The comic book or graphic novel genre is often associated with cartoonish characters and childish themes - especially by outsiders looking in. Avid comic fans will talk for hours about the mature themes and characterizations to be found in the medium. The recent comic book movie fad has certainly shown the world a darker, more mature side of the graphic novel. Spider-Man has shown us what it means to be human in the face of rejection and it has shown us that we can take the characters behind the mask seriosuly. The Dark Knight is perhaps one of the darkest movies of our time, but it shows us how hard it can be to stay on the side of right in the face of nearly insurmountable evil.
It was with this mindset that I set about reading some of the novels of Alan Moore, a man about whom I'd heard much, never a bad word. I started in the world of V, the masked vigilante that runs amok in facist Britain. How terrifying a premise, yet how elating it is when good prevails. I have read both the novel and seen the movie. I believe the movie accomplished what it was after far better than the novel, though the novel is appreciable in many more ways.
I moved from Britain to Gotham after seeing the Dark Knight. I have said many a time here on this blog that the Joker's psychology, or lack thereof, fascinates me. Moore's The Killing Joke goes boldly where no graphic novel had gone to that date: into the deranged mind of the psychopath, and what resides therein is at once engrossing and disturbing.
Yet, nothing prepared me for what awaited behind the yellow cover with a smile and a splotch of blood. Nothing prepared me to the journey on which I was about to embark, into this world rich in detail and depth, layered with plots and subplots, driven by characters who are almost more real than my hand in front of my face. It was a slow process, reading Watchmen. I found myself drawn to the page, exploring the art as I read the text, finding the nuances throughout. What is often overlooked, I believe, by the public at large, is the illustrativeness of the graphic novel. I certainly went through my days reading the kiddy comics, where the pictures were more filler than anything. But in Watchmen, every picture has a purpose beyond just illustrating a frame. The effect of absorbing both the written word and the illustrated picture is almost hypnotic. And yet, what it comes down to is the characters and how their actions define the story, and looking back on it, how those characters have influenced characters that came after (Saw's entire premise is based upon one scene in Watchmen, and that one scene, which took maybe a minute to read, is more appalling than the entire 2 hour movie experience).
It is on the backs of these characters that the story is driven. The deeply imagined characters come to life through the creative talents of Alan Moore. Each one is alive and has such a deeply realized psyche, it's hard not to imagine Nite Owl sitting right here next to me. Each character is a super hero, but at the same time, each is flawed and human and pained and real.
The picture that this story paints is at once abhorrent and thought provoking. The end will leave you stunned, gasping for breath, your mind completely numbed. It will leave you questioning your morals, what is right and what is wrong. It will leave you asking: was it worth it? And the best part? Moore leaves it up to the reader to decide what's right and what's wrong. The door is wide open, and we are free to choose for ourselves. And, believe me, it's something that any reader will likely think about for a long, long time after turning the final page.
The movie comes out soon, and I'm more excited than ever. I cannot wait to see what becomes of the characters when we see them on the big screen. I hear rumors that the ending is being tweaked, and that makes me truly nervous. I cannot imagine a more fitting end than the one penned by Mr. Moore.
In conclusion, I daresay that this might be in the top 5 most important fictional works ever written - a pretty big leap for one of those childish comics, eh? But in all seriousness, this book ranks easily among the best I've ever read, and I'd strongly recommend to anybody who hasn't already: read it now.
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