John Higgins to launch Watchmen print sets at SDCC

To celebrate 25 years of Watchmen, the book's original colourist John Higgins has created a brand-new limited-edition Watchmen portfolio exclusively for San Diego Comic-Con 2011.

The new portfolio comes in two flavours, each containing a set of three individual prints of fan-favorite characters Sally Jupiter, Rorschach and The Comedian, each richly-detailed image penciled, inked and colored by John Higgins.

“For me, the appeal of this collection was to consider how each character had been used within the story of Watchmen, and to place them in settings specific to their role in the story," says John. "I’ve aimed to highlight the Comedian’s swaggering arrogance, the sexual glamour and allure of the original Silk Spectre, and the psychotic violence of Rorschach.”

Set A: Limited to 80 copies
The prints (11.7" x 16.5") are coloured in Turmoil Colour Studios’ contemporary colour style and printed on ‘Tintoretto Gesso 250gsm paper’ using the latest computer-controlled technology for a high-quality print run. All prints signed and numbered by John Higgins.
Available only at SDCC 2011 at the special price of $120 per set.

Set B: Limited to 20 copies
Containing three (11.75" x 17.75") silk-screened prints on perfect 'Somerset satin white, 250gsm paper’, with hand-separated colour by John in the Old Skool style of the classic Watchmen coloring. These hand-pulled silkscreen prints are all numbered, signed and embossed with the Turmoil Colour Studios symbol by John Higgins.
Available only at SDCC 2011 at the special price of $300 per set.

Both sets will be contained in a special TCS embossed portfolio envelope.

- Portfolios will only be available at the Splash Page Comic Art Booth #4400 at SDCC 2011, but can be pre-ordered by contacting John via his website at www.turmoilcolour.com or contact Mark Hay at www.splashpageart.com

- Spotlight on John Higgins at SDCC, is taking place on the Thursday 21st July between 1.30 - 2.30pm. Any audience member at the talk can enter a free draw to win one of Set A, of The limited edition Watchmen. Store value of $120.

Bristol Expo Line Up continues to grow as weekend nears

An exclusive Watchmen print by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins will be on sale
at the Bristol International Comic Expo

A quick reminder - as if you needed one - that the Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo takes place this weekend (14 -15th May 2011) at the Ramada City Inn & the Mercure Holland House Hotels.

Guest of Honour for the weekend in Rick Veitch, who will be joined by a host of other comic creators, including Sydney Jordan and Martin Asbury, along with publishers large and small.

There's a host of EXpo EXclusives that will be available to visitors, including the free STRIP Magazine Issue Zero and the chance to buy limited edition Watchmen and Razorjack prints.

Up for grabs will be...

• A very special free ashcan edition of the forthcoming UK Anthology, Nelson from Blank Slate Books featuring the work of 50 top creators at work on one single narrative (see news story).

• A special Watchmen print by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, on sale for £15 and limited to just 75 pieces, marking the 25th birthday of the ground-breaking comic by Alan Moore: proceeds will go to the Draw The World Together Charity.(Pre-order on comicexpo@hotmail.co.uk).

The original artwork has been kindly donated by Dave Gibbons and will be auctioned for the Draw the World Together Charity. This is by sealed bids only and bidding forms will only be available from the Info Desk at the Ramada.

• John Higgins is offering a limited edition Foruli print at the event - limited to just 50 pieces - from his stand at the Ramada. (Pre-order email comicexpo@hotmail.co.uk). That's part of the 'Razorjack Attack' launch, which includes the release of Double Crossing from Com.X, the first novel by Michael Carroll.

• The Etherington Brothers - Bristol Expo regulars - will have30 copies of the 140 page limited edition sketch book El Sketchbook Lorenzo volume F.I.V.E. on sale at the Mercure. The book will be a limited run of only 60 copies in total, with the other 30 going on sale online after the show, but Bristol Expo is the only show they'll be available at, ever!

• Rogue Trooper, the world's greatest Genetic Infantryman, celebrates his 30th birthday at Expo thanks to John McCrea, who is producing a Signed & Numbered
Limited Edition Print which will also feature another legend from 2000AD.

