Watchmen

[Just Jeans]

Okay, since everyone and their mother has been so intensely enthusiastic, I've just this very moment confirmed my order at Amazon.com for that bad boy dere (http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234/ref=ed_oe_p):

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x124/f13thtribute/watchmen.jpg

I doubt it'll happen, but if by some fluke of chance this ends up being 416 pages of utter horse's ass, I'm holding you personally responsible Brett. :X I'll inundate you with snarky (yet harmless) comments until the film comes out.

Having said that, I'm really stoked to read it. I hope it lives up to the hype. :D I was going to wait and buy the hardback that's coming out in November, but on my budget I simply can't justify blind buying a $40 edition of the book. :X

[Michellemabelle]

You'll love it. I guarantee it!:)

[Just Jeans]

That's what everyone keeps saying. I do hope you're right, coz the film looks epic! :D I don't even know who he is, but I like Dr. Manhattan so much that I stuck him in my avatar.

On the purchasing front, Amazon gave me a delivery estimate of August 13th for the book, but they tend to get things out to the consumer quite a bit sooner than the estimate, so hopefully I'll have it by Monday or Tuesday, and I'll likely read it over the weekend.

[The Dream Master]

I doubt it'll happen, but if by some fluke of chance this ends up being 416 pages of utter horse's ass, I'm holding you personally responsible Brett. :X I'll inundate you with snarky (yet harmless) comments until the film comes out.


Oh snap!

Believe me, it's worth the purchase. About the only negative that comes out of this will be the fact that you'll be comparing it to the movie, which is sure to lose something in translation. Then again, that's to be expected with anything.

[Just Jeans]

I was thinking about waiting to read the book until after I see the film so that I wouldn't go in and make comparisons, but then I realized that if I saw the film first and loved it, I'd go into the graphic novel expecting it to match the film. So either way I'll be comparing. So I may as well read the book first.

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, I have a feeling you'll get more out of the movie if you've read the book, simply because there might be some things in there that only readers will get.

[Erik]

Just don't rush through the thing. You really need to absorb all the little details and nuances to get everything. It's an incredibly complex and intricate story, and really deserves your full attention. And make sure you don't skip over the extra bits in between the chapters like the book exerts and magazine articles. They're pretty essential to getting the full scope of the story.

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, I was going to tell Jeans that it's a bit of a bewildering read when you first start it because it drops you right into the middle of things. You feel like you should know more than you do, so you have to stick with it. I wasn't sure if that was anyone else's experience, but that was me when I first read it when I was younger.

[Killa Pimp]

we had a similar discussion in the movie thread-

I have the original 12 issue mini series and the graphic novel.

I read it over again every few years and notice something new every time.

Alan Moore is a genius.

I plan on reading it again around x-mas.

[CosmoBubba]

Wait a goddamn second... I went and paid 20 bucks for Watchmen at a bookstore two months ago, when I could have paid half that (not counting shipping) for it on Amazon.com?!

It's totally worth 20 bucks, but still... :mad:

[Cody]

Just don't rush through the thing.

Sound advice, I tried to speed through it at first and part of my brain melted.

[Erik]

Exactly. Before I first read it all those years ago, someone once suggested that I read one chapter, and then wait a week to read the next chapter, then wait another week and so on and so forth. That might sound a little extreme, but I have trouble arguing against it. Now I'm way too impatient to have spaced out reading it over the span of twelve weeks, so I didn't, but the point is that you need to give the story some time to marinate. Read some, let it sink in a bit, really mull it over, and then read some more. Because if you just breeze through the thing, I guarantee you will miss a lot, and you'll be kicking yourself. But this book begs for repeat readings no matter how well you read in to it all, so it's not that huge of deal, but like all great things, this book needs to be savored.

[Darth Sinister]

You should also look at the Wikipedia entries as they break it down issue by issue.

[ZPowers]

Ah, Jeans, I had just assued you had read it based on your avatar and your interest in the Watchmen thread (especially when so little has been revealed/released).

I'm certain you'll love it, but just as likely it will make you apprehensive about the upcoming film. This is NOT an easy book to put to film (even called unfilmable by many), maybe even especially for a style over substance director like Snyder (not to say I've already given up on the movie, but I'd think I'll remain very wary until the movie itself either convinces me otherwise or doesn't).

