken in by the police for murder. An psychiatrist interviews him, and eventually learns that he was an abused child, who was eventually rescued. He became Rorschach over many years, though the event that finally drove him was attempting to help a little girl who was kidnapped. Unfortunately, he failed to arrive in time, and the girl was fed to her kidnapper's dogs. After this, Rorschach began killing the criminals he fought. He colored his mask in black and white, but with no grey, to symbolize his moral code. Eventually, after donning their costumed identities again, Dreiberg and Laurie spring Rorschach, and continue to investigate the mask hunter. However, Manhattan returns, and brings Laurie to Mars to debate whether or not humanity is worth saving. During their debate, Laurie realizes her father was The Comedian, a fact she finds repulsive, as the Comedian tried to rape her mother once. However, this was consensual, a fact that disturbs, depresses, and confuses her. The idea that such an unlikely union could happen and sprout Laurie convinces Manhattan that humans are indeed special, and to return to Earth. Meanwhile, Rorschach and Dreiberg discover that Veidt may be linked to the murders, and fly to his Antarctic base. Upon their arrival, they discover that Veidt plans to use a manufactured alien threat as a means to halt increasing international tension, and stop nuclear war. His plan involves teleporting a genetically altered giant squid to NYC, which will die upon arrival, as will half the inhabitants of the city, due to a problem with the teleportation device. Veidt then reveals that they are to late, as he already enacted his plan thirty-five minutes ago. Manhattan and Laurie arrive, and are appalled by the death toll. However, the news channels reveal that Veidt's plan worked, and the world is unifying in the face of an alien threat. Everyone but Rorschach agrees to remain silent on the matter. Because Rorschach refuses to compromise, Dr. Manhattan is forced to kill him. Manhattan leaves to create life in another galaxy, and Dreiberg and Laurie continue to live and work together as heroes. However, unbeknownst to anyone, Rorschach left his journal with a right-wing newspaper before leaving for the Antarctic. Originally tossed into the 'crank pile', it remains undisturbed until an assistant is given the choice on what to run for some free space. This choice is never shown.
If you sat through and read all that, thank you. Watchmen is a very complicated story, and I didn't even get into the backstory of the original superheroes, the pirate comic, and a lot of other stuff. However, that's also one of the book's greatest strengths. It feels like a fully realized world, one where decisions can have major repercussions. Another great thing about the book is that the morals are constantly questioned with out taking a direct stance on which is correct. The book wants you to think, not accept its own message. It also features a lot of recurring symbols, and many transitions often come of similar lines of dialogue, helping everything tie together.
My favorite character is (Dull surprise!) Rorschach. I know, way to pick the fan favorite, but he's the favorite for a reason. He may not be the most likeable person, but he's the most interesting. He sees the world in pure black and white, and refuses to allow for grey. He does things we would find horrible, but he also is capable of good, and is working towards what he believes is a worthy cause. In his quest to defeat evil, he's become more and more jaded, and that's very powerful. I think another thing that makes him my favorite is that I agree with him that the world deserves to know about Ozymandias' plan. And even if you don't agree with him, you can't fault his ethics on that one. Sadly, his inability to compromise cost him his life, and was one of the reasons Manhattan decided to leave Earth.
Overall, Watchmen is a great novel, and definitely a watershed moment for the comic industry. While it does sadden me that so many people tried to imitate it without understanding what truly made it great, I am glad that they at least saw the book's quality. If you think comics are just silly pieces of fluff that never have any weight behind them, this is definitely the comic for you. If you love comic books and everything about them, this is for you. If you're a casual comic fan, this is for you. Really, this book is for everyone, except may be people 14 & under, but that's not my decision. The point is, no matter what your interests, you could pick up Watchmen and enjoy it. It's a universal story, and hopefully it will stand the test of time.
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