Excluding Manga, I haven’t dabbled with comic books all that much. As mentioned in my rant about reading challenges (here), I am a firm advocator that comic books, graphic novels etc. should be held in the same regard as long form novels. That being said, I’ve only lightly touched the surface of the comic world.
In March of 2024 I began my initial dabble with the first volume of the Die series, a sort of D&D meets Jumanji concept that I thoroughly enjoyed. I soon after bought volume two, intending to continue consuming the series in between other books that I was reading at the time. Unfortunately I’ve yet to pick up volume two.
In December of the same year however, My Best Man let me borrow a collection of 7 volumes with a touch of seasonal flair. Klaus proved to be a gritty and compelling origin story for Santa Claus. With Nordic inspiration running through the entire series, it was a very enjoyable read an a great way to round out the year.
But for the most part, that was it for me as far as western graphic novels were concerned. I still read plenty of manga volumes but definitely fell short on the comic books. Until this month, on a whim, I picked up Watchmen by Alan Moore.
What is there to say about the Watchmen series that hasn’t been said a hundred times by more informed people? To quote the Goodreads post for Watchmen (here):
Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history—the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect.
Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, the Hugo Award-winning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as an unknown assassin stalks the erstwhile heroes.
All I can really say is, I completely understand why it received the accolades and reputation that it has and deserves. From page one I was hooked, devouring all twelve volumes over the course of eight days. If, like me, you find the world of graphic novels intimidating, not knowing where to start, then I can heartily recommend the Watchmen series. The final panel will live in my mind rent-free for a long, long time.