It's New York City in the 1980s. Nuclear war is at the top of international consciousness. Costumed heroes have mostly fallen out of the public eye since they were outlawed in 1977. Both the catalyst and the deterrent of rising nuclear tensions resides in the city in the form of Dr. Manhattan, the world's only crimefighter who possesses superhuman (and seemingly unlimited) power. When heroes from an old group of masked adventurers called the Watchmen start dying under mysterious and violent circumstances, the other former members (disjointedly) reunite to figure out what plot is afoot. Is humanity in danger? Can the Watchmen save it before it's too late? Should they?
Watchmen is a heavy, very meta superhero story about what it means to be human and what it means to be a hero. The "heroes" in the Watchmen group are all presented as very flawed people who abuse their power, operate outside the law, and oftentimes look down upon those they are supposed to protect. At the same time, a pretty pessimistic view of humanity is presented as the cycle of violence in the story goes round and round like the hands of a clock. Fans of "The Boys" TV show on Amazon Prime, or just of dark, gritty superhero stories chock full of complex characters and symbols, will enjoy this highly acclaimed graphic novel.
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