This is a great book, but... in my opinion the movie was better, and the game was awesome.

this was a great book. the action was sooooo intense i loved it

Complex, unconventional superhero comic book(or graphic novel). Much tamer than the film, however there is some strong violence with blood, and the content is fairly mature. 12 year olds should be fine.

I could talk about this graphic novel for hours, but I'll just make it clear that this is one of the greatest novels (graphic or not) ever made. Hint: Once you have read it the first time, read again, just to find lots of "easter eggs" and small details that you didn't notice the first time, and you'll find out Watchmen is a book that, no matter how many times you've already read it, will have some surprise for you(and it's always a great surprise).

Not even Zack Snyders 2009 film or the Animated comic come close to pentrating the skin of its complexity. Writer Alan Moore and the much underappreciated artist, Dave Gibbons twist the concept of the superhero vigilantes on its head by placing the protagonists in a realistic world. I read the majority of it nonstop during a five hour trip. Be warned though: the novel does not portray superheroes in a positive light. It features graphic scenes of death, sex, rape and mass murder.

This book is truly an adult classic. I liked it alot and I think all ages would like it but it is only appropiate for adults.

Watchmen's complexity and character depth were out of this world. It also got me thinking, which is rare in a book. I read this about a month ago, at 16. Watchmen was my first comic book; I am a devout bibliophile, but decided to try Watchmen as it looked interesting. It was, without a doubt, one of the best things I have read in a very long time. It was rather graphic, with nudity, violence, and rape, although it was displayed as tastefully as possible. I was always a very mature kid and teenager, reading above my grade level and cognitively gifted, but the complexity is something that would be difficult for a child or young teenager, even a highly intelligent, mature one, to truly grasp. Though I personally could have handled the graphic content at around 12, 13, or 14, the complexity would have been lost on me. I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it at 12, 13, or 14 as I did when first reading it at an older age. It was absolutely AMAZING though, and is great for older teenagers and adults. Even if you've never touched a comic book, you really should give Watchmen a shot.

Well, let's get right into it. The story, well, it’s very long and complicated, so make sure you aren’t reading this while laughing at the hilarity of your favorite TV show. In order to understand the plot, you need to know the universe. Basically, it’s an alternate reality where the superhero comic fad of the 50’s turned into a fad of real-life costumed adventurers, as the book calls them. They’re there for a while, but then, the government outlaws them. The only two left legally active are The Comedian and Dr. Manhattan, who is essentially like a god, he can do anything. It’s all set in an alternate 1985, where the Cold War is real and Nixon is still president (*shudder*). The book actually opens with the murder of The Comedian, who is like Marvel Comics’ The Punisher, but, well, what makes him different is a major character plot point, so I won’t say. Anyway, so then, an illegally active costumed hero, named Rorschach, is investigating the murder. Rorschach believes that someone is picking off costumed heroes, although we aren’t sure. This soon introduces us to the remaining three characters, Dan Dreiberg, the second Nite Owl (the first being a man named Hollis Mason), Laurie Juspeczyk, the second Silk Spectre (the first being her mother, Sally Jupiter), and Adrian Veidt, who is also known as Ozymandias. Rorschach goes to all of the other characters; Dr. Manhattan included, and tells them about the murder of The Comedian, Edward Blake. The majority of the first half centers around this mystery, as slowly the hit list for the heroes grows Rorschach becomes ever more convinced of his “mask killer” theory. Eventually, it all boils down to a point where the heroes need to essentially save the world. There’s a lot more to it than that, with a lot of secondary characters, sub plots, and flash backs. However, for the sake of space, most of this will be left for you to discover. Wow. That’s about all you’ll be able to say after reading this. Let’s start with the story. The story is very well thought out, it pulls you in from the beginning and never lets go. You keep reading and reading until eventually you’re hooked, and you can’t wait for some spare time to find out what happens next. That’s what a good story does. Which brings us to the writing. This Alan Moore is a genius. Never before have I seen a comic book so down-to-earth. With the exception of Dr. Manhattan, this book keeps everything within the acceptable range of believability. Not only that, but every character is fleshed out, and develops as the story progresses. You don’t feel cheated, like you missed something with a character, because no one gets missed. That’s hard to do in a book, or anything, that has so many characters. The characters themselves are brilliant. The great thing about them is, they’re all flawed in some way. Even Dr. Manhattan, perfect on the surface, has unfortunately had his humanity taken away when he becomes an omnipotent super being. In other words, you can connect with all of them, even if they are nothing like you, you can still understand them, and you can believe that they exist. The art by Dave Gibbons, while a bit cartoonish by today’s standards, has a draw to it. A nostalgic charm combined with a unique style of color that all accumulates into an effect that is very pleasing to the eye. Also, there’s a lot of symbolism and subtext in Watchmen. The book raises a lot of moral, social, and even religious questions as to what is acceptable and what ultimately becomes of us. These only enhance the experience. All these elements, the story, writing, characters, and artwork, combine into a spectacle that is one of the best ever to grace the grid-like pages of comics. A fair bit of warning: this story is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. There’s quite a bit of violence, imitatible violence at that, and yes, there is a fair amount of bloodshed. There’s also some nudity, so if you find this discomforting, you might want to stay away from this one. However, if none of this bothers you, then go right ahead. I encourage anyone who doubts the ability of comic books to carry a good, thoughtful, and believable story to read Watchmen. So, why the lack of a five Godzilla rating? It’s simple, while Watchmen does indeed go against every rule set forth about superheroes, and manages to tell a great story, it still relies on the superhero context. Other comics, such as Maus and Strangers in Paradise, have created very engaging stories that have nothing to do with superheroes, horror, or fantasy of any kind. For this, it gets a Godzilla knocked off. If Moore had chosen to go with a novel, it might not have had this problem, but then, it wouldn’t be part of comics history, so it goes in a cycle. It’s all down to what you think. None the less, Watchmen is dazzling, thought-provoking, engaging and one of, if not the, greatest comic book ever written. For my overall rating, I give Watchmen: five Godzillas, a definite buy.