Graphic Novel Review: Watchmen
Good Evening Folks,
Hope your week is going well. As for me, my sleeping pattern is about to go off the rails.
The Chiefs won the Superbowl (I live in KC), so there’s a huge parade tomorrow downtown, very close to where I work.
Unfortunately I have to work, but work is letting me come in whenever, so I’m choosing to go in at 2am in hopes of avoiding the crowds as much as possible.
The benefit? My workday will be over at 9am if everything goes right. Wish me luck!
In the meantime, I just finished the complete graphic novel of Watchmen!
Fun fact, my great friend Stacy let me borrow this around the time we were watching the series adaptation on HBO (you can check that out here ). Unfortunately it took me a while to get to this, but I finally did it!
Blurb:
This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.
The Review:
I gave this graphic novel four and a half butt-kicking stars!
First and foremost, I’ve always loved comics, but this is my first review of a graphic novel.
In a nutshell, this graphic novel takes place in an alternate timeline where masked vigilantes roamed the streets, WWII was won by the world’s first superhero, and WWIII is imminent. After a string of death and violence against retired masked vigilantes, the survivors must band together to find who is responsible, and hopefully save the world in the process.
Man, was this comic series amazing!
First off, I really loved the concept. Superheroes are an instant winner in my book, and I loved the world that we were introduced to. I’ve secretly been obsessed with the concept of parallel universes and timelines, and adding superheroes into it just made me love it even more. This alternate timeline is dark, grisly, violent, and full of secrets.
The characters were really great too. Though all but one of our masked vigilantes don’t actually have powers, their personalities were rich and full of intrigue. My favorites were Ms. Jupiter, Night Owl, and of course Dr. Manhattan. That love triangle really kept those pages turning.
The plot was just as dark as this world was and had tons of great plot twists, some I didn’t see coming even having seen the movie and series adaptation. The world is nearing a third world war. I mean, how much higher could the stakes be?
All these greats pros aside, there were some small things I didn’t necessarily enjoy all that much. The comic within the comic idea seemed good at first, but it was a bit jarring when paired up with dialogue pretty much the entire time.
While I also liked the end of chapter passages, some of them just kind of dragged for me. Just my personal preference I suppose.
All these things in consideration, Watchmen is a dark graphic novel that is gripping, violent, and will have you on the edge of your seat. I definitely recommend, but only if you want to explore the darker side of heroism and what comes with it.
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out my blog homepage or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
***Can’t get enough of Jaunts & Haunts? Subscribe to my Chills and Thrills Newsletter on my home page so you don’t miss a thing! Newsletter emails go out every Sunday! Also, feel free to check me out at the social media links below!***
No, I haven’t read this one. I haven’t read a graphic novel in ages. I think I should, though, for a change of scenery once in a while.
Good luck with your 2-9am shift!
Yeah, graphic novels have surprisingly escaped me in the past, but I agree with what you said. Definitely going to try more out. Maybe one every few months?
Thank you! I need to go to bed within 30 minutes or I’ll be a walking zombie!