Watchmen, officially the most commented film on Obsessed With Film in 2009 (yes, it beats out comments on
Star Trek and the upcoming
Batman 3) is
released today in the U.K. on Blu-Ray and DVD. To celebrate the release, OWF's Martyn Conterio spoke to
Dave Gibbons, the co-creator of the
Watchmen 12 issue mini-series, and the man responsible for fleshing out Alan Moore's writings with groundbreaking artwork and character designs. At this point, I also want to mention Gibbons' book Watching the Watchmen which I can't recommend highly enough. Did you ever think Watchmen would ever become a landmark graphic novel?
No, I dont think we ever thought that. We set out to do the type of comic book we wanted to read. By the time we worked on it, Alan Moore and I had worked on some shorter pieces and we were just happy to have the chance to do something big and substantial. What I remember was the fun we had doing it. There was very little interference from DC Comics and we certainly didnt approach it with a sense of this is going to be a significant comic. If wed approached it like that wed have never been able to do it.
How closely did you work with the creative team on the film?
I was at a safe distance. When youve spent a couple of years of your life producing something like Watchmen it is obviously very precious to you. However, I do think its best left to the professionals and not worry too much. They showed me an early draft of the script and invited my notes; I think by and large, they were acted upon. I did a very limited amount of storyboardingit was all about remaining faithful to the book. Zack Snyder got me to draw the changed ending as if it had been in the comic book to see how I would have seen it. I got to see a very early finished version and they asked if I would give comments and feedback. I suppose I was more of a concerned but distance parent and advisor.
What impressed you most about Zack Snyders approach?
Thats an interesting questionwell to translate a comic book into a movie is in itself a very difficult thing to do. Comic books and cinema are spoken of as if they are somewhat similar, but in fact, they are very different beasts. I was just thrilled the way Zack integrated images and scenes from the comic book with completely new scenes yet managing to keep the visual tone and the dramatic toneit was very constant. So I think it was that.
Were you ever worried Watchmen would be too complex to translate to the screen?
Its a very complex bookand I suppose any translation would have to be a fairly deft dissection. I think they did a very good job of cutting it down whilst keeping the complexity and yet simplifying the story. As Zack himself would say, the movie is a different beast from the comic book. The original Watchmen experience is the comic bookbut certainly the movie is a great introduction to it.
Alan Moores work has been adapted in the past, and hes been very vocal about his displeasure with the end results. What do you think makes Watchmen a success?
I think there was a genuine reverence towards the source material. When you adapt a comic book to film, compromises have to be made, changes have to occur. Everybody concerned with the film from Zack Snyder down to the actors were huge fans of the comic and they all wanted to do it justice. I think that the spine of Watchmenthe story is so strong that they were able to stick very closely to thatthe less they changed the more stronger the film would be.
What did you make of the altered ending used in the film?
I thought it was very successful. I think that the squid worked really well in the comic book, but I dont think it would have worked on screen. Plus there was a lot of back-story that would have been needed to set it upand the movie isnt long enough to allow that. I think the way the ending was tied back to Dr. Manhattan I think was very cleverit felt very satisfyingIm completely happy with the changed ending.
What are the chances of Alan Moore ever watching the film?
(Laughs)well Alan has no interest in the movie at all and Alan is nothing if not a man of his word. As far as I know that still is the case. Personally, I would find it very hard to resist watching the movieI completely understand his reasons for not being involved and I would never seek to persuade him. I like to think he would be a pleasant surprise if he didbut as far as I know, he will never watch it.