Watchmen: The Film Companion by Peter Aperlo

Watchmen was a comic that almost literally rewrote the way people saw comics when it was first published in the 1970's. It was a deconstruction of Superheros, asking what in the real world could make someone don a fancy costume and go out to fight crime.

But it also asked, "What would a world with a Superhuman being in it really be like?", and the answer it came to is less like heaven, and more like Hell. The title is from Juvenal, who asked "Quis Custodiet ipsos Custodes." or "Who watches the watchmen?" i.e. who will keep us safe from those who are supposed to keep us safe?

The comic, and now the movie, explores those issues not in some four-color idealized world, but in the real world that all of us live in, where there are no moral lessons built in, and everything is shades of gray rather than black and white. The film traces super-heroics from the idealistic days of the 50's to the post-modern era.

Filled with color pictures of the Characters, character bios and Actor ruminations on their characters, this book is chock full of interesting stuff that will enhance your appreciation and understanding of the movie, and the comic behind it. For instance, the material of Rohrshach's mask was supposedly made out of material intended for a dress commissioned by Kitty Genovese. You may not know who that is, but that added a certain poignancy to the character of Rorshach for me., since it kind of underscores the kind of character he is/was.

The book is filled not only with stories and information from the making of the movie, but also from the making of the comic and the kind of impact it had on the stories of the time, and since. As a visual exploration of both the movie and the graphic novel, this book provides many meaty bones to dig into, and plenty of things to look at, ponder about and ooh and aah at.

This is a great book, filled with images from the movie, and also from the comic. Think what you may about either, the comic was groundbreaking, and this movie brought the comic to life. So much thought, work and building went into the movie, and the pictures in this book linger almost lovingly over all aspects of it, from the design of Nightowl's flying Owlship to the costumes that each hero wears.

It's obvious that the people behind the movie wanted to be as true to the comic as possible, and they succeeded. It's also quite obvious how much they loved and respected the comic that was quite literally, the blueprint for the movie. It's a lengthy (and weighty) book that you can wander in for hours without getting bored or tired. Highly recommended.