• Markosia will be launching Slaughterman’s Creed by Cy Dethan and Stephen Downey, Quarantined by Michael Moreci and Monty Borror and they'll have copies of their Royal Wedding comics by Rich Johnston, Gary Erskine and Mike Collins for sale.

• SelfMadeHero will be exhibiting at Bristol with a range of new and signed copies of it's latest graphic novels and graphic novel biographies. They'll also be celebrating the launch of the first volume of their The Lovecraft Anthology with a special Lovecraft panel featuring SelfMadeHero creators and a signing featuring as many creators as we can lay our hands on.

They'll have creators sketching and signing at their tables throughout the weekend, so pop by and say hello.

Creators Rob Deas and Ian Edginton will also be on hand to talk about their new graphic adaptation of Pride & Prejudice.

• Print Media Productions will announce the launch date of Strip Magazine, a new monthly comic magazine for the UK, part of a range of comics projects. STRIP MAGAZINE Issue Zero will be given
away free to Expo visitors, featuring background on key strips in the new comic magazine such as Black Ops Extreme by John Freeman and PJ Holden, Warpaint by Phil Hester and John McCrea, Age of Heroes by James Hudnall and John Ridgway, Savant by Jim Alexander and Ferrer and Carlos Vila - plus some highlights of Print Media Productions graphic album range.

There's also a special competition in the sampler which will offer comic creators the chance to have their work in the title when it launches later in 2011.

Confirmed guests include: Henry Flint; Lee O'Connor; Dom Reardon; Simon Bisley; Paul Cornell; Stephen Baskerville; Laurence Campbell; Alan Davis; Dave Gibbons; John Higgins; Charles Adlard; Mark Buckingham; Richard Starkings; Sally Hurst; Lee Garbett; Ian Churchill; Gary Erskine; Rob Williams; Si Spencer; Neil Edwards; Ian Edginton; D’israeli; David Hine; Shaky Kane; Neil Roberts; Dylan Teague; Phil Winslade; Al Davison; Mike Collins; Gary Spencer Millidge; Andrew Wildman; Jasper Bark; Dylan Teague; Roger Gibson; Vince Danks; Martin Fisher; Simon Williams Rob Davis; Simon Gane; Neil Edwards; Sean Phillips; Michael Carroll; Patrick Goddard; Gordon Rennie; Emma Beeby; Paul Ridgon; Lew Stringer; Mike Molcher; Laura Howell; Jim Campbell; Kev Hopgood; John A. Short; Luca Erbetta; Graham Bleathman; Webley Wildfoot; Boo Cook; Bob Wayne; Tim Pilcher; Dave Lota; GM Jordan; Bryan Talbot; John Watson; Colin McNeil; Andi Ewington; Cosmo White; Jock; Tony Lee; Dan Boultwood; Serge Pelle; John M. Burns; Syd Jordan; Cy Dethan; Stephen Downey; Vicky Stonebridge; Nic Wilkinson; Ben Oliver; Dan Lockwood; Inj Culbard; James Hodgkins; Mike Bowden; Rob Deas; Jimmy Broxton; David Roach; Kat Nicholson; Jason Cardy; Al Ewing; Tom Eglington; Dean Beattie; Dave Shelton; and Adrian Salmon

Exhibitors include Com.X. Forbidden Planet London, Incognito Comics, Panini Comics, Self Made Hero, Reed Comics, Markosia, PsiCollectables, Genki Gear, The Comic Man, Astral Gypsy and Tripwire (who recently launched their digital edition).
• For more information on Exhibitors click HERE

• Pre-sales for Expo Tickets are now closed, but organisers tell us that if you want to avoid large queues then tickets will be available at 09.30 from the Ticket Desk in the downstairs foyer of the Ramada on Saturday and 10.00 on the Sunday.

Please note that the event does not open until 10.00 on Saturday and 10.30 on Sunday.

Sequart’s Watchmen Book details

Sequart Research and Literacy Organization's Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen is now available for order through comic shops (use Diamond order code AUG101288). The book, edited by Richard Bensam, is currently listed in the books section of August's Previews catalogue (page 344) and is set to hit stores in late October.

