The idolized titans of our youth, the paramount of our worthiest traits, the manifestations of the true nature of good and evil, these figures have been romanticized by the art form of the comic book for generations. They serve as outlets for our fantasies, dalliances into an ideal world where even in our darkest of hours; the smallest glimmer of hope can rise to quell the chaotic forces nipping at the walls of civilization. They are our superheroes, and within their costumed façade we see ... (show more)

The idolized titans of our youth, the paramount of our worthiest traits, the manifestations of the true nature of good and evil, these figures have been romanticized by the art form of the comic book for generations. They serve as outlets for our fantasies, dalliances into an ideal world where even in our darkest of hours; the smallest glimmer of hope can rise to quell the chaotic forces nipping at the walls of civilization. They are our superheroes, and within their costumed façade we see the best of our traits. They seek to entertain, help us indulge in a black and white world of morals, and escape the sliding scale we witness in our everyday lives. Alan Moore’s Watchmen, however, attacks the very nature of man himself and lays bare our flaws and foibles, forcing us to reconcile with our inner demons, rather than find the safety of our outward projections.

Alan Moore succeeds in this formidable task, not by running from the mythos of the superhero, but rather embracing it in the context of a paranoid alternative reality during the throes of the Cold War. The emergence of the costumed hero is treated in the framework of an almost brutally grounded reality. Besides one individual reaching beyond the limits of humanity, the heroes are no more than ordinary people who decided, by either will or force, to take their own brand of justice to the streets of America. They all have different reasons, and their own set of internal values, but they are all decidedly human figures. They are normal not only physically, but also emotionally. They battle their own demons and, like some of us, fail to hold back the tides of their personal hell. This humanization provides a stark contrast to our romanticized vision of the costumed crusader, and succeeds in revealing an uncomfortable link between these individuals and ourselves.

Though the author wishes to use the medium of the graphic novel to convey these themes, he doesn’t relinquish the true purpose of any great storyteller. The plot is well conceived, and never fails to maintain the reader’s attention. The drumbeats of Armageddon push the story forward at an almost breakneck pace, but welcome respites are carefully placed and endow interesting back story to the many plot threads that run throughout the novel. The prose, however, deserves the most admiration. When working in a graphical medium, it is easy to rely on images to convey the nature of the story and characters. However, the author’s penchant for characterization is truly remarkable. If presented with the text alone, the reader would have little trouble imagining the nature of the story. In Watchmen, the art isn’t the force behind the piece, but rather a complementary gear to the prose itself.

Ezra Pound once remarked that all great fiction seeks to satisfy the following goals, difficult in its comprehension, lofty in its purpose, and limitless in its possibility. This novel meets all of these goals in spades. The themes it conveys are more relevant today than ever, and the gravity of its story could be dissected and deciphered in perpetuity. It deserves to be read and re-read, and transcends the confines that typically constrain illustrated works. This isn’t a story for comic book fans, but a fan of good literature in general. Watchmen shouldn’t be relegated to the burgeoning pile of vapid science fiction and fantasy, but rather hold a place among the titans of American Literature. (show less)