What Watchmen Means To Me, Pt. 2

The original 12 issues of the Watchmen comic book series were published in 1986 and 1987 by DC Comics. Originally designed to be a monthly comic book limited series, some of the issues took more than one month to produce. I bought each of these original issues off the newsstand in those years and read the entire series as it was being published.

As I mentioned yesterday, I was living and working in Kent, Ohio at the time. One of my friends who I worked with was also into comics and we would have illuminating conversations about Watchmen as those original issues were coming out. We would also talk about H.P Lovecraft and classic science fiction films like Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

Meanwhile, I was consuming everything that I possibly could that was even tangentially Watchmen related. I read as many other comics that I could find that were written by Alan Moore. I read Comics Journal interviews with the creative team and articles about the Watchmen property. I delved into the history of the fictional characters and read about how the series was created and where the characters came from.

I remember reading the first part of Hollis Mason's "Under the Hood," which appeared as a back-up text piece at the end of the Watchmen #1. This was the first time that I had read a text piece like this in a comic book. I thought it was brilliant to illuminate the history of comic book characters by using text like that.

Each of the issues of Watchmen seemed to have their own charm. We were introduced to this whirlwind of a story with #1. #4 contained the amazing origin of Dr. Manhattan. We witnessed the horrifying evolution and origin of Rorshach in #5. And #12 left us all speechless as it all ended, just as a novel would.

There were rumors of a Minutemen series after the original 12 issue run of Watchmen, but it never happened. Alan Moore eventually stopped working for DC Comics and continued to produce more exceptional comic book writing.

After publication of the comic book series, the 12 issues of Watchmen were collected into trade paperback form. This "graphic novel" format would prove to popularize Watchmen. In 2005, Watchmen was included in Time Magazine's list of 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. It was the only "graphic novel" to appear on that list. In 1988, Watchmen won a Hugo Award, which is an award for achievement in the science fiction and fantasy genre. Watchmen may still be the only comic book series to ever win a Hugo.

Watchmen is one of my favorite moments in comic book history. I have recommended the book countless times to comic book fans and non-fans alike. Watchmen has affected the creation of other comics, movies and TV series, too. The most notable of these is ABC's Lost and the writers openly state this.

Tomorrow: How Watchmen Affected My Life in the 1990's

What Watchmen Means To Me, Pt. 1

On Friday, March 6th, 23 years of waiting will come to an end as one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time, Watchmen, comes to the big screen. This week leading up to Friday's premiere date I would like to tell you a little bit about why I like this graphic novel so much. In order to tell you about what Watchmen means to me, I must first tell you how I was introduced to the story.

It was the early 1980's. I was living in Kent, Ohio and worked for the Kent State University Library. I was 29. I had always liked comic books, having been a fan since I was a little boy in the 1960's. Although I had quite a collection, my buying dwindled steadily from the mid to late 1970's, until I wasn't buying any at all by the time I graduated college in 1979. For a good 3 years after that I felt curiously self conscious about browsing comic book spinner racks in stores. There were not many comic book stores at this time, and comics were sold in places where they sold other stuff like department stores, drug stores and tobacco shops.

Finally, in 1982 or so, I began to browse the comic book racks once again. Still feeling somewhat self conscious, I noticed something fascinating: comic books were changing! The cover prices were higher. Some of the comics were printed on better, shinier paper. And many of the new titles looked really cool, like they were designed less for kids and more for adults. So, I dove back in and began reading some of my old favorites titles again like Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Daredevil. I tried some new titles like Atari Force. I liked what I was experiencing.

Late in 1985 (I believe) I saw an ad in a DC comic book for a new "limited" comic book series that was coming up called Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It looked so delightfully gritty, with an aged Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to become The Batman one more time, and thereby eradicating his personal demons. It got media coverage about this radical (although "imaginary") change to a beloved comic book character. I timed the appearance of the "Prestige Format" first issue and bought it off a newsstand in Kent where I would go to buy comics. I read it and realized that this was a comic book like no other. The American public, fueled by media coverage of this publishing event, thought the same way and the issue sold out.

It was around this time that I remember seeing the first promotional ads for another new 12-issue (!) comic book series featuring revamped versions of Charlton Comics characters that DC had acquired. It was going to be scripted by a writer that I was already familiar with. Alan Moore was writing one of my favorite comic books since my return to the fold, DC's (Saga of the) Swamp Thing. The new comic book series was going to be called Watchmen.

I forget if Batman: The Dark Knight Returns had concluded with the fourth issue by then, but eventually, later in 1986, Watchmen #1 appeared on the stands. I bought it, took it home and read that issue a number of times. I was floored.

The one-two punch of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen left me with the realization that comics, from this point on, were never going to be the same. But it was Watchmen, and Alan Moore, that had me absolutely mesmerized.

Tomorrow: Life during the original 12 issue run of Watchmen.

My Top 25 Most Influential Albums of All Time

In no certain order...

Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives of Henry the VIII
Emerson Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition
Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks
Butthole Surfers - Hairway to Steven
Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide
Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Flash - In the Can
Daniel Johnston - Fun
Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
Meat Puppets - Too High to Die
Ministry - In Case you Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)
The Prodigy - Fat of the Land
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Leon Russell - Carney
Squeeze - Argybargy
The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman & the Moneygoround
Pete Townshend - White City
Joe Walsh - So What
Ween - Chocolate and Cheese
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain!

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die

New Jersey's Free Public Libraries Need Your Help NOW!

New Jersey's free public libraries are facing a crisis. Recently proposed legislation (A3753, introduced on Monday, February 9th by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto of District 32) will cut NJ free public library funding from 1/3 to 1/6 mill and would cut their main source of funding IN HALF. It would be disastrous for many public libraries in New Jersey that cannot make ends meet at minimal 1/3 mill funding to begin with. I urge you to use the New Jersey Library Association's Capwiz tool, which automates the process of delivering a message about this legislation to your local legislature. It will take you all of 2 or 3 minutes to do:

http://capwiz.com/ala/nj/home/

We cannot let this happen. Please help by voicing your opposition to this legislation.

NBS Nightly News with Ted Philips, March 11th 1970