Toronto Thumbs writes: "As a graphic novel, Watchmen did wonders to legitimize the comic book as a medium for mature storytelling. The tale of dysfunctional heroes set in an alternate world where Woodward and Bernstein were unsuccessful in their Watergate investigation, Nixon stayed on as President, and Vietnam was an American victory is a far cry from the bright, glamorized world of super heroes found in other comics of its time. The world of Watchmen is a dirty one. Its heroes don't wear costumes consisting of only primary colours with giant logos emblazoned on their chests. It rains. It smells. People die – even the good guys. In many ways, I would consider it to be as refreshing as Blade Runner was to the genre of science fiction in film.
Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, has a narrative tapestry woven from several perspectives and times that each tells different facets of the larger story. In panel form, we see scenes play out from different angles, flashbacks, flash-forwards, and parallels between the main narrative and the plot of the fictional comic book Tales of the Black Freighter. In between chapters, we're treated to excerpts from novels and newspaper clippings that exist in that world..."
