Watchmen is a revolutionary piece of literature. It is technically a comic book, some prefer to call it a graphic novel. There is a negative connotation that goes along with that. Graphic novels are frequently presumed too childish and fantastic to actually teach any insightful lessons or even make you ponder them at all. Watchmen is a graphic novel that transcends this undue criticism of comic books. It is, “One of the first instances ... of [a] new kind of comic book ... a first phase of development, the transition of the superhero from fantasy to literature." (Klock, pgs. 25-26)
Alan Moore’s story offers an immersive and complex plot that raises all sorts of moral questions. It is an extraordinary work of literature that occupies a well deserved spot on TIME’s list of 100 Greatest Novels. Since Watchmen’s publication, many more authors involved in the comic book medium have created similarly respectable works, inspired by Moore’s down-to-earth story-telling.
Watchmen is set in an alternate version of 1985 where Nixon never resigned and had somehow repealed the 22nd Amendment. He is in his 3rd term as president when the story begins. Most of the events in the book take place in New York City. Cold War tensions are high between the U.S. and Russia. The only deterrent to Nuclear War is the presence of Dr. Manhattan. He is basically an omnipotent being (though he explains he is not a god), once human, who is fortunately on America’s side. Jon Osterman, as was Dr. Manhattan’s real name, was a member of the Watchmen, a disbanded group of masked vigilantes. The group was split up after the U.S. government passed the Keene Act, making vigilantism officially illegal.
Fear, a recurring theme in the story, caused the passing of the Keen...
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Klock, Geoff. "The Bat and the Watchmen: Introducing the Revisionary Superhero Narrative." How to read superhero comics and why. New York: Continuum, 2002. 25-26. Print.
Lamb, Robin. "Alan Moores Watchmen and its Reflections on Cold War Society."Alan Moores Watchmen and its Reflections on Cold War Society. RR Donnelley, 8 June 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
Lewis, C. S.. "N." The weight of glory and other addresses. New York: Macmillan, 1949. 458. Print.
Rand, Ayn. Atlas shrugged. New York: Random House, 1957. Print.
www.tcj.com. "A Portal to Another Dimension: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and Neil Gaiman." The Comics Journal. TCJ, 6 June 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .
The Watchmen is a comic book that describes how vigilante crime fighters helped in stopping the nuclear war in 1985. The vigilante crime fighters worked in organized groups, whereby they formed the first organized group in 1939, named the Minutemen. The first group of watchmen retired, and in 1966, a new generation of Watchmen formed to help in fighting crimes. The new generation vigilantes sometimes interacted with the older generation vigilantes, with the Comedian belonging to the both groups of vigilantes. Despite the great role that the watchmen played in combating crime in America, their activities started becoming unpopular with the police, the citizens, and the media. The unpopularity led to the anti-vigilante riots, making the vigilantes respond with increased brutality. In 1977, the government outlawed vigilante activities, and some vigilantes quit the vigilante activities while others continued seeking justice through the vigilante activities. In 1985, nuclear war raised international tensions and it seems unavoidable. At the time, the Watchmen included the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, who had supernatural abilities following an accident at a government research laboratory, Ozymandias, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre II, and Rorschach (Moore and Dave 2). At the time, the Comedian and Dr. Manhattan worked for the
Through the character Rorshach, The Watchmen explores the issues of nature verses nurture for him. Moore adds that a super hero, can be a psychological argument. A super hero is neither born nor shaped by environment, it is the creation of an alter ego to suppress childhood conflicting inner issues. Rorshach dealt with issues as a young child that rationalized in his mind to hide behind a costume and a mask in order to live.
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
Katcher, Philip. The Army of Robert E. Lee. (New York: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc, 1994)
5. Margiotta, Franklin D., Ed. “Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography”, Washington: Brassey’s, Inc. 1994
In the novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, interprets the achievement of order and law through the use of power and violence by superheroes. This novel consists a total of seven different characters to demonstrate how superheroes obtain peace in society through the use of violence. The writer portrays the plot in different characters’ perspectives by guiding readers in their point of view. This motivation also assists readers to examine the loneliness and the feeling of isolation during Dr. Jonathan Osterman, Walter Joseph Kovacs and Laurie Juspeczky’s life experiences.
Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” focuses on several characters throughout the novel making the idea of a main character moot. However, one character can be described as the most influential to the plot of the graphic novel. Rorschach can be seen as such due to the fact that he narrates a large portion of the novel, and his heroic code that he follows. Not only does he influence the plot by those two reasons, but also by uniting the characters after a long silence. The Comedian is the only character that almost perfectly fits as the character with the most influence on the plot of “Watchmen.” The death of his character allows for the plot to be set in motion. He has not only has he shaped every other character in the novel, but the symbol that represents his character can be found throughout the graphic novel. Although Rorschach can be interpreted as the most influential character of “Watchmen,” The Comedian influenced more aspects of the plot than any other character of the graphic novel.
Alexie, Sherman. "Superman and Me." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 1998. Web. 14 May 2014. http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/19/books/bk-42979
Allen Moore’s sordid depiction of twentieth century life presents a complex world, where the distinction between a virtuous hero and a villainous wrongdoer is often blurred. In stark contrast to the traditionally popularized portrayal of superheroes, whose unquestionably altruistic motives ultimately produce unrealistically idealized results; the realistically flawed characters of Watchmen exist in a multi faceted world characterized by moral ambiguity. America’s imperialistic ambitions have long been justified as an expression of American idealism. Much like the portrayal of superheroes in popular culture, America’s intervention in foreign affairs was portrayed as the result of a clearly defined problem, where American intervention was necessary and consensual. The Watchmen exist in an American reality that does not depend on them as the archetypal hero as demonstrated by the fact that their presence is not necessary to the survival of the world. Collectively the characters of Watchmen parallel the tumultuous relationship that as a superpower the United States of America has with the rest of the world.
To create living people should always be the goal in literature. It is how a writer can illuminate a new facet of existence and can only be achieved through the use of a sympathetic imagination. Hemingway erred however, when he argued, “A character is a caricature” (153). A caricature may be a character sometimes, but it may also be a fully realized and living person at others. As in Watchmen, when a caricature lives, it can be an extremely powerful thing.
Their contact with the British government is an ancestor of James Bond and, as in the Bond books and movies, the head of British intelligence is M, and his initial is a hint at his own fictional identity. Moore and O'Neill use these characters to play a sophisticated version of the fantasies kids indulge in about whether Superman could defeat Spider-Man. The graphic novels are written and drawn in a style that mingles the formality of Victorian literature with contemporary raunch and bloodthirstiness. When Hyde goes on a rampage we get to see him ripping bad guys quite literally in two, or chomping on their limbs. The Invisible Man takes advantage of the sexual liberties open to a man who can't be seen.
“A remarkable work, awesome in its conception and execution… at one and the same time a novel, a documentary, a memoir, and a comic book. Brilliant, just brilliant.”
Alexie, Sherman. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” Writer’s Presence: A Pool of Readings. 5th ed. Ed. Robert Atawan and Donald McQuade. Boston:Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. 73-76. Print
Curry, Neil. "Stan Lee's Universe." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“The Golden Age of Comics” PBS. PBS, 2011 Web. Retrieved on February 11 2014 from http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/the-golden-age-of-comics/