Watchmen (initially published in France under the title the Guards ) is a series of Cartoon comparable to the kind Comic although she is regarded as a “Roman graph” (graphic Novell) in the Anglo-Saxon countries where the cartoon for adults does not have the same recognition as in France.

• Scenario: Alan Moore

• Drawings: Dave Gibbons
• Colors: John Higgins
• French Translation: Jean-Patrick Cuff

This series was published by cd. Comics starting from 1986. It obtained one big hit, which resulted in obtaining the Prix Hugo, decreed for the first time at a Cartoon, like by the price of the best foreign album to the Festival of Angouleme in 1989. It in addition was classified by the American newspaper Time among the 100 best novels in English language since 1923.

Analyzes

The history of the Watchmen proceeds in 1985, in an alternative reality where Super-héros having ceased their activity of dispensers of justice seem to disappear one by one, whereas the third world war threatens to burst constantly. In this Uchronie, the appearance in 1959 of the Dr. Manhattan, a superman equipped with capacities by almost making the equal one of a god, modified the history which we know: the the United States gained the Guerre of Vietnam, the Scandale of Watergate was choked and Richard Nixon is always president in 1985. The album is intersected with several pages of written documents resulting from the universe of Watchmen. Articles of newspapers, long passages of the diary of the one of the characters, these documents directly do not serve the intrigue of the account but make it possible to give a depth to the universe of Watchmen.

One can qualify this album of history of realistic supermen (except Dr. Manhattan, none really has super-capacity) where the protagonists age, know corruption, the doubt, the madness and the depression. The intrigue leaves the murder of a superman with the End of the world which threatens in backdrop. The central theme, symbolized by a Smiley which returns in a recurring way in the album, is the direction of the life in the chaos of the universe.

The title is a word game on the double direction of the word watch which in English means to look at, to supervise, but also indicates a watch. Thus the account is divided into 12 chapters which open each time on a clock which approaches midnight. One regularly finds in the account this image of the time which advances unrelentingly towards the end of the world, in particular by the recurring introduction of the bloodstain in the shape of needle of clock which one finds on the Smiley of the cover.

It also constitutes a reference to the phrase Latin E “ Quis custodiet ipsos custodes ” (“Which keeps these guards? ”), extracted from a Satire of Juvénal. One finds his translation in English (“ Who watches the watchmen? ”) drawn on the walls in some images of this cartoon, the legitimacy of the supermen to make reign the order having been called into question during the previous years.

Work is graphically very rich, comprising a great number of elements echoing the dialogs and to the history. One of the chapters devoted to Rorschach is thus built like a Palindrome, the first page echoes the last, that it is on the topic, the page layout or the characters put in image. This palindrome whose central page is a scene of action, reproduced the symmetrical reasons and always changing mask of Rorschach.

The account is delayed on some supporting characters whose personal lives are put in prospect for the complete history. One of great qualities of the scenario resides precisely in this intermingling of the stories, the lives and the destinies: the reader is frequently returned to events of the last one which little by little clarify the situation present, by successive keys. One finds oneself even with reading two at the same time comics , because Alan Moore manages to slip in the middle of its narration, and parallel to this one, a history of pirates whom a supporting character reads assiduously.

Characters

It is with beginning of the year 1980 that cd. Comics repurchased several licenses of characters with Charlton Comics, and proposed in Moore to make a mini-series with those. The supermen were finally rehabilitated to arrive to the protagonists of Watchmen.

Characters and those which inspired them:

• the Actor (Eddie Blake), adapted Peacemaker.

• Dr. Manhattan (Jon Osterman), adapted Captain Atom.
• Owl I (Hollis Mason), adapted Blue Beetle (daN Garrett).
• Owl II (daN Dreiberg), adapted of Blue Beetle (Ted Kord).
• Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt), adapted Thunderbolt (Peter Canon).
• Rorschach (Walter Joseph Kovacs), adapted The Question.
• the Silky Spectrum I (Sally Jupiter), adapted Nightshade
• the Silky Spectrum II (Laurie Jupiter)

Albums

• Volume 1: the Actor (1987)
• Volume 2: Dr. Manhattan (1987)
• Volume 3: Rorschach (1988)
• Volume 4: the Owl (1988)
• Volume 5: Laurie (1988)
• Volume 6: Ozymandias (1988)

To note

• Each character of this comic is a symbol, Dr. Manhattan representing science, the Actor the past…

• In the Watchmen universe, the United States gained the victory with the Vietnam, thanks to Dr. Manhattan.

• Richard Nixon is still President of the United States in 1986 - it would be then with its fifth mandate -, following an constitutional amendment in 1975 making it possible to make more than two mandates (amendment with the XXIIe amendment of the American Constitution).

Publication

Editors

• Delcourt integral edition, ISBN 2-84055-251-5 (1998).
• Zenda : Volumes 1 to 6 (first edition of volumes 1 to 6); integral edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 2-87687-133-5 (volume 1) and ISBN 2-87687-134-3 (volume 2) (1992).

Adaptation

See also: Watchmen (film)

The comic failed to be adapted shortly after its publication by Terry Gilliam but it was cancelled.

Watchmen was to also be carried with the cinema in 2006 by Paramount Pictures with the realization Paul Greengrass ( Death in the skin ). Rumors announced Ron Perlman in the role of Eddie Blake (the Actor), Hilary Swank in that of Laurie (the Silky Spectrum II) and Joaquin Phoenix in that of daN (Owl II).

Since the project is developed under the banner of Warner Bros., Paul Greengrass (which had already succeeded Darren Aronofsky as a realizer of this adaptation) is not attached any more to the project. It was replaced by Zack Snyder, the film will leave in 2009.

External bonds

• the casting of film of Zack Snyder

• Entrevue with Paul Greengrass (in English)
• Reportage on the pre-production of film that Paul Greengrass envisaged to carry out (in English)
• Entrevue with Zack Snyder (in English)
• Fiche IMDB
• Interview (in English) of Alan Moore in connection with the adaptation of the Charlton heroes: Toasting absent heroes, Alan Moore discusses the Charlton-Watchmen Connection.