Watchmen: Chapters I-V

Recently, walking the aisles of Target, I noticed the little ditty you see below (the picture on the right that is). This, for those of you who do not know, is the cover to Watchmen, the acclaimed Graphic Novel by Alan Moore.

Within these pages lies the supposed greatest graphic novel of all time. Being a fan of all things nerdy (minus video games I know) and with the current status of being Point Park's resident expert on the subject, I decided it was time to pick up this "Holy Grail" of Superhero lore.

Upon first glance through, which I usually do with every graphically inclined medium I pick up, this book did not seem that different from any other comic I have read. These differences have faded fast. The writing for the story is phenomenal, the way Mr Moore weaves several plots together, while propelling the story forward is amazing.

The characters fall into your basic archetypes, yet they shatter the mold that they are placed into as you read further. The most compelling character in the mix is Dr Manhattan, who at first seems like typical hero, gaining his power through a freak accident, yet Moore describes relates the story of his origin through such an amazing and different way, all the while not losing the reader with complexity.

The artwork for the book is also great, the characters are shown to look human with imperfections very different from today's super buff, mega busty heroes. The coolest thing the artist (Dave Gibbons) does is the ever changing ink blot mask of Rorschach, the anti-hero of the book. Dr Manhattan again comes to forefront in this category in the sense that he is rarely shown to wear clothing yet the artist makes this seem almost natural.

With only the first five chapters under my belt I am pleasantly surprised. This book makes me even more excited for the movie, due out next year. If you click the link below you can see the trailer, which makes me even more exited to read the rest of the story.