Watchmen

Watchmen

Set in 1985, Watchmen is a graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, which posits an alternate history of the United States in which Richard Nixon is still the president, the US is on the verge of a nuclear war with Russia and two generations of "costumed adventurers" acted as vigilantes until the passing of the "Keene Act" which outlawed any non-government affiliated superhero. The plot is set into motion when one of the adventurers is murdered.

The book was originally published as a twelve-issue comic book mini-series by DC Comics. The books were bound into a trade background, which was awarded both the Hugo Award and a place on Time Magazine's list of the "100 best English-language novels."

Fast Facts

Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Colorist: John Higgins
Publisher: DC Comics
Published: 1986 as 12 issue mini-series

Watchmen Structure

The comic book pages of the Watchmen are intercut with full-length, primary documents like newspaper articles, government files and diary entries as well as a comic within a comic entitled "Tales of the Black Freighter." Some critics have called Watchmen a "multi-layered" work of metafiction.

Watchmen Movie

Set for a March 6, 2009 release, the Watchmen movie features Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as "The Comedian." The highly-anticipated film, directed by Zack Snyder, has been in development for over 10 years.

Film Fast Facts

Release Date: March 6, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast:

Billy Crudup as "Dr. Manhattan"
Patrick Wilson as "The Night Owl"
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as "The Comedian"
Jackie Earle Haley as "Walter Kovacs"
Malin Akerman as "Laurie Juspeczyk"

Categories

Entertainment | Movies | Contemporary Films | Books | Comics | Comic Books | Graphic Novel

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The Mahalo Top 7

Warner Bros.: Watchmen
DC Comics: Watchmen
IMDb: Watchmen
Wikipedia: Watchmen (Film) and Watchmen (Graphic Novel)
Time Magazine: Watchmen: All-Time 100 Novels
Amazon.com: Watchmen Merchandise
Wired News: Director Confirms New Watchmen Ending (November 10, 2008)

Mahalo Daily's Coverage of Watchmen at Comic-Con

YouTube: Watchmen Panel at Comic-Con (Time: 3:43)
YouTube: Batman Asks a Question (Time: 2:25)
YouTube: How Dark is the Film? (Time: 2:33)
YouTube: Watchmen Comic-Con Panel: Part One (Time: 5:21)
YouTube: Watchmen Comic-Con Panel: Part Two (Time: 8:34)
YouTube: Watchmen Comic-Con Panel: Part Three (Time: 4:17)
YouTube: Watchmen Comic-Con Panel: Part Four (Time: 5:34)

Watchmen News and Articles

Time Magazine: Q&A: Watchmen's Dave Gibbons (November 10, 2008)
Dark Horizons: Zack Snyder on Watchmen (November 7, 2008)
Entertainment Weekly: First Look: 'Watchmen' toys
Beyond Hollywood: Your First Look at the Watchmen Characters! (March 6, 2008)
ComingSoon.net: Zack Snyder Talks Watchmen! (July 27, 2007)
Ain't It Cool News: Watchmen Posts
Rotten Tomatoes: Watchmen Preview

Watchmen (Graphic Novel) Articles and Commentary

Time Magazine: Watchmen Among Top 100 Novels
IGN: Absolute Watchmen Review
TwoMorrows Publishing: Alan Moore Interview (June 16, 2000)
Cap'n Wacky: The Annotated Watchmen

Watchmen Photos

Google Image Search: Watchmen Images
Tristan Schane: Early Dr. Manhattan Concept Art
Cover Browser: Watchmen Cover Artwork
Yahoo! Image Search: Watchmen
Flickr: Watchmen Photos

Watchmen Videos

YouTube & Google Video: Watchmen Search
YouTube: Interview with Zack Snyder
YouTube: Zack Snyder talks about 300 DVD and Watchmen at Comic Con '07
YouTube: Zach Snyder on Watchmen

Watchmen Film Development History

Script: Watchmen Screenplay from 1989
JoBlo.com: Watchmen Concept Art (April 6, 2005)
Ain't it Cool News Blog Post: Watching The WATCHMEN!! (May 9, 2005)
IGN: Script Review of David Hayter's Watchmen (September 9, 2004)

Watchmen Fan Sites, Blogs and Message Boards

Rorchach's Journal: Watchmen Blog
Ain't It Cool News: Watchmen Posts
Ain't It Cool News: First Behind The Scenes Video of the WATCHMEN!!! (April 6, 2008)
Cinematical: Gerard Butler IS the Black Freighter! (February 28, 2008)
Ain't It Cool News Blog Post: Meet the Watchmen Cast
Ain't It Cool News Blog Post: WB's WATCHMEN panel at Comic-Con
MTV Movies Blog Post: Watchmen Release Date Announced, Dr. Manhattan Will Be All CG
Cinematical Blog Post: Warner Bros. Panel at Comic Con
FirstShowing.net Blog Post: Watchmen Casting Officially Confirmed Early
Filmwad Blog Post: Watchmen Cast Revealed! It's Mostly Crap!
Fan Site: Tales of the Black Freighter: Marooned (The Reconstruction)

Watchmen Influences

Note: This is a side-by-side comparison of the characters in Watchmen and the characters from DC comics, Marvel Comics, and Charlton Comics that inspired them.

The Comedian: The Comedian | Peacemaker | Joker | Nick Fury
Doctor Manhattan: Doctor Manhattan | Captain Atom
Nite Owl: Nite Owl | Blue Beetle
Ozymandias: Ozymandias | Thunderbolt
Rorschach: Rorschach | The Question | Mr. A
Silk Spectre: Silk Spectre | Nightshade | Black Canary | Phantom Lady

Watchmen Merchandise

Amazon.com: Watchmen Absolute Edition and Watchmen Merchandise
eBay: Watchmen Merchandise
Google Product Search: Watchmen Merchandise
4ColorHeroes: Watchmen #1-#6 | Watchmen #7-#13 | Watchmen Collectibles | Watchmen Modules

Related Pages on Mahalo

Watchmen Trailer | Watchmen Spoilers | Alan Moore | Dave Gibbons | Zack Snyder | Watchmen Lawsuit | Billy Crudup | Patrick Wilson | Jeffrey Dean Morgan | Jackie Earle Haley | Malin Akerman | Matthew Goode | Warner Bros. | DC Comics | Watchmen Soundtrack