Thursday, May 28, 2009

The ending

What did you think? Did you find it "chilling"?

I did enjoy the very last part, the part where the news clerk stumbles upon Rorschach's diary, and we can assume that Veidt's plot will eventually be revealed.

But Veidt's plot itself -- creating a giant octopus-looking monster with the cloned brain of a psychic and using it to distract world leaders from fighting each other -- struck me as a bit ... stupid. Not to mention contrived and overly complicated.

The whole thing depends on the existence of psychics? And "sensitives"? To use an old joke, didn't the psychics see this coming?

But then again, it is a comic. Am I being too picky?
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3 comments:

kc said...

I was expecting a more chilling ending — and certainly a cleaner one. I mean, an hour after I finished it, I couldn't remember exactly how it ended because, as you noted, it's so convoluted. (Stupid monsters aside, try reconstructing Veidt's worldview in your head).

I don't think you're being too picky. I think you're like me. When you look at comics (or porn), it's not really for the articles.

Maybe this would be a good place to discuss the difference between graphic novels ("Maus") and comic books ("Watchmen"?).

9:25 AM, May 29, 2009
Erin said...

Yes, I was going to make a post on that topic. "Watchmen" was on Time Magazine's list of 100 best novels. And that, in my opinion, is pretty dumb. I mean, the book has value. I understand that it was somewhat groundbreaking as a comic book. But between the sickening sexism, the gaps in logic and the goofy ending, it just doesn't hold up against truly brilliant novels. (The complete list is here , if you're curious.)

6:59 PM, June 01, 2009
kc said...

I think the book has real moments of genius (like Dr. Manhattan's meditation on Mars and some of the glimpses into Rorschach's psyche), and when you think of the sheer effort of producing it, it really is a marvel, but, yeah, I don't think that puts it on the same plane as "The Great Gatsby." I don't know. If, 85 years from now, people are still discussing and studying "Watchmen" like they do Fitzgerald, or 200 years from now the way they do Jane Austen, then I'll believe it.

10:25 PM, June 01, 2009

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