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• Series: Watchmen

WATCHMEN the Week After

Comicscape: WATCHMEN: The Week After
© Mania

Hello Maniacs and welcome back to the greatest show on earth: Comicscape! As usual, I’ll be your guide on your weekly jaunt into a world populated by capes, tights and fantastic powers far beyond those of mortal men and women.

I know it seems like Comicscape has been dominated by Watchmen for the past month. What can I say? It was probably the most anticipated (or in some cases, dreaded) comic book adaptation of all time. It deserves a little coverage. Well, this week won’t be any different. Don’t get me wrong, I had ideas for other columns: In my mind I had concocted this grand scheme to write a list of comic books that should be adapted into movies in the wake of Watchmen’s success. Books like Squadron Supreme or Bone or Dark Knight Returns. Intelligent, thought provoking comics… then I realized I’d pretty much just be rehashing the list of books Kurt and I came up with last week and I had to scrap my idea. But if you’re interested in stuff I’d like to see adapted for the big screen, go ahead and check out last week’s Comicscape.

In lieu of my grand list of would-be comic epics, let’s talk about Watchmen. You saw it, right? I took in an IMAX viewing yesterday afternoon. There’s already been an excellent review here on Mania, but I figured that since I’ve been talking about it so much lately, I might as well give you folks my two cents as well. In a nutshell: while I certainly felt that there were plenty of instances where a subtler hand might’ve served the story better, overall I thought it succeeded and I liked it a lot. There was room for improvement (says the guy who’s never directed a film in his life) but it was probably as good of an adaptation as fans could hope for. Furthermore, I think Snyder managed to keep the story tied to its Cold War roots while making it relevant for modern times. On a scale of 1 -10, I’ll give it an 8.

Now, the rest of this article might get a little spoilery, so those of you who haven’t seen the movie might want to go read something else. Let’s stick with Mania though, okay? I don’t want you going off to some other website: they’ll only lead you astray. We know what you need here, so it would do you good to stay in the warm and protective embrace of this website. Anyway…

Watchmen: My Two Cents

Watchmen has long been considered unfilmable. It was written as a comic book and there are plenty of elements in the story that simply could not be translated into the medium of film. However, I think that the movie proves that there are certain things you can do with a film that a comic book could never achieve. Is Watchmen unfilmable? Yes and no. Those of you who have seen the movie are no doubt aware of what was left out and what didn’t work. But the fact that Zack Snyder was able to keep so much of the story and its themes intact is a testament to his dedication to the source material and proof positive that while there’s no way to deliver exactly what everyone wants, it is possible for a such a layered and complex story to translate from one medium to another and still be effective. Or, as Dr. Manhattan discovers, miracles can happen.

Was it perfect? Not at all. Given time, I could nitpick that movie to death and if you meet me at the bar and buy me a beer, I’ll spend all night tearing it a new one. As a fan, there’s always an important line or scene that I felt should’ve been included or something I would’ve handled differently if I had been in charge. As I said earlier, there were quite a few moments where I felt that the film could’ve been a lot subtler, but we’re talking about the guy who directed 300 here. Zack Snyder might be known for great action and spot-on adaptation of source material, but he will likely never be renowned for making a low-key film. Perhaps a better title for the movie would’ve been Zack Snyder’s Watchmen? It was not Watchmen; Watchmen is a book sitting on my shelf. This was Watchmen as filtered through the lens of Zack Snyder and despite its flaws and the stuff he had to leave out, I thought his vision captured it pretty well. A movie adaptation of anything will never completely do justice to the source material, but I think Snyder did a pretty bang-up job with it. Will the movie have the same effect on comic films as the comic did on comic books? I doubt it. Could a different director done it better? Maybe, maybe not. This is the one we got. I was quite pleased with it and would definitely shake the man’s hand and tell him “Good job” should I ever meet him.

I attended the screening with a couple of friends who had never read the comic and didn’t really know anything about it. Both enjoyed the film immensely but more importantly, the discussion that followed felt almost as though they had read the book. Okay, obviously we weren’t talking about the Black Freighter or the effect Rorschach had on his psychiatrist, but they definitely “got it” in terms of the themes of the story. That was beyond cool for me and as I said earlier, proved that with the right amount of care, you can transfer a story from one medium to another and still get (more-or-less) the same end result.