[Killa Pimp]

Ah, Jeans, I had just assured you had read it based on your avatar and your interest in the Watchmen thread (especially when so little has been revealed/released).

I'm certain you'll love it, but just as likely it will make you apprehensive about the upcoming film. This is NOT an easy book to put to film (even called unfilmable by many), maybe even especially for a style over substance director like Snyder (not to say I've already given up on the movie, but I'd think I'll remain very wary until the movie itself either convinces me otherwise or doesn't).

i think i said over on the old forums years ago-


I thought it was better suited to be a mini series on like HBO or Showtime than a standalone film.

To each is own, I am still looking forward to going to the theater to watch this.

[CosmoBubba]

i think i said over on the old forums years ago-


I thought it was better suited to be a mini series on like HBO or Showtime than a standalone film.

To each is own, I am still looking forward to going to the theater to watch this.

I'm still hoping someone will do a TV series based on Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics. I'd sign up for HBO or Showtime just for that.

[Just Jeans]

Wait a goddamn second... I went and paid 20 bucks for Watchmen at a bookstore two months ago, when I could have paid half that (not counting shipping) for it on Amazon.com?!

That's why I do most of my shopping on Amazon -- there's always good deals. :)

Usually graphic novels go for about shelf price on Amazon (the manga, anyway) but I decided to check Amazon before I dropped $20 at Books-A-Million, and it seems to have paid off.

Ah, Jeans, I had just assued you had read it based on your avatar and your interest in the Watchmen thread (especially when so little has been revealed/released).

I didn't even know what Watchmen was when I went in to see The Dark Knight. That trailer really threw me for a spin. I came straight home and downloaded an HD version from Apple.com, and I've been watching it relentlessly ever since. It's a thing of beauty -- the images, the music, even the slow motion. It all just works for me. Based on that trailer, I think it's my most highly anticipated film of 2009.

I'm certain you'll love it, but just as likely it will make you apprehensive about the upcoming film. This is NOT an easy book to put to film (even called unfilmable by many), maybe even especially for a style over substance director like Snyder (not to say I've already given up on the movie, but I'd think I'll remain very wary until the movie itself either convinces me otherwise or doesn't).

Well, I love Snyder's style. When it comes to style, he's pretty much my favorite modern director. When it comes to substance, it seems like Snyder is trying really hard to do this right -- if you check out some of the interviews with him in the film thread, you'll see he's fighting tooth and claw not to have to cut anything else out -- but I've got a feeling that, for the hardcore fan, the DVD release of the film, coupled with the DVD release of Tales of the Black Freighter, will probably be a much more enriching experience than what makes it into theaters.
ADDED:
I found the book crammed in my mail box this morning. Wow, that was fast! Amazon deserves props for that.

It's bigger than I expected (dimensions wise), which is nice. I'm so used to reading squat graphic novels that it's nice to see something bigger. I'm gonna start reading it tonight.

[Alex DeLarge]

Remember, Jeans. Think of it like a jigsaw puzzle. Read it quickly and you'll have put most of it together, but the sides are still rough and there are random pieces still missing. Focus on EVERYTHING as you read it. The posters on the wall, the objects that characters may be looking at, the visual similarities between separate things across issues, harkening back ideas to create parallels. When one character says this line, who do they SHOW while he says it? What does that signify?

[Just Jeans]

Yeah, I'm all about the little details. I try to take everything in, although granted I'm bound to miss something.

To give you an example of my dedication to detail -- I'm on page 14 now, but stopped because I had to dig out my cheap Wal-Mart magnifying glasses so I could read the cover of a newspaper that's laying on the sidewalk in front of a building. I had to flip the book upside down and get in close to read it -- "CONGRESS APPROVES LUNAR SILOS" it says.

Given how everyone goes on about the little details in Watchmen, I have to wonder if that is significant later.

Anyhoo, back to reading. :)

[CosmoBubba]

http://i.somethingawful.com/inserts/articlepics/photoshop/08-13-04-watchmen/Trilobite2.jpg

[Just Jeans]

I've just (more or less) finished Chapter VIII. The beating to death of Hollis Mason is perhaps the most disturbing thing I've read in a work of fiction in a very long time. I can't quite put my finger on why it disturbs me so deeply, but I've just had to put the book down and walk away. I'll continue later this afternoon, after I've had some sleep.