Ah, The Watchmen--a seminal piece of comic-book history, at least partially responsible for moving the field from its juvenile roots to its darker and more critically acclaimed present.

In The Watchmen's alternate reality, the age of superheroes has come and gone. Although in the recent past superheroes were entrusted with maintaining order, public resentment--and fear--quickly grew against the "masked men" and women, sentiments embodied in the catchphrase, "Who watches the watchmen?" Move to the present day: being a superhero is illegal, the Cold War is at a fever pitch, unrest grips the nation--

And, on Friday night, a comedian dies in New York.

There is so much to praise about this graphic novel that I hardly know where to begin. Moore creates an entirely original cast of superheroes who range from the mundane (e.g., Nite Owl) to the fantastic (Dr. Manhattan) to the disturbing (Rorschach). Moore's writing is flawless. He eschews narrative boxes or sound bubbles, so every word in the book is either spoken or thought by a particular character; but Moore does such a masterful job of keeping each character's voice distinct that I hardly noticed the absence of narration. And, as always, Moore's writing is never awkward, overblown, or cliched; his writing style is better than most non-comic-book authors I've read.

I should also mention Dave Gibbons's art. Although at first I didn't like it very much--it seems old-fashioned and dully colored--I've grown to appreciate Gibbons's work after a few rereadings. What is most remarkable is how much Gibbons does with a very conservative layout: although most pages are just nine equally sized panels, Gibbons manages transitions between scenes remarkably well, and he is capable of expressing subtle emotions with simple penstrokes (see Veight's smug expression in Chapter 12, page 9). The way Gibbons manages to convey the narrative both within and between panels is, well, cinematic, in the sense that every single panel has a purpose, and not a single frame is wasted. It is also remarkable to see how wonderfully Moore and Gibbons weave certain symbols throughout the book: every chapter starts with one central image, which is reflected over and over again both within that chapter and in subsequent chapters.

The writing, the artwork--and the story. Moore begins the book with a bang, and the level of suspense does not let up until the very end. Every piece of the rather convoluted plot makes sense, and the story wraps up with a satisfying close.

For those who are reading The Watchmen for the first time, I had better caution that it is slow reading at first--the plot is difficult to understand, the characters take some time getting used to, and there are certain passages in the book that don't make sense until you reread it. But, ultimately, The Watchmen is a book to be read, reread, and savored. Few graphic novels--indeed, few novels of any kind--have had such a hold on my imagination, emotions, and memory.

Copyright © 2001 Steven Wu