Minutes to Midnight offers 12 concise essays that examine the legendary graphic novel from varied, sometimes surprising viewpoints:

• Reassembling the Components in the Correct Sequence: Why You Shouldn't Read Watchmen First, by Walter Hudsick

• Bringing Light to the World: Watchmen from Hiroshima to Manhattan, by Peter Sanderson

• The End Is Nigh: The Limits of Watchmen, by Geoff Klock

• The Smartest Man in the Morgue: Watchmen and "Twelve Notes on the Mystery Story," by Chad Nevett

• Somebody Has to Save the World: Captain Metropolis and Role Playing Watchmen, by Tim Callahan

• 58 Varieties: Watchmen and Revisionism, Julian Darius

• Some Different Sort of Time: Watchmen as Cinema, by Patrick Meaney

• At Play Amidst the Strangeness and Charm: Watchmen and the Philosophy of Science, by William Ritchie

• The Last Laugh: Understanding Watchmen's Big Joke, by John Loyd

• How the Ghost of You Clings: Watchmen and Music, by Mary Borsellino

• Blotting Out Reality: Questioning Rorschach, by Gene Phillips

• Nothing Ever Ends: Structural Symmetries in Watchmen, by Jon Cormie

Sequart feel no Watchmen fan or comics scholar should go without this critical analysis of the greatest graphic novel of all time. Orders should be placed with your comic shop before the end of August.

 • Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen: use Diamond order code AUG101288 in Previews

Dave Gibbons to launch Watchmen 3D Graffiti Art Instillation

To celebrate the UK DVD & Blu-ray release of Watchmen, London’s Southbank will stage an art exhibition with a difference on Tuesday 28th July with the comic's artist Dave Gibbons and acclaimed graffiti artist Chu.

Chu will showcase his artistic talents, as he and Dave Gibbons work alongside each other giving fans a one-off Watchmen experience to remember.

London’s Southbank will be transformed into the Watchmen world as Chu unveils his Watchmen masterpiece, and brings to life a selection of cult scenes and characters from the film in his own unique 3D comic book style.

With a running commentary from Dave Gibbons as Chu re-creates key scenes from the film in 3D comic book style, this one-off event will be an amazing launch for the DVD and Blu-ray release.

• The event takes place at the Skate Park, below London’s Southbank Centre, London SE1 8XX between 2.00pm and 5.00pm on Tuesday 28th July 2009

• Watchmen is available to buy on DVD & Blu-ray with Digital Copy on 27th July 2009 from Paramount Home Entertainment

• Buy the Watchmen - 2 Disc Limited Edition DVD from amazon.co.uk

• Buy the Blu-Ray Watchmen (2 Disc + Digital Copy - Exclusive to the UK) Limited Edition from amazon.co.uk

Watchmen on DVD, Blu-Ray

The big-screen adaptation of the most celebrated graphic novel of all time, Watchmen, will be released as a Region 2 two-disc DVD and Blu-ray with Digital Copy on 27th July.

Directed by Zack Snyder (300), the 2-disc DVD of the film, based on the eponymouse award-winning comic by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, comes loaded with nearly two hours of special features, including ‘Real Superheroes, Real Vigilantes’, 11 Webisodes, four viral videos and the music video for the My Chemical Romance version of the Bob Dylan song, “Desolation Row”, which was recorded for the film.

The Blu-ray version will give audiences a stunning viewing experience, featuring 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and containing all the special features from the 2-disc format. In addition, a Digital Copy of the film is included to be easily transferred to a computer, Video iPod, iPhone and other portable media players.

A complex and multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America; a world darkened by fear and paranoia in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the Doomsday Clock – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – moves closer to nuclear midnight.

When a former colleague, The Comedian (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan – TVs Grey’s Anatomy) is murdered, the outlawed but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley – Semi-Pro) sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes.

As Rorschach reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion, a disbanded group of retired superheroes, including Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson – Lakeview Terrace), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman – The Heartbreak Kid), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode – Brideshead Revisited) and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup – Mission: Impossible III), the only one who has true powers – he glimpses a disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Together, the heroes must expose a sinister plan that puts the human race and their own existence in grave danger. Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen?

• Watchmen is available to buy on DVD & Blu-ray with Digital Copy on 27th July 2009 from Paramount Home Entertainment

• Buy the Watchmen - 2 Disc Limited Edition DVD from amazon.co.uk

• Buy the Blu-Ray Watchmen (2 Disc + Digital Copy - Exclusive to the UK) Limited Edition from amazon.co.uk

Watchmen Gets DVD, Blu-Ray Date

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that Watchmen will be available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 27th July 2009.

