I just finished reading Watchmen. This has been a story that I have wanted to read for some time, but with the impending release of the movie on March 6, 2009, I decided that I should read the book before seeing the movie. I am glad that I did. This was such a good graphic novel. It is very ‘dense’. I don’t know how better to describe it. There is some much story packed into the book. If you think that it is just a “comic book”, with the standard panel layout, you would be wrong. In addition to very detailed panels, there are graphical ‘excerpts’ of newspapers and books. These are included at the end of each chapter. They are not just novelty, but they add to the story. There is even a comic within the comic that ties in to the story. This all adds to the story by providing a depth of layers. I now understand why this book is so celebrated: it is so good.
I highly recommend it.
Wil Wheaton says that the movie is good. For those of us not friends with Doctor Manhattan will have to live through linear time and wait to see the movie on 3/6/09 ourselves.
And after reading Watchmen, I was thinking about the plot and how it kind of relates to the “Ender” series by Orson Scott Card. In particular, the plan by Veidt and how Bean from the “Ender” series can develop elaborate plans to affect world events.
And then while catching up on my blog reading (since I had been occupied reading Watchmen) I come across the post by Joel Johnson (from Boing Boing Gadgets) that he has yet, but will fixing this, read Ender’s Game.