There's a new movie coming out called The Watchmen. It's a super-hero movie,here's the trailer.
I recently finished reading the graphic novel it's based off of. A graphic novel, for those who don't know, is essentially just a comic series condensed into one book.
It's a very dark as far as super-hero stories go, reminiscent of the Dark Knight in some ways. But it challenges more about masked vigilantism and the lives of those who choose that life. The story itself spans between the telling of a "Golden Age" of super-heroes in the 1940's and then the resurgence in the 60's. None of the heroes have super powers (with exception to one, and I'll get to that). Some are very disturbed, and are not immune to being considered murderers. It is a very realistic, unforgiving look at what would happen if we had an organized group of masked heroes. We learn the back stories of each of the heroes throughout the book and how they became what they are. Some are dark, some are light, but each is interesting.
Now, as to that one "hero" that has super-human powers, he is actually not human. He gets trapped in a radiation chamber and transforms. He is more of an observer with limitless power who just happens to be talked into helping America and it's goals through the 60's difficulties (Vietnam). He also keeps every other country in check from doing anything too stupid with nukes. But like I said, he doesn't actually care about human life, so his unlimited power is limited because he just doesn't actually care to fix everything.
The plot is a murder mystery within a political thriller. Finding out who is removing all the "heroes" from the country and why. So, while you're trying to figure out what is going on with that, The Missiles of October is happening, only with Russia instead of Cuba. It's a very interesting narrative with lots of threads running in and around the back stories of each of the masked heroes.
I really enjoyed the book, I had a hard time putting it down, but the end wrap up didn't quite hit it home for me. I think it's one of the most fun and interesting stories I've read in a while, I would have just preferred something more subtle towards the ending, something more cerebral. But it's still really good, and I'm very interested in how they are going to transform it into a movie. The narrative is so heavily crafted for reading accomplishing the same task visually is going to be very difficult.
I don't think I read a single curse throughout the book, there were three sex scenes, not graphically explicit, but contextually heavy (a rape and a boy discovering his mother was a hooker). Violence however is very present and you feel the pain and the deaths around the characters. The mortality of everyone is very palpable.
So, my verdict? Good if you can stomach through some violence and you enjoy the themes I talked about earlier. It's famous for it's original narrative style and unique characters in my opinion, and if you want something new and different from a super hero story I'd say definitely read it.
