Watchmen was one of the films trailered on The Dark Knight — I’ve seen the graphic novel around, but I’ve never read it. That is something that has now been rectified. I picked up the novel the week after Dark Knight, and it was one of the last copies we had in store. That, also, has been rectified: seventy plus copies, in section, in the queue line, on displays at the front of the store, and on end-caps throughout the popular fiction section.
Watchmen is a dark mirror of our own world — set in the 1980s, in a fifth or sixth Nixon administration, superheros made irrelevant and illegal by legislation begin to mobilize as these now retired ex-crime fighters realize that their numbers are being dwindled by assassinations, and frame-ups, and media-driven witch-hunts. Which begs the question: why?
Yeah, I’m not even going to go into the plot, except that it’s a lot deeper and more involved then you’d expect from a comic book. Then again, this is one of Time Magazine’s Best 100 Novels of All Time. Not 100 best Graphic Novels … best Novels. Watchmen was written by Alan Moore, the same guy who wrote one of the best Batman graphic novels, The Killing Joke, and V for Vendetta. I haven’t had a chance to to read that latter GN yet, but I’ll admit, despite what I’ve read about Moore’s distaste for cinematic adaptations of his work, I enjoyed that film, and I think I’ll enjoy Watchmen as well.
Also, I can’t get the music from the trailer out of my head. Aiiyeeee!
I’m nearly done reading this book. Like you, I was inspired by the trailer. This would be on the second viewing of The Dark Knight, of course, since I missed all the trailers when I went with you.
Also, my neighbor, who saw the first five seconds of the trailer and figured it out immediately, thrust a copy of the book into my hands and insisted that I read it.
I’m going to have to add this to the “must see” list–I’m hearing all over from people I know have similar tastes to mine that they love the story and are drooling for the movie.
I am so psyched for this movie. All the images I’ve seen are dead on. I hope that 2 hours is enough to tell the whole story.
Comment by yellojkt — August 19, 2008 @ 6:29 am
The music from the trailer is by Smashing Pumpkins. You can find it on the Batman & Robin soundtrack, interestingly enough.
Comment by Alex — August 21, 2008 @ 5:35 pm
I’m nearly done reading this book. Like you, I was inspired by the trailer. This would be on the second viewing of The Dark Knight, of course, since I missed all the trailers when I went with you.
Also, my neighbor, who saw the first five seconds of the trailer and figured it out immediately, thrust a copy of the book into my hands and insisted that I read it.
Comment by Claude — August 21, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
I’m going to have to add this to the “must see” list–I’m hearing all over from people I know have similar tastes to mine that they love the story and are drooling for the movie.
Comment by PandoraWilde — August 26, 2008 @ 4:50 am