Directed by Zack Snyder (300), Watchmen is a based on the 1986-1987 comic book limited series Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Listed in Time magazines "All-Time 100 Novels", the film adaptation stars Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson.

• Watchmen will be available to buy on 1 Disc DVD, 2 Disc Limited Edition DVD & 2 Disc Blu-ray which also includes Digital Copy

Who Gazes Upon The Watchmen? Chapter Two

At the beginning of April we reported that four pages of original Watchmen artwork by artist Dave Gibbons that had just sold on eBay, selling for between £4,058 and £5,600. Since then, three more pages have been sold.

The first went for only £1825.81, but then it was page 28 of Chapter 9. (To save you digging out the graphic novel that particular page is simply three panels of space with the Sun, Earth and Mars reducing in size as the view pulls out, not the most riveting subject matter. Still, it was signed by both Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore and came with John Higgins' colourist page).

Next came the page before it. Chapter 9 page 27 shows the smiley face in a crater on Mars - a much more striking image. Again signed by Gibbons and Moore, with its colourist page it went for £2422.13.

The best is left for last however - the original art from Chapter 5 page 4 which is the chapter title page, Fearful Symmetry, showing Rorschach's encounter with Molock. Remember that the most expensive page from the recent batch of sales up to this point was £5600. This one however, just blew the rest of them out of the water.

The final price? After over 1300 page views and 36 bids from thirteen different bidders, three new people bid on it within the last six seconds of the sale, their bids pushing the price up by £1100. The single page of art sold for... £12,601.

Who Gazes Upon The Watchmen?

Now that the fuss about the movie has died down and you have treated yourself to the absolute edition of the graphic novel, to the definitive companion to the graphic novel, to the companion to the film, to the art of the film, to the portraits book, let alone any of the toy figures, how about a page of original artwork of the Watchmen graphic novel to complete the collection?

Pages of Watchmen illustrated by Dave Gibbons have been appearing on eBay and selling for amounts that defy any thoughts of a credit crunch. In recent weeks four pages have appeared, most combined with the original colour guide for the page by John Higgins.

Chapter 2 page 26 which has Rorschach visiting the Comedian's grave went for £4800 plus an extra £250 if you wanted the colour guide page.

Chapter 3 page 5 which has Laurie in her dressing gown trying to deal with multiple Doctor Manhattans sold for £5001.77.

Chapter 3 page 27 which has Doctor Manhattan walking on the surface of Mars whilst President Nixon contemplates the losses suffered in a nuclear war sold for £4058.

However those pale in comparison to chapter 3 page 20 in which Doctor Manhattan walks into the deserted Gila Flats Test Base and finds the Polaroid photo. Along with its colour guide it sold for a whopping £5600.

What did appear but did not sell was the original cover for the graphic novel. If you think that the new "group shot" cover to the graphic novel isn't quite as classy as the old "blood splash" cover then you could have bought the art for that original cover as well for less than one thousand pounds. However since it was only 1p less than one thousand pounds no one was interested. Perhaps sanity has prevailed after all.

More Moore: Book and Magazine Collector 306

Just as the hullabaloo over the Watchmen movie was dying down and you thought that you could take a breather from it, the latest issue of Book and Magazine Collector jumps back on the band wagon. Well almost.

To tie-in with the release of the movie B&MC issue 306, which is cover dated April 2009, has a twelve page career retrospective on Watchman writer Alan Moore. Mike Gent's article covers Moore's life and work and includes an additional six page bibliography and price guide.

Book and Magazine Collector is available from WH Smith and Easons or directly from the publishers via their website.

How to Paint Rorschach

A bit late to the table with this one, but what with trips to London and the ramping up of the first of several new web sites during the day, I've been a bit sidetracked - apologies!

The April issue of ImagineFX – on sale now - boasts world-exclusive cover art from Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, with an in depth workshop ‘How to Paint Rorschach’ and an accompanying video workshop from Dave on our free DVD.

