Snobbery
Dan Melnick
Issue date: 11/3/04 Section: Diversions
Many classic superhero comic book characters were created in the early to mid-'60s. One might expect to see lines such as "Jiminy Jillickers" or "Holy Smokes!" complete with sound effects "Zap!" and "Bonk!" in these early comics. They were campy, kind of corny, but mainly fun to read when first written. They were about larger-than-life characters living in a larger-than-life world. But as times changed, so did the content of comics. As comics grew older, so did their audiences, and the medium began to evolve into more mature forms that dealt with more real world issues. Nothing captures this change more than the 12-part miniseries now turned graphic novel "Watchmen," written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons, originally released in 1986.
"Watchmen" begins when a once costumed hero, but as-of-late government agent, called the Comedian is thrown from the window of his apartment to his death. His death is investigated by an extremist vigilante, Rorschach, who is another costumed adventurer. Rorschach's investigation of the murder leads him to track down and interview his old comrades from the crime-fighting superhero team of which he used to be a member. Rorschach believes the team is being targeted by an enemy who is out to kill all of the superheroes. In a world that no longer cares for vigilantes and has outlawed their existence, the team members start to reconsider who they are. This occurs in the midst of a complex situation that only seems to push events even closer to the brink of an impending global disaster.
There is no campiness in these pages. Alan Moore broke new ground with this acclaimed series by incorporating such realism into the story. Although the fictional characters in the series are inspired by lesser known superheroes in DC Comics, the counterparts in "Watchmen" are "normalized," completely average people who love, hate, die and even are raped. Moore portrays a real-world reaction to the costumed vigilantes who are outlawed from their trade. He depicts what a real civilian populace and its government would probably do if there were masked people running around and taking the law into their own hands. The once loved heroes are now despised and hunted.
"Watchmen" begins when a once costumed hero, but as-of-late government agent, called the Comedian is thrown from the window of his apartment to his death. His death is investigated by an extremist vigilante, Rorschach, who is another costumed adventurer. Rorschach's investigation of the murder leads him to track down and interview his old comrades from the crime-fighting superhero team of which he used to be a member. Rorschach believes the team is being targeted by an enemy who is out to kill all of the superheroes. In a world that no longer cares for vigilantes and has outlawed their existence, the team members start to reconsider who they are. This occurs in the midst of a complex situation that only seems to push events even closer to the brink of an impending global disaster.
There is no campiness in these pages. Alan Moore broke new ground with this acclaimed series by incorporating such realism into the story. Although the fictional characters in the series are inspired by lesser known superheroes in DC Comics, the counterparts in "Watchmen" are "normalized," completely average people who love, hate, die and even are raped. Moore portrays a real-world reaction to the costumed vigilantes who are outlawed from their trade. He depicts what a real civilian populace and its government would probably do if there were masked people running around and taking the law into their own hands. The once loved heroes are now despised and hunted.