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Watchmen | 
 enlarge | Authors: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
Publisher: Titan Books Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £17.99
Buy New: £9.44
You Save: £8.55 (48%)
New (18) Used (8) Collectible (2) from £9.44
Rating:  69 reviews
Sales Rank: 106
Media: Paperback
Pages: 424
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 10 x 6.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1852860243
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9781852860240
ASIN: 1852860243
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW - ***Delivery usually * 2 - 3 * working days - From Aphrohead of SOUTHPORT, Lancs, UK *** . Priority Airmail used Worldwide on International orders. Thanks from all at Aphrohead.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Has any comic been as lauded as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns but Watchmen remains the critics' favourite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and recently From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to garner praise since.The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterisation 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 fine pace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it retains its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --Mark Thwaite
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| Customer Reviews: Read 64 more reviews...
 AN AQUIRED TASTE September 23, 2008
Red Queen (Limbo)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this comic based partly on the positive feedback it has received and the hype surrounding it; however such hype can create unrealistic expectations. That isn't to say Watchmen isn't a fantastic work of fiction, simply it wasn't what I expected.
The story begins with an intriguing murder mystery that helps to introduce one the books greatest characters, Rorschach. After this promising start the story slows down considerably with the majority of the book dedicated more to the development of the main characters rather than the story itself. The deliberate slow pacing and exploration of the inner landscape can make reading Watchmen difficult as developments in the main story take an age to develop.
Some of the characters in Watchmen are brilliantly realised and in the case of Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan are a joy to read about. Other characters such as the second Nite Owl are less interesting and are pretty unspectacular, both as a superhero and as a normal individual. This continued focus on the main characters could be considered one of the books greatest strengths. However for me it is in some areas a weakness with pacing and plot development sacrificed for a continued focus on the lives of the main characters. In an attempt to be genre defining Watchmen feels overly clever and self-indulgent in places.
Is Watchmen worth owning, that depends on what you want from this comic.
Watchmen is a slow read full of intricate characters with intricate relationships. This internal exploration can be frustrating as developments in the main story arcs happen very slowly. If you are looking for action then Batman: The Dark Night Returns offers characters that are just as rich and well developed with none of the baggage and a more exciting and involving story.
 WATCHMEN September 16, 2008
Mr. Christopher Morton (England)
I decided to buy this book after seeing the forthcoming movie trailer,it looked fantastic and I was really intrested in finding out what it was about,I wasn't disappointed,it is a crackin read,could not put it down,don't be put off just thinkin'it's just a comic this is a book that demands your total concentration,can't wait for the movie now!
Hasn't aged well... September 9, 2008
N. Megahey (Belfast, N Ireland)
Twenty years ago, Watchmen was undoubtedly the peak of the comic art form, a defining and influential work that gave credibility to the format of the graphic novel with its multiple overlapping narratives, its post-modern deconstructive outlook on the nature of comic superheroes, given psychological depth through realistic characterisation and documentary interludes, using them as a metaphor for covert US activity in the wider political world - a force with no accountability ("Who watches the Watchmen?") that can either deter or precipitate an international crisis.
Twenty years later as it is about to finally make its way onto the screen after numerous abortive attempts, Watchmen is however starting to show its age. The wordplay, juxtaposition of imagery, visual links and overlapping narratives that once seem sophisticated in the world of comics now seems very arch and even cheesy, but it's the dark tone of dread of an imminent nuclear Armageddon that dates the novel the most.
Watchmen's place in the history of comic art is assured, Moore almost single-handedly shifting the whole concept of graphic novels onto a more sophisticated adult level, but in comparison to modern indie, autobiographical, and European works, Watchmen's heavyweight treatment of the superhero theme now seems more than a little pompous.
 It's a classic for a reason September 5, 2008
Guy Rogers (Calgary, Canada)
A cleverly written interwoven story, which hasn't really dated and rings even more true in today's current environment. Well inked as well.
It will be interesting to see how it translates to the big screen.
Read it before the movie comes out! September 1, 2008
The Kinniburgh Kid (UK)
Do not be put off by the comic book format; this is very good, imaginative, intelligent story telling with real depth and complexity.
The movie will no doubt be stunning, but read this before you see it.
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