( 137 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 14 2009
I first heard of this when Terry Gilliam (Monty Python's director of Holy Grail and their other films) said he found it stunning. Then I heard it was the only graphic novel on Time's 100 best novels of all time. And then when the movie was coming out I finally read it. I'm really impressed. For one thing, I found it hits on philosophy's three main kinds of questions: 1) What's reality or being? A central figure, Dr. Manhattan, has whole sections where he wonders explicitly things like "Who makes the world?" (Ch. IV, p. 27, in my hardcover 2008 ed.). And elsewhere, he philosophizes on the wonder that "in each human coupling, a thousand million sperm vie for a single egg," to "spring this precise son; that exact daughter" (Ch. IX, p. 26). 2) What can we know? (The very structure of the multiple narratives going on at the same time made me wonder at times "Is this really true right now?" and I was often unsure whether some particularly devastating events, like all the death and destruction, had happened in the story or now.) And then there was an explicit take on establishing knowlewdge, "This is not to say that we should cease to establish facts and to verify our information, but merely to suggest that unless those facts can be imbued with the flash of poetic insight, then they remain dull gems; semi-precious stones scarcely worth collecting. ... Until we transform our mere sightings into genuine visions... until then we may have a hobby, but we shall not have a passion. ... This gradual tarnishing had gone unnoticed, unchecked, finally calcifying into unthinking habit. ... my mind reduced to blankness by the various concerns of the day" (Ch. VII, p. 30). 3) How do we choose right from wrong, ethically? Wooh, this one's a doozy, as every character is flawed fundamentally, none is a hero really, save maybe one female "mask," as the watchmen are called. A central question after all is "Who watches the watchmen?" making you wonder, "And why do they need to be watched?" In a rare moment of emotive vulnerability too, one character laments, "Theyre dead. They can't disagree or eat Indian food, or love each other... Oh it's sweet. Being alive is so damn sweet" (Ch. XII, p. 22). Thus moving from ethics back to metaphysics and to a whole perspective on the very meaning of life. But I was also surprised how saddened I was by some turns in the plot. I can't believe I cared as much as I did. Not just about the characters but about the fate of humanity, particularly with a little girl of my own now. To picture losing someone I love more than anything in the world. I can't imagine it actually. Then there was the initial aesthetic appreciation of the sheer formal creativity. Such cool devices, like the visual zooming out from a closeup, with ever wider insight in the narration at the same time. Or the way lines people said would carry from scene to scene, repeat and in the juxtaposition create both a link and a jarring disjuncture. And this is not to mention other specific sections I marked throughout the text. For example, "Real life is messy, inconsistent, and it's seldom when anything ever really gets resolved. It's taken me a long time to realize that" (Ch. III, p. 12). Likewise I can't sum up the book neatly either. Grade: A.
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Posted: Aug 14 2009
One of the best drawn comic book I've ever come across. The ways in which the panels flow into each other is beautiful. The writing is also creative with a multi layered, deep, and thought provoking approach. Definitely unsuitable for children due to a couple of sex scenes, lot of nudity, and realistic portrayal of violent subject matter. The ending did not work for me though. I found the reasons for the way things ended and the aftermath a lot less plausible than all the buildup that led to it. That being said, this was still a masterwork of graphic storytelling.
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Posted: Jul 31 2009
I first read this back in March and just figured i should add to the rating.It is an amazing book and the first graphic novel i ever read. It's a great place to start and it's one of if not my favorite book. Do yourselves a favor and go buy it.