There’s also an eight-page feature looking at the history and influence of the genre-defining comic, with comment from Vertigo Comics president Paul Levitz, Watchmen colourist John Higgins and one of the film’s concept artists Scott Lukowski.

The magazine's DVD also features over nine hours worth of video tuition, along with two fantastic comic creation software trials.

• IFX is on sale in WHSmith, Tesco, and all good newsagents. More info and subscription details at www.imaginefx.com

The Last Word on Watchmen?

• Cartoon by Mal Clark

'Watchmensch' Ships This Week

Rich Johnston and Simon Rohrmuller's Watchmensch -- a parody of a certain legendary graphic novel and recent blockbuster movie, as well as a trip through time to the beginnings of superhero comics -- ships Wednesday 18th March in the USA and Thursday 19th March in the UK.

Written by London-based comics gossip industry columnist Rich Johnston, drawn by newcomer Swedish artist Simon Rohrmuller and published by American publisher Brain Scan Comics, "Watchmensch" seeks to compare and contrast the legal wranglings over the recent movie, with the comics industry as a whole, from the creation of Superman in the 1930s to the present day.

Featuring a large half-naked blue man (modestly covered) as the omnipotent voice of business, 1700 Broadway Manhattan, a vengeful and Hassidic-attired Spottyman, the rockstar billionaire Ozyosbourne, the legal eagle Silk Taker and the cross-dressing Nite Nurse, the Watchmensch have to fight against a global conspiracy that threatens
the destruction of comics' creators rights.

"I laughed out loud at Watchmensch. Several times, in fact," says Watchmen co-creator and artist Dave Gibbons. Referring to the amended end of the Watchmen movie, he added "[Watchmensch's] climactic scene is more awesome than any squid!"

Shops stocking the comic can be found at www.watchmensch.com as well as art from the comic and reviews and interviews with the creative team.

We reviewed Watchmensch earlier in the year: it's a savage take on US comics, laced with a decent amount slice of humour and visual gags. Read our full review here

• Visit the Brain Scan Studios website for more information. For sample pages, a list of stockists and other info, visit the book's official web site: www.watchmensch.com

John Higgins Talks Razorjack, Watchmen

Brilliant artist and colourist John Higgins has just completed a new four page comic strip for his collected magnum opus, Razorjack. Published with revived Com.x, the Brit independent comic company that John says "have quality and production values that can be compared to any of the big companies".

Com.X is led by Eddie Deighton as the sole remaining Com.x creator and Publisher with his USA creative representative and co Publisher, Benjamin Shahrabani. (See news story)

"All I had wanted to do with Razorjack was to create my own world outside of what I had been commissioned to do all my professional life," John, whose past credits include strips for 2000AD, The Hills Have Eyes and Thunderbolt Jaxon, tells downthetubes. "As much as I love working on Batman, Spider-Man or even the Watchman (sorry Watchmen), it has always been as a gun for hire.

"Now that doesn't stop you from being the best you can be, the best artist, the best writer, the best colourist or the best anyone, of the long production line of creative people that makes the book that goes on the shelves. But I had a story I wanted to tell, a story that no one else could tell, it was a John Higgins story. It is not profound, it won’t make you look at the world around you in a different way and it will never win the Nobel Prize for literature. (Although it would be nice to be nominated). But anyway, it is just a horror story populated by weird creatures, with colourful art and nice designs.

"It kept me entertained writing, drawing and colouring it on and off for around ten years," says John, " and now it's finally collected into one book.

"Check it out, I hope for you to get at least a couple of hours enjoyment from it and if you do, tell your friends and even tell me."

John also tells us he's currently enjoying all the renewed interest in Watchmen generated by the new film. "I'm blown away by the interest in Watchmen now, from all corners – not just comic fans.

"For me it has always been a towering creative presence that has been there on the periphery of my career, for twenty odd years, due to the genius of Alan and Dave," he continues. "But until I had the opportunity to digitalize the colour for the Absolute Watchmen I had no real interest seeing it or talking about it. As I have said in my section of the Dave Gibbons book Watching the Watchmen, all I could see were the limitations imposed by the primitive colour printing process in 1986 when it was first printed and I hated what I saw on those collected editions for over twenty years.

