Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Barry Marx (Editor)

From Barnes & Noble

Alan Moore, the master storyteller behind V for Vendetta, and Dave Gibbons, a brilliant draftsman, have long been revered by comic book fans as the creators of Watchmen, a groundbreaking graphic novel that subverts the superhero genre as easily as a toddler upends a house of cards. Rather than focusing on superhuman abilities, Moore instead zeroes in on the humanity of his characters and leavens what is essentially a murder mystery with enough social commentary and political intrigue to fill a shelf of graphic novels several times over. Gibbons, too, in his detailed yet understated style, conveys a wealth of emotions that easily rival any Oscar-winning performance. Factoring in added treats like excerpts from Moore’s original working script (complete with highlighted notes), character studies, page thumbnails, and cover sketches taken directly from Gibbons’s sketchbook, this deluxe 20th anniversary edition is simply a must-have.

From the Publisher

It all begins with the paranoid delusions of a half-insane hero called Rorschach. But is Rorschach really insane or has he in fact uncovered a plot to murder super-heroes and, even worse, millions of innocent civilians? On the run from the law, Rorschach reunites with his former teammates in a desperate attempt to save the world and their lives, but what they uncover will shock them to their very core and change the face of the planet! Following two generations of masked superheroes from the close of World War II to the icy shadow of the Cold War comes this groundbreaking comic story -- the story of The Watchmen.

Rolling Stone

Watchmen is peerless. — Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone

Village Voice

A brilliant piece of fiction. — Richard Gehr, The Village Voice

The New York Times - Dave Itzkoff

The would-be heroes of Watchmen have staggeringly complex psychological profiles: beneath his mask, the hard-nosed vigilante Rorschach is not a billionaire Bruce Wayne-like playboy but a troubled loner with a sociopathic streak. The gadget-dependent Nite-Owl is a sexually impotent pushover. Dr. Manhattan, the lone character who genuinely possesses supernatural powers (gained from a quantum physics experiment gone horribly wrong), is so close to godhood that he can appreciate human affairs only at a subatomic scale.

Library Journal

When first serialized in 1986-7, this extraordinary story took the comics world by storm, and its fresh approach, more mature and realistic than most other mainstream comics of the time, became a template for much of what came later. In a world where superheroes have been outlawed, the murder of amoral government agent and ex-superhero the Comedian leads some of his former colleagues to investigate, and thereby uncover a plot of incredible scope and impact. Moore and Gibbons delve deeply into the psychology of the heroes, including the uncompromising, illegally operating urban denizen Rorschach; the wealthy super-intelligent businessman Ozymandias; and the atom-powered, blue-skinned, aloof Dr. Manhattan, and the heroes' political, technological, and cultural impact on their unsettled world is thoroughly delineated. Further, Moore proved himself an immensely skilled scriptwriter, weaving together complementary plotlines that comment on and deepen the book's main action. This remains a pinnacle of comics achievement, and no collection should be without it (with mature themes and some nudity, it's recommended for older teens and adults). This new oversized (12"x8") hardcover, with its colors revised by original colorist John Higgins and with preliminary sketches and story notes appended, is the finest version available. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

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Interviews & Essays