Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Originally, Alan Moore wanted Watchmen to use the Charlton Heroes. When DC Comics said no, he went and created his own superhero crew. How different would Watchmen be if Moore’s initial request had been granted?
- If Watchmen took place today, what world conflict(s) would stand in for the Cold War? Does the arrival of the Internet make all the newspaper and TV scenes obsolete?
- Some say Watchmen is an unfilmable comic book. Obviously, they’re wrong, because Zack Snyder made a movie version in 2009. Or are they? What parts of Watchmen work well on the page but not on the screen?
- Nowadays, the struggle for LGBT rights is front and center. Back in the '80s, it wasn’t such a popular cause. What does Watchmen have to say about homophobia and gay rights?
- Although Watchmen first appeared one issue at a time, its creators consider it a complete work, finito, like the Sistine Chapel. Recently, there’s a new round of prequels called Before Watchmen. However, Alan Moore has boycotted these comics, urging people not to read them. What’s a fanboy or fangirl to do?
- When the hero (Rorschach?) is harder to like than the villain (Veidt?), what does that say about the world of Watchmen?
- Time might be relative for Dr. Manhattan, but Watchmen, like most any book, needs to be read in order, and has a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Or does it?