Welcome to the sixth edition of Team Venom’s Greatest Graphic Novel Guide. For today’s spotlight I’m going to be talking about the DC Comics classic, Watchmen.

Published: 1986 by DC Comics

Original Format: Watchmen #1-12

Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons

Overview: Watchmen is viewed as one of the greatest graphic novels of all-time and rightfully so. It is a pure masterpiece on all fronts. Alan Moore’s storytelling is superb and Dave Gibbons art sucks you in to the story.

Watchmen is a story set in an era where superheros have been outlawed and kicks off with the murder of a former hero known as the Comedian. The narrative switches between Rorschach, Night Owl and Dr Manhatten who all have different perspectives on the story as it unfolds.

This book’s influence can still be felt some 30+ years later including a limited series that is currently mid-run titled Doomsday Clock which pits the characters of Watchmen against the Justice League.

Influence In Other Media: There’s been quite a lot! There was the movie directly adapting this book by Zack Snyder, the companion documentary adapting the Hollis Mason book-within-a-book and an animated feature – Tales of the Black Freighter – which accurately adapted the comic being read within the story. There was also two Watchmen games for the Xbox 360 & PS3. There is also currently talk of a TV series being made based on this book.

Our Verdict:

Rory Bailey “Watchmen is one of my uncle’s favourite graphic novels and is something that regularly gets brought up whenever we discuss graphic novels. It is essentially the non-Batman measuring stick against all other graphic novels. It was also the same Uncle who lent me his copy of Watchmen then later bought it me as a gift one birthday (big shout out to my Uncle Justin for that!). It is the epitome of all of Alan Moore’s work and is a must for any serious comic book fan. 9/10”