Watchmen

I don't have a lot of experience reading graphic novels, however, I do enjoy most of the movies based off of graphic novels that I've seen.  I have read most of Sandman and do enjoy reading Manga on a very frequent basis so when I was given a copy of Watchmen I was definitely intrigued.

Watchmen is basically the story of the rise and fall of masked heroes.  There is very little "crimefighting" involved that is often related with comics like Batman, Superman, etc.  This is an in-depth look at the personalities of the heroes portrayed in the novel.  It starts off with the death and investigation of said death of a masked hero.  As we find out more about this crime, we are treated to background stories of all the "Watchmen" who have long since gone out of fashion.  There is really only one remaining, Rorschach, but he is more of a vigilante.  The world is a place that has tired of the antics of these heroes and prefers to fight crime in a more typical manner.

Most of the heroes have revealed their identities and have taken on normal lives but with the death of one of their brethren, this causes a stir in the masked hero community.  Rorshach believes there is a plot to kill all the heroes.  He starts reaching out to his old "pals" and this is how we learn about each individuals pasts as well as roles they played as masked heroes.

In the end, it turns out one of their own was plotting to destroy New York in order to cause the world to be thrown into chaos which would then lead to the coming together of all people to fight the powers that caused this destruction.  Surprisingly, he succeeds but is uncovered.

I enjoyed the novel but it took quite some time to read because it was so intense.  Each character was different so for one, I think it shows that any individual can be extraordinary.  But the ending was disturbing in that, logic shows that people unite under great adversity.  Take Russia and the US in WWII for example.  The logic that the "villain" was using was that it takes a truly horrific disaster to bring people together.  If you look at recent history, I would say that this is the case even within our country.  If you take in the world, a disaster of even higher magnitude is required to create a lasting peace.

There are so many sub-plots and story lines that writing an actual summary would be tough.  But I was left in a very thoughtful mood upon finishing this novel.  It is a dark picture of our world and also uses a lot of historical context during the "Red Scare" to tie in the characters' struggles.

Score: 7/10