Watchmen: Tragically Graphic

Yesterday I read Watchmen, a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated/lettered by Dave Gibbons in 1986, 1987. This book won numerous awards, including being named one of the 100 best novels by Time magazine. Hun? I don’t get it. The story is sadistic and juvenile (assuming the juvenile is a psychotic egomaniac) and not that interesting. The drawings are very graphic and just plain ugly. The interspersed pages of dense and boring text don’t help. Any rush from reading this book comes from the same guilt-inducing prurient interests one might indulge when reading the grimmest of the grim stories in the crummiest of newspapers. And talk about stereotypes! The tough tart with a heart of gold (two actually, the mother and the daughter, wow!), the abused child who seeks righteous vengeance; the newspaper seller who just wants to connect; the older man in crisis because his past job just didn’t work out for him and now he’s impotent but hey, get back on the saddle and truth will come; the crazed and superintelligent egomaniac who fools (almost) everyone. There is the wonderful character of the blue and naked Dr. Manhattan: who gets to play him in the upcoming movie? By the way, do not let your kids read this book or see the movie (if it is like the book; it’s due out in March 2009) unless you are prepared to discuss (and I would argue, refute) the utterly nihilistic portrayal of humanity in this book.