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Amazon Sales Rank: 46
Publication Date: 1995-04-01
Release Date: 1995-04-01
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN: 0930289234
Type: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 416
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This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.
One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.
Average Rating: 
Review: 2008-11-19
Great reading - abrupt ending
As my title suggests, I found the book to be a gripping page-turner. For that reason I with-held a five-star rating - only because I found this book to be hard to put down, until the last chapter, when everything is wrapped up with a fairly deflated climax. Anyone who's studied composition knows the climax should occur a wee bit before the finale, but in this case everything just sort of shuts down right at the end. Other than that, one of the most gripping pieces of illustrated fiction I've ever seen!
Review: 2008-11-16
A highly engrossing work of art
One thing I really, truly like about Watchmen, that sets it apart from other works of superhero fiction, is the way it treats its heroes. They, on the most part, are fully aware of how silly dressing up in a theatrical costume and running around fighting crime is, and the more sane amongst them treat the enterprise as very tongue-in-cheek. With the exception of one hero they have no powers, and thus distinguishing between one hero or heroine and the next becomes highly character-driven rather than "oh he's the guy with the claws" or "oh he has the eye lasers".
Speaking of characters, the characters here are extremely well-written. Two examples:
- Rorschach is a vigilante detective with a sordid past and a rapidly deteriorating psyche. By the opening of the story he considers his Rorschach persona to take presidence over his alter ego, and refers to his mask as his "face".
- Doctor Manhattan, the only superhero with any real powers, is rapidly and dramatically losing his feelings of being human to the point of self-imposed exile from Earth. Described as a walking H-bomb, his withdrawal from Earth violently upsets the balance of power between the US and Russia, and threatens to start World War Three.
My only real beef with this novel, and the reason it only got 4/5 stars, is the ending. Though brilliantly orchestrated, it has a critical flaw in relation to real-world events, and you should stop reading now if you don't like spoilers.
The "villain", if he can even be called that, aims to stop WWIII by staging a massive attack on New York city that wipes out half the population, and makes it seem as if other attacks are imminent and that the world needs to ally against this new, perceived, and potentially permanent threat - and it works. My problem with this is that something to this effect actually happened, what with 9/11 and all, and the world sympathy only lasted for a period of a month or so, and then everyone went back to hating who they hated before. It's not really the fault of the authors that they mis-judged humanity's capacity for caring about each other, but it does kind of lessen the impact of the novel in this day and time.
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Amazon List Price: $19.99
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