As for the ending? (okay, it’s definitely gonna get pretty spoilery here, so if you haven’t seen the movie and you’re still with me, just skip to the next paragraph) Anyway yeah, the ending? I liked it. I’ve got no beef with using Dr. Manhattan instead of the space squid. For one thing, the squid would’ve just been one more plotline to introduce to a film that was already nearly three hours long and for another, it’s the one part of the comic that kind of seems rushed and forced anyway. Furthermore, Dr. Manhattan is the walking, breathing allegory of the nuclear threat: It’s only logical that he be used rather than the squid. Yes, it’s blasphemous and is the one glaring alteration, but it worked. It’s not the ending from the book, but this isn’t the book and for the movie that he made, I think the appropriate choice was made. This ending suited the movie far better than the squid would have.

The Numbers

It’s the #1 movie in the country and according to boxofficemojo.com Watchmen took in $55,655,000 over opening weekend. Is that considered a hit? Hell if I know. I can’t understand what Hollywood’s idea of success is most of the time. I guess they were hoping for $60 million and it falls short of 300’s $71 million opening weekend, but you also have to factor in eventual DVD sales and the fact that it was a three-hour movie and how much attendance drops by next weekend. Or something. It seems to me that it should be pretty simple: Did it make a profit? Then it was a success. But what do I know?

Did people like it? Well, it’s rated 65% fresh over on rottentomatoes.com, which is pretty close to a 50/50 split. It’s not surprising that it would cause a little controversy. That’s a good thing: it’ll give us something to debate when con season rolls around and we geeks are holed up in hotel rooms or noisily getting drunk at the local tavern. I’ve gotten tired of debating Superman Returns or whether or not Han shot first. I’m looking for a new fight.

I don’t condone seeking out information from websites other than Mania, but if you were to venture over to Newsarama (no, I am not providing you with a link!), you will find a poll which indicates that the vast majority of comic book readers found the film to be well above average. So the good news is that if a fight breaks out in San Diego this year over the quality of this film, I’ll have the numbers on my side. Most of us thought it was good!

Here's a nice bonus for DC Comics: The Watchmen graphic novel is the #1 Bestseller on Amazon.com That's not just #1 Graphic Novel or the #1 DC Comics Title (it is those too) but the #1 book. Period.

What does all of this mean? Nothing really. They’re just numbers and should do nothing to influence your opinion of the film. I do find it kind of funny that some critics would find a completely self-contained story to be confusing to those who aren’t already familiar with the source material. I also have to take a moment to laugh at those who found the film to be too thought-provoking and existential. Hmmm… maybe you missed the point?

The Rest

Well, whether you liked it or whether you didn’t, there’s no doubt that in the long run this will be considered a success for comic book fans everywhere. When Watchmen was first released, critics proclaimed that comic books weren’t just for kids anymore. Now, over two decades later, with the New York Times adding a graphic novel best seller list, I think it’s safe to say we’ve made it. That’s about as mainstream as you can get.

I can’t count the number of people at work who have stopped me to ask about Watchmen. People from all walks of life and the vast majority of them are choosing to read the book first. Whether the film is a hit or a dud or somewhere in between, if it gets people to read comic books that ordinarily wouldn’t read comic books, then it is a hit in my eyes.

Sequential Ink

Now its time for my favorite part of Comicscape. Rambling about comics is pretty fun but let’s not forget that comic books are a visual medium as well and the world of geekery knows no bounds. For further proof of that, heres a few examples of just how far it can go. I’ve already done a showcase on Watchmen tattoos, but I like to try to stick with a theme every week. Since we’re talking about Watchmen and it takes place in the 1980’s, let’s go with some ‘80s toy properties such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

This awesome Michelangelo

Another awesome Michelangelo

Another awesome Michelangelo

Leonardo (with the original red mask!)

… and one of the whole darn team.

Hey, if you dig these pictures and you’ve got one to add, check out the Geek Tattoos group on flickr.com. Sign up! Submit your own pictures! Find yourself here on Comicscape!

And now it’s time for the eloquent prose of Ben Johnson and the ever-popular Spinner Rack! Until next week, Maniacs…

The Spinner Rack

ANTARCTIC PRESS
Far West Bad Mojo #1 (of 2), $3.50
Ben: Oh please. Everyone knows the left coast is the best coast.

APE ENTERTAINMENT
Super Human Resources #1 (of 4)(Cover A Justin Bleep), $3.50
Ben: Feelings, stupid rules, the destruction of fun. Now in SUPER!!!
Super Human Resources #1 (of 4)(Cover B Joey Mason), $3.50

ARCANA STUDIO
Kade Rising Sun #1 (Of 4)(Cover C Ethan Peacock Incentive Cover)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), AR

ASPEN ENTERTAINMENT
Soulfire Shadow Magic #4 (of 5), $2.99

AVATAR PRESS
Anna Mercury TP Vol 1 The Cutter, $19.99
Crossed #1 (of 9)(Cold Cuts Edition), $5.99
Ben: After reading the first few issues I’m not sure I even want to see this.

BAG & BOARD STUDIOS 
Nick Adrian Security Guard #1 (per Haven Distributors), $3.99 
Ben: Not distributed by Diamond.

BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS
Female Force Sarah Palin (One Shot), $3.99
Ben: So I actually had lunch with her a bit ago and it was like having lunch with Bizarro. Everytime I asked a question and she would give me a totally unrelated answer. Very weird.
Female Force Hillary Clinton (One Shot), $3.99
Ben: I did not have lunch with her.
Missile To The Moon #1 (of 4), $3.99
Ben: That is so 1969.
Odyssey Presents Judo Girl & Venus, $3.99
Ben: Do you know what rhymes with Venus? Genus!
Power Of The Valkyrie #1 (of 4), $3.99
Ray Harryhausen Presents 10th Muse 800 #1 (of 4), $3.99
Ray Harryhausen Presents Pit & The Pendulum, $3.99
Ray Harryhausen Presents The Elementals #3 (of 4), $3.99
Wrath Of The Titans Cyclops (One Shot), $3.99

BOOM! STUDIOS
Ben: That’s the sound their presses make from printing all these variants.
Galveston #4 (Cover A Jeffrey Spokes), $3.99
Galveston #4 (Cover B Greg Scott), $3.99
Chad: Inspired by the Glen Campbell song.
Hexed #3 (of 4)(Cover A Emma Rios), $3.99
Hexed #3 (of 4)(Cover B Joe Pekar), $3.99
Last Reign Kings Of War #4 (of 5)(Cover A Karl Richardson), $3.99
Chad: Ben, you already made a crack about this title sounding suspiciously similar to Dark Reign, Civil War and War of Kings, right? Okay, just checking.
Last Reign Kings Of War #4 (of 5)(Cover B John Nofsinger), $3.99
Remnant #3 (of 4)(Cover A Paul Azaceta), $3.99
Remnant #3 (of 4)(Cover B Julian Totino Tedesco), $3.99
Warhammer 40K Defenders Of Ultramar #4 (Cover A David Esbri), $3.99
Warhammer 40K Defenders Of Ultramar #4 (Cover B David Esbri), $3.99
Warhammer Crown Of Destruction Limited HC, $49.99
Warhammer Crown Of Destruction TP, $16.99
Zombie Tales TP Vol 3 Good Eatin, $15.99

DABEL BROTHERS PRODUCTIONS
C E Murphys Take A Chance #3, $3.99
Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson Homecoming #2 (of 4), $3.99

DARK HORSE
Amazon #1 (of 3), $3.50
Appleseed TP Vol 4 The Promethean Balance (3rd Edition)(resolicited), $14.95
BPRD Black Goddess #3 (of 5), $2.99
Dilbert PVC Set, $24.99
Mask Omnibus TP Vol 2 (resolicited), $24.95
Oh My Goddess TP Vol 11, $10.95
Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack HC, $24.95
Ben: Who knew so much awesome could be in one little book.
Spirit Movie Mini Bust, $59.99
Ben: I think major bust is more descriptive.
Tarzan The Jesse Marsh Years HC Vol 1 (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $49.95

DC COMICS
Action Comics #875, $2.99
Ben: Now who is this one about. I’m totally lost.
After Watchmen Promotional Booklet, AR
Apothecarius Argentum TP Vol 7, $9.99
Batman Battle for the Cowl #1 (of 3)(Tony Daniel Regular Cover), $3.99
Ben: The moment three of you have been waiting for. P.S. Check out the price.
Chad: I was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to read this. Looks like they made the decision for me!
Batman Battle for the Cowl #1 (of 3)(Tony Daniel Variant Cover), AR
Batman Confidential #27, $2.99
Booster Gold #18, $2.99
Cartoon Network Action Pack #35, $2.50
Catwoman The Long Road Home TP, $17.99
DMZ #40, $2.99
Emma TP Vol 8, $9.99
Ex Machina Special #4 (Tony Harris Regular Cover), $3.99
Ex Machina Special #4 (John Paul Leon Variant Cover), AR
Fables #82, $2.99
Gen 13 #28, $2.99
Green Arrow Black Canary #18, $2.99
Green Lantern Corps #34 (Pat Gleason Regular Cover)(Blackest Night Prelude), $2.99
Green Lantern Corps #34 (Rodolfo Migliari Variant Cover)(Blackest Night Prelude), AR
Justice League International HC Vol 4, $24.99
Losers By Jack Kirby HC, $39.99
MAD Magazine #498 (Newsstand Edition)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $4.99
Northlanders #15, $2.99
REBELS #2, $2.99
Resident Evil #1 (of 6)(Video Game Art Cover), $3.99
Ben: I hope it’s the box art for Mega Man.
Resident Evil #1 (of 6)(Brandon Badeaux Variant Cover), AR
Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 (Special Edition), $1.00
Sandman Mystery Theatre TP Vol 7 Mist & Phantom, $19.99
Scalped #26, $2.99
Ben: Still one of the best.
Scooby Doo #142, $2.50
Showcase Presents Justice League Of America TP Vol 4, $16.99
Simon Dark #18, $2.99
Super Friends For Justice TP, $12.99
Superman Batman #56, $2.99
Titans #11, $2.99
Top 10 Season Two #4 (of 4), $2.99
Transmetropolitan TP Vol 1 Back On The Street, $14.99
Trinity #41, $2.99
Watchmen Movie Rorschach 1/6 Scale Figure, $99.99
Ben: Of course you realize that Rorschach would kick your ass if he ever saw this in your house.
Wonder Woman The Ends Of The Earth HC, $24.99
Young Liars #13, $2.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Battlestar Galactica Cylon War #2 (of 4)(Stephen Segovia Foil Cover), AR
Black Terror #3 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.50
Black Terror #3 (Alex Ross Negative Art Incentive Cover), AR
Black Terror #3 (Mike Lilly Variant Cover), AR
Black Terror #3 ('Surprise Artist' Variant Cover), AR
Highlander Origins Kurgan #2 (of 2)(Foil Cover), AR
Ben: I thought they already covered this in the theatrical cut of Highlander 2.
Chad: You actually made it all the way through that movie?
Man With No Name #8 (Richard Isanove Regular Cover), $3.50
Man With No Name #8 (Homs Variant Cover), AR
Super-Zombies #1 (Fabiano Neves Regular Cover), $3.50
Ben: I liked this the first time when is was called Carpool starring Tom Arnold… oh wait, it was called Marvel Zombies.
Super-Zombies #1 (Mel Rubi Regular Cover), $3.50
Super-Zombies #1 (Fabiano Neves Negative Art Incentive Cover), AR
Super-Zombies #1 (Mel Rubi Negative Art Incentive Cover), AR
Zorro Year One HC Vol 1 Trail Of The Fox (Previews Exclusive Cover), $29.99

IDW PUBLISHING
30 Days Of Night 30 Days Til Death #4 (David Lapham Regular Cover), $3.99
Ben: At least you would know that quitting smoking isn’t a big deal.
30 Days Of Night 30 Days Til Death #4 (Ben Templesmith Incentive Variant Cover), AR
Angel After The Fall HC Vol 3, $24.99
Angel Blood And Trenches #1 (John Byrne Regular Cover), $3.99
Angel Blood And Trenches #1 (John Byrne Incentive Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Epilogue TP, $17.99
GI Joe #3 (Regular Cover A), $3.99
GI Joe #3 (Regular Cover B), $3.99
GI Joe #3 (Dave Johnson Incentive Virgin Cover), AR
GI Joe Movie Prequel Duke #1 (Joe Corroney Cover), $3.99
Ben: Sweet, I love seeing my childhood memories raped.
GI Joe Movie Prequel Duke #1 (Photo Cover), $3.99
Graveslinger TP Vol 1, $19.99
Life And Times Of Savior 28 #1 (Mike Cavallaro Regular Cover), $3.99
Star Trek Archives TP Vol 4 Best Of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, $19.99
Tilting At Windmills SC Vol 2, $19.99
Transformers All Hail Megatron #8 (Casey Coller Regular Cover), $3.99
Transformers All Hail Megatron #8 (Trevor Hutchison Regular Cover), $3.99
Transformers All Hail Megatron #8 (Guido Guidi Incentive Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Wormwood Gentleman Corpse HC Vol 1, $24.99

