Watchmen
I've been wanting to read Watchmen for a very long time. But I was probably a little scared. My experience of graphic novels was extremely limited though I have always been attracted to that world. I just didn't dare enter it! Too fascinating maybe. And such a classic ...
Anyway I finally embarked on Watchmen and ... WOW I could hardly put it down. Fascinating it was indeed. And haunting.
The plot: it's a uchronia set in the 1980s and Nixon (thanks to the intervention of Dr Manhattan who allowed him to win the Vietnam war) is still in power. Nuclear war is imminent. Former costumed vigilantes seemed to be the target of a plot.
What I like about it: the complexity of the characters and the backstory we get for each of them. I was particularly interested in Rorschach and his manichean yet brilliant mind. For me he is all the more thought-provoking that he is not afraid of being alienated by others because of his extreme choices. Another compelling character was Dr Manhattan. Ok ... he's blue ... but come on let's be honest, ravishing blue. More seriously,despite his super super superpowers (they're countless) his emotional detachment is probably the most fascinating aspect of his personality.
The other thing I particularly enjoyed was the density of the book which I had not expected at all. There are a lot of descriptions and also pages in between composed of articles, biographical elements and fictional book extracts from the characters which emphasizes the realism of the graphic story. And the final detail I adored: the story within the story with the regular occurrences of extracts from a comic book read by one character about the Black Freighter.
Now I really want to watch the movie!
