Overview

What began with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ landmark graphic novel, Watchmen (1987) is no longer a single story, but rather a cross-platform, multi-media franchise, including a role-playing game and video game, a motion comic, a Zack Snyder movie, and a series of comic book prequels and sequels, as well as a prestige HBO TV series. Will Brooker explores the way that Watchmen expanded over time from the mid-1980s to the present day, drawing on theories of adaptation, intertextuality and deconstruction to argue that each addition subtly changes our understanding of the original. Does it matter whether these adaptations are ‘faithful’? Can they ever be, as they cross over into another medium? How does each version enter a dialogue with the others? And as Damon Lindelof’s series ran parallel to an entirely distinct comic book Watchmen sequel, Doomsday Clock, how do readers and viewers make sense of these conflicting narratives? Can we relate the unstable, shifting stories of Watchmen to our contemporary climate of post-truth, where we have to weigh up contradictory versions of the facts and decide which we believe?

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9781350198746

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Reviews

Although there has certainly been a great deal of critical ink spilled fawning over Watchmen over the years, Brooker broadens our understanding of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ landmark series by examining the network of texts that contribute to the Watchmen matrix, revealing new insights, inspirations and intertexts that expose the beating heart that pumps through the veins and capillaries of one of the most feted and celebrated texts of Western popular culture. It is, quite simply, the best book I’ve encountered on the topic. -- William Proctor, Bournemouth University, UK A masterful study of all-things-Watchmen, from Moore and Gibbons’s original tale to its sequels, prequels, adaptations and parodies. From comics to cinema to television to games and beyond, Brooker’s expert insights guide us through the enduring relevance of Watchmen across eras, platforms and media. -- Blair Davis, DePaul University, USA

Although there has certainly been a great deal of critical ink spilled fawning over Watchmen over the years, Brooker broadens our understanding of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark series by examining the network of texts that contribute to the Watchmen matrix, revealing new insights, inspirations and intertexts that expose the beating heart that pumps through the veins and capillaries of one of the most feted and celebrated texts of Western popular culture. It is, quite simply, the best book I've encountered on the topic. -- William Proctor, Bournemouth University, UK A masterful study of all-things-Watchmen, from Moore and Gibbons's original tale to its sequels, prequels, adaptations and parodies. From comics to cinema to television to games and beyond, Brooker's expert insights guide us through the enduring relevance of Watchmen across eras, platforms and media. -- Blair Davis, DePaul University, USA

Author Information

Will Brooker is Professor of Film and Cultural Studies at Kingston University, UK. He is the author of many books on popular culture, cultural icons, cultural history and audiences, including Batman Unmasked, Using the Force, Alice’s Adventures, The Audience Studies Reader, The Blade Runner Experience, Hunting the Dark Knight, Forever Stardust, Why Bowie Matters, and the BFI Film Classics volume on Star Wars.

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