Everyone on Earth seems to agree the Watchmen
Who, indeed?
Now with the movie coming out – to mixed reviews – the one consensus seems to be the unassailable perfection of the original. So let me be the heretic rebel here and question the Holy Doctrine of received wisdom – while admitting the possibility I might be mistaken.
To clarify: it’s not the series’ status in the comic book world I’m talking about; I don’t know that much about the field as a whole. It’s the overall greatness thing I dare to question.
I’m sure that’s going to get me buried in hate mail. So it goes. (Take deep breath: jump.)
I read it a while ago, and admit my memory may not be perfect; I’ve tried to get the single-volume collection from the library to reread in advance of the movie release, but the waiting list seems liable to outlive the solar system. And I don’t deny the series had a lot of depth or a lot of merit.
My problem concerns the ending – and yes, there be *spoilers*, in case you’re unfamiliar with the story, so pass the jump at your own risk.
So: one of our costumed crimefighters, who happens to be a genius billionaire, stages a phony alien invasion, complete with much collateral damage – which is to say, wide scale murder of innocents – in order to force world unification and world peace. After initially getting huffy about it all, once it all appears the other erstwhile members of his crimefighting club all decide to go along after all. And when the only member of the group who seems to have any integrity, even if it is a murderously crazy kind of integrity, says he’s going to blow the whistle, his pals murder him.
Pretty much The End.
Okay, bluntly: how is that not completely fascist?
I mean, let’s leave aside matters like practicality (the US/Soviet alliance against a common threat sure lasted a long time) and questions of whether ends justify means (they don’t.) Isn’t author Alan Moore trying to sell us on the notion of a self-proclaimed superman ruling the world as his Reich as a good thing? Haven’t we seen this before? And not liked it too much?
We’ve also heard about this scam before. There’s some dispute as to whether war criminal and party animal Henry Kissinger actually asserted that Americans would gladly surrender their liberties to “an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated” (emphasis mine.) There’s not much dispute, though, that Ronald Reagan said something very similar about an “alien threat” in a speech to the UN.
Pretty strange bedfellows for a self-proclaimed leftist anarchist, yes?
So is Moore really telling us that making an annoying rich asshole Führer of the World would be swell (and so’s betraying your friends)? That’s the message I took away. Left a poor taste in my mouth.
Or am I missing the point by 180°, and Moore is really telling us, in line with the whole “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?“ theme, that if we put our faith in heroes, or the powerful in general, that this is the very kind of horrendous shit they’re liable to pull?
I dunno. I’d like to believe the latter. It didn’t seem like it at the time. Which is why I wanted to reread the series.
Help me out, here, please. Really.
Full Disclosure: back in 1988, I, along with the rest of the Wild Cards Consortium, was nominated for a Hugo Award in the “Other Forms” category, in opposition to – guess what? Yes, brilliant: you’re right, it was Watchmen. And guess who won? Right again! One might therefore be forgiven for suspecting me of sour grapes.
Well, I’ll tell you, I’d really like to’ve won the award. Given that the “Other Forms” award was insituted in order to give Watchmen a Hugo, and that it was widely called the “Watchmen Award” in fandom, I figured it was kind of an honor to be nominated to run against it in the first place. And we came in second – a close second, or so I heard. So I don’t think we did so badly.
As for the outcome: I’d've voted for us, yeah. I would again. I don’t think anyone rigged the voting, though. I don’t think the outcome was unjust.
One fairly dark deconstruction of the superhero concept beat out another. That’s it. I don’t think that’s grounds for invidious bitching, and plead not guilty. As always, YMMV.
Now, let the flames begin!
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It has likewise been a long time since I read the story, way back when DC was serializing it. But as I recall my impression at the time was that Moore’s story was a warning against the danger of too much power concentrated in too few hands — even when those hands are those of people we think of as virtuous and truly motivated “for the greater good.”
OTOH I think I can see how one might interpret it the way you’ve done here. Moore may have been a bit too subtle here to get the point across.
Or maybe too subtle for me.
Good to see you here, Scott. You’re always welcome.
For all the rest of you, do yourselves a favor and check out Scott’s fine artwork on Escape from Terra and Odysseus the Rebel.
The superheroes in Watchman are all jerks. One attempt to unite them in a wannabe-League of Justice group ended in failure because the others couldn’t see the value of it. And the guy who tried to do that was Ozymandis, he who brought the alien threat to Earth in the end. And most end up doing the dirty work for Nixon/Kissinger, with the comedian really going right-wing apeshit (pardon my language). I reread the one-volume collection and now I’m trying to decide if I really want to see the film. Reviews say it’s really violent, as is the comic, but seeing the violence played out instead of in still frames makes me squeamish (the film is rated R, just so you know). And the comic ends, remember, with a suggestion that Rorsarch;s diary, which contains all his notes on the investigation of the deaths of the others that exposes the plot, could be published. One of those “well maybe” endings.
