WATCHMEN - Tome 0

.(This review is for the Watchmen, International Edition – this is a nicely bound soft cover version the title)If anything, Watchman is an examination of the history of the genre and purpose of the superhero: how readers connect to it, and what it means rationally. Moore stretches from fond parody to outright sedition, wrapping the once-simple genre in layers of meaning. This is a tale where he also constantly pushes its boundaries. Watchmen is unrepentant and unwavering in it delivery.There are no real heroes here - for most Superhero narratives, up until the publication of this title, these Superhero comics were all usually built around wholly compassionate, venerable characters. They represent what people wish they were, and they do the things normal people wish they could do. It doesn't deliver on every level, it isn't perfect, but it contains so much that succeeds, and comes so close to fulfilling its promises that it would be almost crass to mention any failings.Alan Moore is a great writer. He is not a great writer for comics; he is a great writer period, who happens to have made the graphic novel his medium. Watchmen is at times legendary, funny, scholarly, sad, exciting and intriguing. It is written for intelligent readers. The plot, at times, does sprawl - it is convoluted, and it spans generations with a large ensemble cast. What kept it together are the deeply personal narratives on various scales. This is a fun read. It is exciting. The artwork is truly sumptuous and conveys so much of the unwritten tale.Read it. If someone sneers at you for reading, a comic book just ignore them..