Watchmen was originally published by DC Comics in 1986 as a limited-edition 12-issue series. It was later republished as a trade paperback. It is regularly credited with inaugrating the concept of the graphic novel. It even made Time Magazine's 2005 list of 'The 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present'.
The story is set in an alternative universe where the USA and Russia are on the verge of nuclear war. We are introduced to a number of superheroes, one of who has been murdered. In this universe, superheroes are fallible and disturbingly ordinary people. The fact that you are thinking 'So what?' is a tribute to the influence of the book on contemporary superhero literature.
It is a dark, brooding, magnificent work. Over 20 years after its publication it remains one of the best graphic novels ever produced. Read it before the movie is released so you can bore people with your own personal 'compare/contrast' trivia. And if you've already read it, whet your appetite with a visit to the Watchmen movie Flickr site.
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