When I was young I was really into comic books. Always was. Started with whatever I was given as a gift: Batman. Justice League, Superman, etc. Then as I became more interested, I got really into the X-Men. That did it. The first issue I bought with my own money from mowing my Dad's lawn was Uncanny X-Men #123: Chris Claremont writer, John Byrne pencils, and Terry Austin inks. That holy trinity of comics creativity got me obsessed. The X-men were powerful yet flawed, with problems, issues, demons. I was hooked. From there I got into Avengers, vintage Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic Four, new McFarlane Spiderman, Cloak and Dagger, and then ...The Sandman and Swamp Thing. Right in the middle of my high school years, I had enough dough from waiting tables at an Itailan restuarant to keep my comic habit satiated. At that time, came...

THE WATCHMEN.

Alan Moore writer, Dave Gibbons pencils and inks. Alan Moore was something of a comics rock star, having written "Swamp Thing" for years and turning it from an odd book at best to the most mind bending, universe travelling saga I had read up to that point (besides, of course, The Sandman: Neil Gaiman's masterpiece). The Watchmen was a 12 issue year-long series telling one single story. The first issue was like nothing I had seen, it read like watching storyboards from a film, complete with camera movement. It was the story of a future where "costumed adventuring" had been commonplace, but was now outlawed. The "superheroes" were not super powered (save one, an accident of science) just odd characters who felt some need to be of service. The Watchmen examined the superhero model critically; asked why and what was wrong with people who would do this. And why the tights? As the series started, the heroes were aging, getting paunches, and living "normal" lives, when one is murdered, the story begins. There has never been anything like it.

Years ago, I had heard the Terry Gilliam was set to make The Watchmen movie, and I was really excited. I found a copy of the script at a convention, and bought it. That was all I heard about it until now. Looks like Darren Aronofsky, director of Pi (great movie), and Requiem for a Dream is finally making it. When I read the news, I dug out my copy of The Watchmen compilation and have been reading it again. It's just as great today, it makes the same sense. Talk about flawed power; the heroes have problems relating to people, there are subplots involving infidelity, insecurity, the government, and rape. The main plot? The end of the world of course...it has that in common with other comic books.

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