Watching the Watchmen: From Comics to Big Screen
Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 2/18/2009
Watchmen (rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity, and language), a film adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s groundbreaking graphic novel (DC Comics, 1987), will be released by Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures on March 6, 2009. Directed by Zack Snyder (300), the live-action movie is set in an alternate 1985, a harsh near-apocalyptic world in which Richard Nixon is still president and Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union are at a constant boil. Since the first generation of costumed crime fighters emerged in the 1930s, masked superheroes have become as commonplace as grime and graffiti. Through the years, these seemingly bigger-than-life individuals have been racked by very human foibles and failings. Now, the U.S. government has deemed masked vigilantes too dangerous and volatile, and a crackdown has forced them into retirement. However, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), an anti-crime crusader known by his disconcerting hood (stark white cloth with shifting ink-blot-like patterns), refuses to relinquish his calling. When one of his former cohorts, the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is brutally murdered, Rorschach investigates and uncovers a plot to discredit and destroy all superheroes. As the ragtag group of vigilantes reunites, Rorschach soon discovers a more significant and sweeping conspiracy that reaches back to the superheroes’ past and points to disastrous possibilities for the future, ultimately raising the question: “Who is watching the Watchmen?”The movie also stars Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl II (an engineer with a penchant for high-tech gear); Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II (heiress to a first-generation crime-fighting bombshell); Matthew Goode as the shrouded-in-mystery super-genius, Ozymandias; and Billy Crudup as the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan (a scientist who gained true superpowers when he was caught in the “Intrinsic Field Separation Chamber,” ripped to pieces at the subatomic level, and was forced to reconstruct himself).
Teens can visit the official Website for a look at the movie’s ramshackle (and often blood-splattered) New York City setting and a listen to its haunting theme music. In addition to providing previews and downloads, the site also introduces headliner characters with video clips, commentary, and brief biographies. YAs can click on “The New Frontiersmen” (the younger generation of vigilantes that emerged in the 1960s) for access to an array of “declassified” documents that establish the superheroes’ history, including a government PSA (circa 1977) encouraging citizens to report outlawed “costumed adventurers” and a photograph of the god-like Dr. Manhattan turning the tide of the war in Vietnam.
The Graphic Novel
The movie is sure to stir up interest in Moore and Gibbons’s landmark graphic novel, which originally appeared as a 12-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics (1986-1987) and has been presented in numerous collected editions. With a grittier, more-realistic story that satirizes and deconstructs the superhero concept and intricately detailed artwork rich with recurring symbols, Watchmen is now considered a seminal work in the genre. In addition to winning the 1987 Jack Kirby Award for the best writer/artist combination, the graphic novel also garnered attention from a more mainstream audience, earning a Hugo Award in 1988 (under the category “Other Forms”) and a slot on Time Magazine’s 2005 list of “100 Best English-Language Novels Since 1923.” In 2005, the artwork was digitally refinished by colorist John Higgins and appears astonishingly crisp in the reissues. Purchase several copies of this comics classic for both movie and GN fans. Teens can visit the DC Comics “Watchmen” site to access issues, watch “Motion Comics,” view original sketches, and more.
In Watching the Watchmen (Titan Books, 2008), artist Dave Gibbons tells “the story of how Watchmen came to be as truthfully and…entertainingly as possible,” beginning with his first meeting with Moore and lucidly describing the entire creative process. The pages of this striking oversize volume are filled with artwork from all stages of production, providing a mesmerizing behind-the-scenes look at how comic books are made and underscoring Watchmen’s innovative approach. This gorgeous book will be enthusiastically browsed by fans of the series as well as comics connoisseurs.Movie Tie-ins
Titan Books has also published several eye-catching volumes that tie into the film, all featuring covers splashed with the canary yellow that adorns the graphic novel’s jacket. Peter Aperlo’s Watchmen: The Film Companion takes readers from pre- to post-production with a lively narrative and spectacular full-color images. The book emphasizes the cast and crew’s commitment to making a movie that would faithfully echo the original comic both visually and thematically and recounts the efforts involved in designing and implementing production elements. Profiles introduce the characters and their back stories and include comments from the actors who portrayed them. The author knows his stuff and the text is engaging and insightful. Colorful movie photos, behind-the-scenes shots, and production artwork decorate every page.Aperlo has also penned Watchmen: The Art of the Film, another profusely illustrated volume that spotlights the movie’s dramatic visual veneer. Focusing on concept art, sets, props, and costumes, the chapters are abundantly illustrated with storyboards, sketches, photos, and production artwork. Occasionally, comic book art is juxtaposed with film photos, making for interesting comparisons. Also included are comic book pages by Gibbons and Higgins depicting the film’s re-imagined ending.
Finally, libraries with an avid Watchmen audience or an interest in collecting photographic art books will want to consider Watchmen: Portraits. Taken by Clay Enos, the official set photographer, these stunning images of cast and crew members capture the movie’s aura while standing on their own as individual works of art.
Pub Info
MOORE, Alan. Watchmen. illus. by Dave Gibbons. colored by John Higgins. DC Comics. 2005. pap. $19.99. ISBN 9780930289232.
GIBBONS, Dave. Watching the Watchmen. with Chip Kidd and Mike Essl. Titan Books. 2008. Tr $39.95. ISBN 9781848560413.
APERLO, Peter. Watchmen: The Film Companion. Titan Books. February 2009. Tr $29.95. ISBN 9781848561595; pap. $19.95. ISBN 9781848560673.
_____. Watchmen: The Art of the Film. Titan Books. February 2009. Tr $40. ISBN 9781848560680.
Watchmen: Portraits. photos. by Clay Enos. Titan Books. February 2009. Tr $50. ISBN 9781848560697.
