Watchmen DC Comics - Alan Moore

With the critical acclaim that this graphic novel has attracted over the years, its reputation preceded it. So as I sat down to read it, my expectations were already sky high. Would it live up to its reputation?

The first few pages were unassuming enough, the artwork seemed average; the writing was interesting enough to warrant continuing.

A few more pages in, when I met Rorshach, I was fascinated by the guy. Right down to being slightly repulsed by his personal hygiene, or lack of it.

After the first chapter I suddenly realised that I couldn't put the book down. Primarily I had always bought comic books for the artwork, this was something new. The writing was the main hook and its hold was much stronger than that of any visuals I had ever encountered.

As the story unfolded, I was struck by how different this comic book was from anything I'd ever read before. It was so meaty that I felt as if I was reading a plain text novel than a comic book. Addicted, I found myself marvelling at the depth of the story with its intricate sub plots and three-dimensional characters. Ever wondered what could drive a person in the real world to put on a pair of tights and fight crime? The Watchmen handles this in truly believable way. Each character I met had their own little imperfections and their own reasons for being a costumed hero.

Although I was initially unimpressed by Dave Gibbons' artwork, it grew on me, complementing Alan Moore's writing in a way that made the novel more than the sum of its parts.

So who is killing off all of the costumed heroes? I was kept guessing all the way by the genius of Alan Moore.

As I closed the last page, I got that feeling you get when you know you've just seen something out of the ordinary.

So did The Watchmen live up to its reputation as being one of the best comic books of all time? In my humble opinion, yes.