And yeah, Scott Bieser, great work on EfT and OtR.
I never thought of it like that. Mostly i enjoyed the tight fusion of artwork and story. Moore is a lefty but he writes a hell of a tale. I do disagree with mr england: the older nite owl was a great person. Apoligies for odd postng doing this on my phone.
Thank you for being one of the few others on the planet who don’t believe that Watchmen is OMG totally the greatest thing EVAR in the history of the world!!1!!!11!!eleventy-one!
I thought I was the only one.
I’ve read Watchmen twice, both times in the form of the complete graphic novel (i.e., not serialized). The first time was about 10 years ago, and at the time I thought it was okay, certainly impressive in many respects, but simply couldn’t understand why everybody talked about it in hushed, reverent tones. And, to prepare myself for the movie, I just reread it again about a month ago. And, I’m sorry to say, I had the same reaction.
If anything, I liked it more the second time, but at the end I still said, “Meh.” Granted, by and large I am not a comics guy, so I’m positive there are many things about Watchmen that are lost on me. Fair enough.
What impresses me is the level of detail in both the story and the artwork; they come together to give a sense that this world is architecturally solid. That every little bit has been visualized and imagined, even the stuff we never see, all the way down to the crumbs in Nite Owl II’s silverware drawer. I give them a lot of credit for that.
But.
For one thing, I found the relentlessly grim and nihilistic tone punishing after the first five or six issues. (Again, I read the entire thing
together, so it might not have felt like that if I’d read it as the issues first appeared one-by-one.) Some people dismiss this by telling me, “Well, you have to remember it’s a product of its time. It was written in the 80s.”
Well, yes, and I remember the 80s quite well, thank you very much. I remember very well waking up with screaming nightmares about nuclear annihilation during most of the Reagan administration. I know what the 80s felt like. I was there.
Secondly — and I know I’m tap-dancing on hallowed ground here — it’s really very self-indulgent in places. Tales of the Black Freighter? Come on. (And yes, I do get the symbolism, thanks very much. I just don’t need to read an entire pirate comic inside my superhero comic. If I wanted to read a goddamn pirate comic, I’d have bought one. Thanks.)
Thirdly — and this is a critique that comes mostly from hanging out with writers who can deconstruct plots like nobody’s business — my persistence in making it to the end of the series is rewarded with absolutely no catharsis whatsoever. Because the heroes we follow through the story (you know, the protagonists) completely fail to achieve anything by the end of the tale. In other words, the end of the story consists of telling me, as a reader, that I’ve just wasted my time.
Thanks, everybody! And welcome aboard, Arthur – phone posting’s fine. Thanks for troubling to comment at all!
I’m frankly flattered at the caliber of responders (including Scott, of course), even if most of ‘em are my pals.
Terry (who is writing a brilliantly weird SF novel), thanks for the insights, and for calling the suggestion that Rorschach’s tell-all diaries might be published to my attention. Missed that clean.
And you, Ian-whose-wonderful-alt.history-novel-has-unjustly-been-pushed-back-for-publication, back at you. Truth to tell, your reactions are pretty well the same as mine. To me the damned Black Freighter thing was mainly just a distraction. Plus it smacked of padding. And the characters, except for Rorschach, really are pretty painfully inert, physically and morally. (Albeit, as Terry says, assholes.)
Also: you work at Los Alamos, and you’re not still “waking up with screaming nightmares about nuclear annihilation”? You optimist, you!
I still intend to reread the book, just to see.
Anyway, thanks again. And Arthur, don’t mean to slight you: I just don’t know anything about you. Feel free to drop a few details about yourself here or in my Forum, or a link to a website.
Terry, do you have a blog or anything? Let me know and I’ll link it on the main page.
No blog, no Website, though I’m feeling I’d better get one or both at the risk of being forgotten in this linked world.
Ian, that smart-ass, again manages to hit the nail on the head on what’s so damn objectionable about the book and likely the movie. Though I did like the pirate story better than the main.
Now I’m shamefully going to use your blog to flag my own superhero project that’s stuck as I desperately search for publication. In my superhero world, they take over and that’s that. No questions, no arguments, they’re in charge and you’d better obey. And, of course, they screw it all up. But, unlike Watchmen, they are better as people, though corrupted, and they do try to take their purpose seriously. Also, unlike the Watchmen, they realize where they fucked up at the end and try to fix it. Moore and I have the same warning about power and corruption, but I’m more optimistic (happy! happy! joy! joy!).
