Watchmen-The graphic novel

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by amdmiami, Sep 1, 2008.

  1. amdmiami

    amdmiami Commander Red Shirt

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    I've been meaning to read this but I want to know from you guys if it's any good.
     
  2. Davros

    Davros Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It is one of the best ever written.
     
  3. Ben Sisko3

    Ben Sisko3 Commodore Commodore

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    Seconded. It may, in fact, be THE best.
     
  4. misskim86

    misskim86 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    itunes has an animated watchmen but it's just the first comic or something. It's pretty neat though, voiced and all
     
  5. Moocey

    Moocey Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Get it. It's a great read.
     
  6. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Those guys don't know what they're talking about--it IS the best. I've heard of entire college courses being taught on just this comic. Take the plunge!

    And I wholeheartedly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie. In this case, no matter how good, the movie can only be a pale reflection of a story that was told to perfection in its original medium.
     
  7. Darth_Pinche

    Darth_Pinche Captain Captain

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    You HAVE to read it. Then wait a few months to chew on it, then read it again to really appreciate it.
     
  8. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'm about halfway through it so far-- and yeah, it's pretty good. I was worried it was going to be a little too esoteric and impenetrable like some of Moore's other stuff, but it's actually been pretty easy to read.

    Even the little "book excerpts" and other side stories have been cool to read (unlike whatever those things were in the LXG comics).
     
  9. Davros

    Davros Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It may well be one of the best works of fiction to come out of the 1980s.
     
  10. JNG

    JNG Chief of Staff, Starfleet Command Rear Admiral

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    OBEY
     
  11. Haytil

    Haytil Captain Captain

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    I thought it was slow and boring. I've yet to make it all the way through, and I've tried several times. Incredibly overrated.

    I'd say it was pretentious, but it's not the comic so much as the reaction everyone has to it that could be qualified as such.
     
  12. misskim86

    misskim86 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I like The Watchmen but stuff like Preacher, Sandman or Garth Ennis' Punisher is way better. Preacher is what got me into comics in the first place.
     
  13. Bishbot

    Bishbot Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    That or it really is just that good?
     
  14. stj

    stj Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    After reading Promethea (reading at least one volume and skimming two others anyhow) or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I felt I had wasted my time. I didn't feel the same after reading Watchmen. It deserves to be taken seriously I think. Some of the raving does sound demented, true, but I hope it's hyperbolic.

    In the end the staunchly heterosexual, anti-intellectual super badass Rohrschach martyrs himself but will ultimately prevail over the epicene intellectual Ozymandias, while Blue God-like being displays proper contempt for humanity as a whole by heading out into space, or something. Plainly the sort of stuff that inspires terminal enthusiasm in a certain kind of young person.
     
  15. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    That's all you got out of it? No symbolism, no subtext, no historical context?

    And what about enthusiasm in mainstream critics and college professors? On the contrary, while I appreciated Watchmen a great deal when I first read it at the age of 17, I found that it grew and grew with subsequent readings over the years, particularly when I shared the book with others and we thoroughly discussed matters such as character motivations and symbolism. There are layers of depth in this book to be delved into.

    I'm reminded of what Luthor tells Miss Tessmacher in Superman: "Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story."
     
  16. Hicks

    Hicks Captain Captain

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    I ordered it out of curiosity and good word about a month or so ago. After I finished, I thought it was great.
     
  17. misskim86

    misskim86 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Sometimes a comic is just a comic
     
  18. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Joe Piskapo taught Data how to tell Jokes.

    Personally i resent this thread being called Watchmen "the Graphic Novel". It's just Watchmen. That movie will be forgotten about a couple weeks after it airs , like the League of Extraordinary gentlemen THE MOVIE or From Hell THE MOVIE which were both abominations and quickly relegated to obscurity.
     
  19. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    And sometimes it's not.
     
  20. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    Doubt it. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the movie, the fan reaction has already been pretty strong, and Snyder carries with him a certain sense of cult enthusiasm that will keep the movie around for quite some time, regardless of quality.