Watchmen DC Comics - Alan Moore

ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING! This is the comic series that I thought was the pinnical of Alan Moore's career... until the next thing he did, then the next, then the next. The man is a fully certified genius! Ahem* anyway Watchmen was originally published as a 12 issue miniseries in the mid-eighties. It still remains ahead of it's time and is superbly detailed in every way: art, plot, characterisation and even literary and music references.

The plot is too confusing to go into, but involves the death of a murdering, rapist "hero", a fully grown man dressing as an owl, a man being disintegrated and returning to life (and travelling to Mars) and best of all... pirates! It just has to be read with your brain fully turned on to get even half of what's going on. I still return to the book every so often and still get pleasure, and a few surprises!

Superheroes, but done in such a knowing, cynical way you wonder why nobody did it before, or how previous writers thought they could get away with such ridiculous premises (Nite Owl's ship rings a few bells...). Heroes with their insecurities exposed and well past their prime. You don't need to have any prior knowledge of comics to read this and be blown away, but of course it helps to understand the references and extra touches. Watchmen is why comics could well be the finest form of literature around.

Buy it now and you will be disturbed, touched, sickened, wiser but above all else - blown away.