WARNING: This is from an outsider of Alan Moore world. Spoilers inside. Only for people who have read it.Yes, I finally read Alan Moore's The Watchmen. I resent that people refer to the only ones who love the comic are 'fanboys' but the ones that referred me to the comic were women. They are far from fanboys. I thank them, this is awesome. It was like reading a novel. What finally compelled me to get it was watching the "V for Vendetta" movie. Never read anything of Alan before and I wanted to read something pure before it was bastardized. It has been a long time since i've read a comic full-through. Alan and alot of people have said it should stay as a comic and only serves as a comic. But for me, it is very translatable. It could be a live-action media and the details and alagories could serve well and be translatable. It's just... this is perfect enough as is. I read it perfectly quick and it felt like a show and it was just bliss. Everything a comic could be and should be is here. I can't even put myself to read the comics of these days, they don't have the same pull.
Now, I admit I skipped through some of the "Black Freighter" stuff. Yes, boo and hiss at me. But it just didn't capture me as much as the other stuff. And I knew if the pirate comic was in there, it had to mean something since everything in the fucking comic stands for something. The Black Freighter is a parrellel, yes i know. The clock at the end of each chapter, ofcourse. There is a site out there putting out the imagery. But I had already figured out who was behind everything with the mention of one word.
I love all the concepts, especially, Alan's favorite chapter--the one where Dr. Manhattan and all past and future. It is a wet dream. Well, the whole piece is a wet dream. My favorite character? Laurie Juspeczyk ofcourse. Even though the majority of characters are based on Charlton Comics and DC but alot of it reminded me of X-Men, especially the hall or mansion they were in during that christmas party. Yeah, the Comedian reminded me of Wolverine.
It is all very topical today of course. Very ironic about the avid use of Afghanistan. And writers who write drafts for the potential movie skid over the ending, but I think it should be done. It is a shocker but as the piece says, its inevitable. You know doomsday will come. Also, lots of Cold War talk since the Cold War was still going on in 1985. Last week on the Daily Show with John Stewart, he was talking to a government guy and they were talking about how this country was only prepared for Russian intellegence and not prepared for the middle east. And this hums alot of this topic. In the comic, Russia invades Afghanistan. Nixon is still president in this because Alan says that everyone would agree he was a devil president and they didn't want to have Reagan. Changing the name of Reagan-nomics too. Funny enough, they mention Robert Redford possibly runny for President and someone says 'we don't want a cowboy as a president.' Ay, lord. Mr. Moore! You're a pyschic or... maybe they got a brain of one. Inside joke.
Some people say the end is a bit halfish, not very climatic especially the fate of Rorschach but I think it was fine, maybe not paced right. Overall: the best, perfect, must remain untouch. EVERYONE MUST READ THIS. Well, fans of sci-fi, X-men, anything Whedon, comics all together, etc.
More soon.
