Book To Movie: Watchmen By: Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

Title: Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

PAPERBACK

Amount of Pages: 416

Publisher: DC Comics

Release Date: April 1, 1995 (Original came out in the 80's or so)

Genre: Graphic Novel

Geared Towards: Adults

Extra Info: This novel is VERY GRAPHIC-FYI

More Info: Alan Moore is also the author of V For Vendetta

"Who Watches the Watchmen?"

Summary (From Amazon Review): The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced.

Wdebo's Review: I have never liked to read comcis before, instead I enjoy the company of shojo more, but when I saw the trailer for Watchmen the movie and how many people where obsessing over it, I knew I had to get it when I saw it on my library's shelves. I read it in just one sitting and I loved it :) Though there were some lagging parts in the middle.

The story was like this twisted reality (when you minus the "superheroes" of course), except I still don't understand are they all humans who work out a lot and use martial arts or people with powers or aliens? (I just kno that, that blue dude-Doctor Manhattan (?) has radiation, but I apart from that, IDK, but I know that Raschach is human). And the art was ubber gory, and I thought 100 Girls was gory, bahaha I was so wrong. The story is really dark so the blood fits in there, but seriously, there is way more drawn blood then there should be, some guy gets his neck slit and all of a sudden there's a volcano of blood coming out? You don't get that much bloodloss, that's wat annoys me about comics, when they have an overexagerated amount of blood.

My favorite character? Defidently, Raschach. But I don't know why I like him so much, he's mentally challenged and scary and likes to hurt people, bahaha but after learning about his childhood I started to really like him. Except most people don't turn into a human-race murdering maniac when they have a troubled childhood, take Dave Pelzer the author of A Child Called It, he had a...to put it gently had a "harsh childhood," but he was able to turn that around by writing his memoir and creating a foundation for other children that were in his position.

The cover, scares me (blood...yeah) but it does capture the essence of the book, and smily faces are just never going to look the same to me again.

All in all, an amazing comic book, that I think everyone (who is mature enough) should read.

Grade: A-

My Take On The Movie: So, I watched the movie last night, and I defidently have to say, that the movie was not as good as the GN. Yes, it was cool and all and I really loved the beginning credits as it flashes through history and the history of the minutemen/watchmen. But after that it seems to get slowly more boring and more boring. The fight scenes were pretty cool except there was one, elbow splitting one that made me and my friend spit out...it was WAY gross.

But of course, all of Roaschach's parts were AWESOME...cuz that's just how he is :) Except Roaschach didn't talk in a monotone, which annoyed me, his voice just sounded husky but not very monotone-y. But it was cool, but the moving displays of the ink blots on his mask were very distracting. Except there was ENOUGH Roaschach scenes...god...he's suppose to be the "main" character.

They had interesting music for diferent scenes, like in the very beginning when The Comedian gets killed there is this really happy, happy song...and then in one of the more mature scenes, there was the Hallelujah song from Shrek playing...*cries* they corrupted that song for me lol. And also another fight scene or so they had BALLET music playing...BALLET XO.

All in all, this was a pretty decent movie...I just think those who haven't read the GN might have enjoyed it more then me. I still think the Graphic Novel is 1000000000 times better.

Grade of the Movie: B+

Wdebo :)