Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Moore is my second love, after Dostoyevsky, in terms of storytelling. I had thought of reading "Watchmen" before giving Moore a break. So I got the novel, a few days later than I was expecting it but in time for me to pick it up. I read it at leisure while travelling back and forth between cities and the book kept me good company.

Moore stands out for his storytelling. Period. His stories are engrossing and bizarrely adorned with stuff that engrosses you further. "Watchmen" is a twelve part series that was published by DC. In the compiled edition, you see a small feature that digresses from the story and elaborates on a certain part of it. It was fictional research and I found myself reading those five pages with as much zeal as I had read the main story with. The story tries to look into the concept of super-heroes in a real world. The theme 'Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?' is, in my opinion, wrongly used but like every other imperfection in the storyline, this one too adds a certain degree of respect for the author. It is a sign that the story evolved during the twelve editions. In order that I might be able to compare, I watched Snyder's 215 minute ultimate cut before I read the book. And guess what, Moore outshone like every single time before. The inconsistencies were smoothed out in the movie but the novel was just too good. Gibbons' art was a true equal to Moore's story.

The story opens with the murder of a 'masked adventurer'. Rorschach, another of the masked adventurers, investigates deeper into the matter and finds that many of his former colleagues from an erstwhile group 'Watchmen' were being targetted. He suspects someone with a vendetta but further investigation leads to astounding revelations. The story is set in a nuclear cold war scenario where a war is expected at hand. The presence of a certain 'superman', Doctor Manhattan, in the United States of America has led to huge technological improvements and a morbid arms race.

Moore still spellbinds. Gibbons was quite an equal. My itch has not been cured yet though. Probably one more Moore before I let him rest for a while. I am eyeing "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen".