Here we are, the number one most influential comic book that changed everything. You probably figured out what it would be a few entries back, so this shouldn't be much of a surprise. It's actually easier to talk about Watchmen in terms of what it didn't influence (i.e. not much), because Alan Moore's seminal 1986 masterpiece is likely the most significant comic book work ever published. Watchmen is a reflection of it's time, born out of anxieties of the 1980's regarding politics (the Reagan administration in America and Thatcher in the UK) and also the desire to show what a superhero story would be like in the 'real' world. For instance, if a normal person was given God-like powers, like Dr Manhattan, would that person really immediately throw on a garish costume and become a crimefighter? Moore argues that this wouldn't necessarily be the case, as absolute power corrupts absolutely. Instead, this person could become isolated and cut off from the rest of humanity, struggling with how he simply can't relate to humans anymore. This psychological deconstruction of the superhero genre was revolutionary in the 1980's, and made Watchmen a critical and commercial success. Consequently, nearly every writer in comic books since has taken the attitude of treating the characters, heroic and villainous, as if they were real people. The genre has become more and more analysed and literary over time, to the point where readers are no longer used to a simplified, straight up, superhero adventure story. Readers from Watchmen onwards craved that complexity, loved that creators took the characters they loved seriously. Military funded superhero teams like The Authority and The Ultimates wouldn't have existed without Watchmen. Marvel Comics' 2007 crossover event Civil War is predicated on a very similar notion to one in Watchmen, that superheroes and costumed vigilante's had been outlawed or forced into working for the government. Who watches the Watchmen? Everyone who reads comics or works in comics, clearly. So, what do you think? Have we any glaring omissions from our list, any highly influential comics that we've managed to leave out? Do you disagree with anything we've highlighted? Sound off in the comments below.
