Watchmen: Next Great Comic-to-Film
Alan Moore’s Groundbreaking Graphic Novel Gets Hollywood Treatment
Alan Moore's Watchmen is the Holy Grail of comics. Can Hollywood deliver on the most anticipated adaptation in comic book fandom? The countdown to midnight begins!
Watchmen: The Book That Revolutionized a Genre
Over twenty years after its debut, Alan Moore’s groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen is on its way to the silver screen. As is often the case in comic-to-film adaptations, fan expectation is high, perhaps more so in this case, given the unique nature of this particular comic.
In 1987 Moore and artist Dave Gibbons unleashed Watchmen on an unsuspecting comic book-reading public, irrevocably changing the comic book landscape. Watchmen took the notion of costumed heroes and put it under the harsh lens of reality. What inner voices of ego and neurosis – or worse – lead an individual to tie on a mask and fight crime, and who polices the actions of these self-made vigilantes? Graffitied walls ponder within the novel: "Who watches the Watchmen?"
Who Watches the Watchmen?
The story follows a group of individuals who once fought crime as The Watchmen. Ordinary citizens with a strong sense of justice (and fashion), The Watchmen possessed no extraordinary powers – except for Dr. Jon Osterman, a.k.a. Dr. Manhattan, your typical scientist-trapped-in-an-electromagnetic-disintegrator transformed into a superhuman.
Dr. Manhattan’s abilities have altered the sociopolitical landscape of the world since his transformation in 1959, resulting in a decisive victory in Vietnam, a hefty advantage during the Cold War, and Richard Nixon’s fifth term in the office of the president.
Birth of the Superhero
Superhero comics were born out of the environment of fear and hope permeating America during World War II. Hitler was the villain and we needed a hero to save us, and Superman was born. Vietnam was a different story, when ambiguity ruled the day. Who were the bad guys? Were we the good guys? What exactly would Superman do in this conflict? Is Superman a protector of mankind or of America?
Watchmen addresses these issues in the aftermath of Vietnam and the onset of 80s materialism. Published in 1986, the story is set in 1985. Moore altered the course of history, changing the outcome in Vietnam and re-imagining his present in its wake.
Magical Realism in Comic Book Format
A key aspect of Watchmen’s ground breaking story is the degree of earnestness applied to every detail. These aren’t cartoon characters in a cartoon world, this is the real world. The need for superheroes manifested itself in this world at the same time as in ours, they just took it to the next level and donned the spandex (or nylon, depending on the era) themselves.
And as serious as it all is, it is still a comic book, so the physics of the real world can be manipulated at the author’s discretion. The result is a story of war, politics, metaphysics, ethics, relativity, caped crusaders, and a giant blue man who builds sand castles on Mars.
Keeping Watch: Who Watches the Men Making Watchmen?
And now they’re making it into a movie. Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead (2004), 300) is directing, and after his successful adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300, expectation has given way to hope. Omissions and embellishments of the source material were incorporated so seamlessly, it was difficult to distinguish between original and re-imagined details.
If the same technique is applied to Watchmen, if the story is brought to life in the same visceral way, this could be a truly amazing movie, which is no less than the book deserves.
