Rereading WATCHMEN

I'm about to begin rereading Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comic WATCHMEN. I'm a little nervous. Scholars and comic fans have frequently called it the best comic ever written, and some literary lists with inclusive aims name it as one of the best books, full stop, of the past century.

I found it cold. Many of the dazzling experiments failed to deliver for me--the chunks of texts at the back of each issue, the 'Black Freighter' comic hidden inside. And I, like many others, hold it responsible for turning superhero comics into atrocity exhibitions--the darker, the better. But even its critics continue to snatch bits and pieces of narrative, dialogue and imagery from its pages.

With the film currently in development (which will once again boost sales), WATCHMEN actually has a better change of longevity than its company from 1986, Maus and The Dark Knight Returns. Maus is getting a bit tired from overpraise these days, and the new wave of literary comics looks to displace it. DKR remains a biting read (much easier to jump into than either of the others) but these days its playful elements stand out much more than its muddied philosophy.

Onward!