WatchmenComicMovie.com Forum

_________________
This is truly a madhouse. And I'm the lunatic running it. I've spent three years wondering if I should be proud or ashamed.

Interesting article, brings up a good point. You definitely should start out with other heroes like Iron Man, Batman, etc., before reading Watchmen.

Good points, but I can't help but feel like the author began to sound like an elitist douchebag at the final paragraph.

_________________

Pretty damn right.

I like that pal of yours Curi, writes good articles !

_________________

i dunno, i had read very little superhero stuff before watchmen, but i had seen a lot of superhero movies, cartoons and shows etc. i think that was enough. and i'd say having read watchmen early on in my GN/comic reading life, i think it helped me when reading other comics later on, because of it's nature as a deconstruction, it was almost like a intensive lesson in superhero comics.

_________________
We're all actors, Laurie. I'm just an actor who read the script.

point is, you shouldn't start with watchmen.

Because it will end everything superheroic.

It's all a matter of logic. You won't understand a joke/criticism/whatever about something, if you don't know that thing.

As such, I pretty much agree with the article. Specially when he mentions that the movie release was spot on.

_________________

Yeah, I have to agree with this, the satire is better recieved on someone who knows the archetypes being skewed

_________________
@RealSlimCAvery

Then again, it's still a great read for those who are aware of what an impact The Cold War was having at the time.

_________________

Oh I'm not saying as a stand alone it's not an amazing story, but still there is a major element missing on non comic readers. You could easily consume Watchmen as a first comic and be very entertained

_________________
@RealSlimCAvery

Yes, I don't argue that either. But then again, one won't understand the full extent (and purpose) of Watchmen by doing that.

_________________

Well, Watchmen was like the third Graphic Novel i read, so I kind of did start with Watchmen, and I enjoyed it immensely, but it wasn't until further readings (and becoming a diehard comics fan) before I truly got ll the satire... so I think you could start with Watchmen as long as you come back to a little down the road

_________________
@RealSlimCAvery

I agree with the general sentiment of the article, however I really disagree with the paragraph claiming that the only ones who truly appreciate it are those who were there at the time. I found that to be really elitist and condescending. Even though we don't live in the Cold War era, the threat of terrorism is not 1 million miles away, and anyway, the cold war setting can be appreciated with contextual history. I'm sure it was great reading it issue by issue, but I don't see how reading it as a trade outside of the Cold War era somehow makes it less good or a less valuable read.

_________________
http://www.last.fm/user/nomapple

The article is completely logical in its conclusions, based on its premise... The problem is that the premise of the article is absolutley Bunk! Its like if you've never read a novel, and didn't live in an 18th century whaling town, don't start with "Moby Dick".

Evidently I would need to read back issues of Batman, Ant Man, and Howard the Duck to understand about comics, and superhero deconstruction, as if anyone deciding to read "Watchman" for the first time, wouldn't know about comic superheroes in the first place. Perhaps I should read "Maus" as my first Graphic Novel so I can get a better understanding of Nite Owl II?

_________________
Sometimes the difference between a good joke and a bad joke, depends on its delivery!

People who haven't read comics don't know about comics, there's no way to get around that, you can know who Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, Wolverine, Spider-Man and Punisher are, but that is very different from having read the comics of all those characters and noticing the recurrent patterns, the characterization and the tropes that appear in their corresponding stories, if you read Watchmen without having read comics, you're gonna miss a lot of essential details about Watchmen.

_________________

i agree and disagree,
you are right that you will miss a lot of the deconstruction in Watchmen if you start on it, but the fact it is a deconstruction actually turns it into a "crash course" in comics for a first time comic reader, it's full of so many clichés and tropes that a first time comic reader will not recognise as such, but then will probably go onto read other comics and not only be prepared for other comics, but retrospectively see these clichés and tropes, and be all "oooooh" about it.

other things such as the pretty basic panel layout also makes it good for a first time comic reader.

_________________
We're all actors, Laurie. I'm just an actor who read the script.

Comics are just another form of illustrated storybooks. Since childhood, at the first learnings with reading about "Jack and Jill" were done with illustrations to show the actions they were doing according to the words. Classics such as "Winnie the Pooh" or "Charlotte's Web" were all all illustrated. By the time I was seven, and reading Charlie Brown comics, I understood the comics and their recurrant patterns.

Also from childhood, superheroes like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, et al., are all part of pop culture even if never read as a comic. Their history, purpose, powers, themes of good vs. evil, are all well known, and can be extrapolated into other storylines with different superheroes in simular context. Movies, TV, and other media have ingrained the superhero into the culture, and even myths about heroes have been with us since antiquity.

I found this article as an intellectual exercise about something that doesn't apply to anyone. Any reasonably educated person has understood the nuances of the comic format, and the recurrent themes of superheroes from popculture since early in childhood. Of course, if their not reasonably educated, then why would they care to read the "Watchmen" in the first place? Like I said before, you don't need to learn how to read a novel, or know about 18th century whaling, to understand Moby Dick.

_________________
Sometimes the difference between a good joke and a bad joke, depends on its delivery!

I actually did start with more mainstream comics before I found watchmen. & I feel that while Watchmen has darker themes & subject matter: it's still better than most comic series now-a-days.

Watchmen was actually my first graphic novel and I fell in love with it and the whole idea of comics/graphic novels in general. I agree with a lot of what the article said but I also think it depends on the person and if they understand the issues that were going on at the time (b/c then you'll be able to appreciate it more).