IMAGE COMICS
Charlatan Ball #6, $2.50
Halo 2009 Deluxe Hunter Action Figure Box Set, AR
Madman Atomic Comics TP Vol 2, $19.99
Soul Kiss #2 (of 5), $3.50
Special Forces #4 (of 6), $2.99
Walking Dead #59, $2.99

MARVEL COMICS
Adam Legend Of Blue Marvel #5 (of 5)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99
Agents Of Atlas #1 (Carlo Pagulayan Second Printing Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99
Astonishing Tales #2, $3.99
Black Panther 2 #1 (Ken Lashley Second Printing Variant)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99
Captain Britain And MI 13 #11, $2.99
Deadpool Premiere HC Vol 1 Secret Invasion, $19.99
Essential Power Man And Iron Fist TP Vol 2, $19.99
Franklin Richards TP Not So Secret Invasion Digest, $9.99
Ghost Rider #33, $2.99
Guardians Of The Galaxy #11, $2.99
Immortal Iron Fist #23, $2.99
Invincible Iron Man #10 (Salvador Larroca Second Printing Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Invincible Iron Man #11 (Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #49, $2.99
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #9, $2.99
Marvel Apes Speedball Special, $3.99
Marvel Illustrated Odyssey #7 (of 8), $3.99
Marvel Illustrated TP Picture Of Dorian Gray, $14.99
Marvel Masterworks Amazing Spider-Man HC Vol 6 (2nd Printing)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Amazing Spider-Man HC Vol 6 (Variant Edition)(2nd Printing)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Marvel Spotlight Wolverine, $3.99
Messiah War Postcards, AR
Official Index To Marvel Universe #3, $3.99
Punisher Frank Castle MAX #68, $3.99
Ben: Against my best judgement I watched Punisher: War Zone this last week and it pissed me off so much. Why do directors try to make the villains in comic book movies so f-ing over the top? How hard is it to make a movie about a guy who shoots people? It’s like making porn that no one wants to see. Seriously, this steamer broke my nose into about a thousand pieces and then rubbed Tabasco into the wounds while kicking my sack with steel-toed boots.
Runaways Premiere HC Dead Wrong (Book Market Edition), $19.99
Runaways Premiere HC Dead Wrong (Direct Market Edition), $19.99
Secret Invasion TP Inhumans, $14.99
Secret Invasion TP Who Do You Trust, $19.99
Ben: Not the people involved in making Punisher: War Zone.
Secret Invasion TP X-Men, $14.99
Secret Warriors #1 (Stefano Caselli Second Printing Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99
Skaar Son of Hulk #7 (Butch Guice Second Printing Variant), $2.99
Stand American Nightmares #1 (of 5)(Mike Perkins Regular Cover), $3.99
Ben: Can I get a hell yeah!
Stand American Nightmares #1 (of 5)(Lee Bermejo Variant Cover), AR
Stand American Nightmares #1 (of 5)(Lincoln Tunnel Variant Cover), AR
Stand American Nightmares #1 (of 5)(Mike Perkins Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Stand Captain Trips Premiere HC Vol 1 (Lee Bermejo Book Market Edition), $24.99
Stand Captain Trips Premiere HC Vol 1 (Mike Perkins Direct Market Edition), $24.99
Wonderful Wizard Of Oz #4 (of 8), $3.99
X-Men Manifest Destiny Nightcrawler (One Shot), $3.99
X-Men Noir #4 (of 4)(Dennis Calero Regular Cover), $3.99
X-Men Noir #4 (of 4)(Dennis Calero Variant Cover), AR

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
1001 Arabian Nights Adventures Of Sinbad #4 (Eric Basaldua 'Ebas' Exlusive Variant Cover)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $15.00
Grimm Fairy Tales Oversized HC (Signed Edition)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $55.00