Watchmen takes the cake for being the most iconic graphic novel of all time, so it should come as no surprise to see it as a comic book essential, really.
There's not much to say about Watchmen other than what's already been said. It's so influential, so significant and so recognisable as both a comic book and as a commercial property that, apart from the Justice League and The Avengers, it's probably the most famous superhero team-based book out there. For a series that relied so heavily on creating brand new characters (sort of) for its story, that's a tremendous feat. And although it's true that the book is a Cold War analogue through and through, many of the themes it broaches are still relevant today; its dissection of the superhero genre still holds particular salience.
Watchmen is the ultimate superhero story. Not because it encompasses the genre in a feel good way or because it pays homage to the history of the medium, but because it contextualises it in a frighteningly realistic world. Indeed, it's this identity that makes Moore's book such an enthralling tale. You won't find an introduction to the medium quite like it.
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Have any recommendations you'd like to share with beginners? Be sure to post them in the comments below!
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
