{"id":607,"date":"2009-03-04T15:22:18","date_gmt":"2009-03-04T15:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2009\/03\/04\/who-reads-the-watchmen\/"},"modified":"2012-08-17T05:19:29","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T05:19:29","slug":"who-reads-the-watchmen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2009\/03\/04\/who-reads-the-watchmen\/","title":{"rendered":"Who reads the Watchmen?"},"content":{"rendered":"

My guide for non-geeks<\/a> to the Watchmen<\/span> graphic novel appeared in today’s San Antonio Current<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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In 1986, DC comic books ran advertisements featuring new costumed characters, and asked, forebodingly, \u201cWho Watches the Watchmen?\u201d Later that year, Watchmen<\/span>, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons, premiered, forever changing both comics and film.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n


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\nAs is typical with my articles, I included some historical trivia.<\/p>\n

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After DC acquired the rights to the little-known Charlton Comics\u2019 line of superhero characters in 1983, rising star Moore developed a series to showcase the heroes. DC managing editor Dick Giordano rejected the unsolicited proposal, but encouraged Moore to rework the idea employing original characters. Joined by artist Dave Gibbons, the duo re-imagined the old heroes to suit their unique vision. Charlton\u2019s Peacemaker, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Thunderbolt, and the Question evolved respectively into Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Rorschach. (Not based on a Charlton character, Silk Spectre draws inspiration from a conglomeration of female heroes.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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\nThere’s even some literary analysis throw in.<\/p>\n

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Initially appearing in 12 individual comic-book issues, each 32-page chapter of Watchmen<\/span> (except for the final installment) offered 25-28 pages of sequential story followed by prose text that enhanced or clarified the complex tale. Commonplace in comics since the 1940s, extensive text rarely formed an integral aspect of the overall tale. Usually, they were stand-alone pieces of short fiction featuring the lead character or, in the case of themed anthologies, functioned as a bonus story. To fully enjoy, and at times even comprehend, Moore\u2019s multilayered epic, all the text pieces need to be read in the order they appear and considered within the larger work. The seemingly random, incongruous prose plays an essential role in the overall narrative.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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Check out the rest of the article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My guide for non-geeks to the Watchmen graphic novel appeared in today’s San Antonio Current. Quote: In 1986, DC comic books ran advertisements featuring new costumed characters, and asked, forebodingly, \u201cWho Watches the Watchmen?\u201d Later that year, Watchmen, written by … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n