OK, sorry Vic, my shame is deep. I know I should get my own blog and stuff, but I just can’t keep it in any more. As penance, I’ll bring my copy of the Watchman graphic novel to the signing Saturday for you.
No worries, Terry. You’re welcome to flog your superhero book here. My friends get to do that sort of thing. Why even have a blog, else?
(Well, flogging oneself. Which is why having a site of one’s own is a good idea. Helps to get one’s name out there.)
I never got to read the whole thing, although I thought it had a lot of promise. As indicated, I really like your current project.
Hear that, editors? Buy Terry’s superhero book!
Thanks for lending me your copy of Watchmen. Also glad you’re coming to the signing.
I’ve read Watchmen a few times, starting in 1989 or 1990 when I bought it in the graphic novel format. I saw the movie on IMAX Friday night. Along with some popcorn and soda, the movie experience cost me $25. I go to movie theaters maybe once a year these days, but I found it impossible to miss this movie. Despite its flaws, I think the original work has undeniable importance. While I enjoyed the movie, and I like the graphic novel, I am no fanboy, and I know I overpaid for the experience.
While I don’t see the graphic novel as the final word in that genre, I will say that the movie remains faithful to most aspects of the story (aside from the Black Freighter, of course). Several reviewers saw this as “soul-less” but I think the movie works this way, much better than other recent faithful translations to the screen.
I agree with Victor that the ending of both the book and the movie are morally questionable. Rorschach is seen by some people as Randian hero, which I cannot understand. Yes, he has a sense of justice, but he is equally willing to hurt people indiscriminately to get information. Veidt’s justifications for his actions are not unique to Watchmen. And while Veidt may think he has brought world peace through his actions, we know there are no endings. Watchmen does not end with Veidt’s actions, and it’s a mistake to forget that. I think that if there is any message, it is this statement, that there are no endings. There may be no catharsis, but is that a requirement?
Perhaps, like Whitman’s poem, this book is vast and contradicts itself. Its legacy will be debated for years to come, just as the comic book since its creation 20 plus years ago. And that is a good thing, I think.
I think it is also important to remember that most people today are reading Watchmen in a world where its deconstruction of the superhero mythos has WON.
We already conflate dressing up and beating up criminals with neo-fascism. We already wink and laugh when Alfred points out to Batman that someone who dresses as a bat to fight crime probably has mental problems.
Watchmen was probably not the first, but it was definitely the most successful early work to flip the superhero genre on its back and point out the ugly underbelly.
Ozymandias isn’t a good guy, he’s an egomaniacal fascist monster in a supersuit. But Moore just takes the standard superhero idea and runs it to its extreme conclusion. Anyone who works using violence outside the law is doing exactly the same thing, just at a smaller scale.
And Dr. Manhattan’s great gift to mankind is *going away and leaving us alone*. Stack that up against the superman message that simply the fact of his super-ism gives him the right to enforce his morality on us.
These were pretty radical ideas for a superhero comic when Watchmen came out. I think it’s hard to really remember that in a world where Alan Moore’s subversive view of the genre has become the norm.
Anders – great to see you here. Thanks for the insights.
What you take away is that Moore’s point may’ve been that there are no endings in the world? Could be. I wouldn’t say catharsis is a requirement; I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the idea there are requirements in an entertainment. I tend to find the experience more satisfying with catharsis, if that’s not just dumb redundant.
By the way, despite mixed reviews, friends who’ve seen it have been fairly enthusiastic, even one with no prior experience of the novel. So I’m definitely intending to catch it.
Terry – quick aside – thanks again for lending me the graphic novel. Haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Guess what I’m reading instead?
Ty – excellent points.
As for my reaction to the graphic novel, I read it over 20 years ago, and what I’ve said about it is what I felt then. My impressions aren’t really influenced by the fact that the comic’s worldview has won, as you say. Although I don’t doubt you’re right it has.
As long as I’m committing comic-book heresy, I’ll mention I also found Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
annoyingly fascist as well.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, and the consensus I see before me seems to indicate readers (and it’d be tough to find a sharper crew than you who’ve weighed in so far; thanks, everybody!) take Moore’s message as antiauthoritarian, rather than approbation for what his characters do in the ostensible interests of humankind. Fair?
In all events, having finished my BattleTech story and gotten back – yes, Ty! – to The Dinosaur Lords (as well as my bread-and-butter Deathlands novel) I plan to start reading Watchmen as soon as I get through the March writers’ group subs. And maybe I’ll even catch the flick this week.
Thanks for commenting. Feel free to keep it up if you’ve got something further to say on the subject. Or if you want, to take it to my Forum. May be getting on time for that…
Anders, you didn’t attend Knox College did you?