"But thankfully I got the second bite of that creative cherry in 2005, and was gratified my Watchmen colour concept had stood the test of time and was still relevant for the subject matter. We could also finally get rid of the grey I used on the first couple of issues, before we found how badly it printed and create a consistency of scene colouring, add better modeling and balance the colour across the Watchmen spectrum. I was also working directly on the art/print files so no intermediate hands interpreted and hand sep’d my colour for the printing plates this time.

"Absolute had a direct link to my golden years at Marvel UK," John reveals. "I worked closely with that goddess of comic production, the immaculate Alison Gill who worked at Marvel UK all those years ago, (and she still only looks 16!) and who was one of the stalwarts of the socializing then and is now working at DC as the Head of the Production department ensuring the highest level of comic production. And a glass of White Chardonnay is till her tipple of choice!"

Absolute Watchmen original colour proofs are now on sale, via Splash Page Comic Art’s website www.splashpageart.com. When John was hired to re-master the colours for the oversized edition of the series in 2004, a single colour proof was printed out for each interior page of the book and the colours were checked for accuracy, which is what is being offered at Splash Page. With Watchmen original published artwork selling for several thousands per page and more, this is a rare opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind piece of original Watchmen artwork.

Each colour proof is printed on high quality paper that measures 11 X 17”, and will be signed by both Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins, and embossed with a Watchmen design seal at the bottom of the page. A certificate of authenticity will be provided for each page purchased.

• Read an interview with John Higgins on The Mindless Ones web site

• Issue 281 of Judge Dredd Megazine (dated 3 Mar 09) contains a seven-page interview with John, in which Michael Molcher covers almost every aspect of John's career. It's available digitally via www.clickwheel.net

• John will be doing a signing at Orbital Comics in London on Saturday 18th April 2009

Saturday Morning Watchmen!

If Alan Moore is annoyed about the new Watchmen film, just wait until he sees this -- although, actually, this hilarious Saturday Morning Watchmen, the creation of British animator Harry Partridge, is the kind of parody he might just like...

Since it was first published on top Flash portal NewGrounds the film has been watched by over 143,00 people. "It was created for as a piece of work to be sold off to a certain company but I wanted to keep the rights to it, and I have done," Harry says, who admits to being "chilled" that over 100,00 people have heard him singing his 'Watchmen theme tune'. "Sometimes you gotta go with your gut.

"This combines two huge passions of mine, one being the comic genius that is Alan Moore and the other being kids programming from the late 1980s which I would say is my biggest animation inspiration.

"Believe it or not, one of the first ever things I ever animated/programmed was a crappy side scrolling Rorschach game where you go around beating up street punks. It was not only a f****** awful game but totally and unironically misinterpreted the source material. I would like to think I've grown somewhat since then but here I am, five years later, doing exactly the same thing! Perhaps just a bit more knowingly..."

• You'll find more of Harry's work here

Some 500,000 unique visitors visit the Newgrounds site.

Watchmen Reviews Round Up

In the absence of getting to the film myself yet -- is it really worth putting up with modern cinema goers habits like texting on their mobiles, talking through the film and having the bladder control of fleas to bother? -- here's some clips from a selection of reviews so far for Watchmen, which is released tomorrow in the UK...

UK Reviews...

• Empire
"Okay, it isn’t the graphic novel, but Zack Snyder clearly gives a toss, creating a smart, stylish, decent adaptation, if low on accessibility for the non-convert..." (4 Stars)

• The Scotsman
"The strengths of the film are the strengths of Alan Moore: ingenious, psychologically resonant stories full of breathtaking images and set pieces. Watchmen isn't an empty husk like The Spirit or a cinderblock piece of myth-making like Dark Knight. The character flaws extend to erectile dysfunction for one superhero; when it turns out that he just needs to beat someone up beforehand, Watchmen shows him conquering his problem to the tune of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'..."

US Reviews

• Associated Press: Watchmen Almost Too Faithful to the Book
"At almost three hours, Watchmen tries to cram in nearly everything writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons originally depicted, but then the ending feels rushed. (And it's slightly different. That's all we'll say.)"

• Boston Herald: What A Long, Strange Trip
"A superhero “Doctor Strangelove,” softly murmuring the line, “Hello darkness, my old friend,” into our ears, the long-awaited, deservedly R-rated Watchmen arrives, and the hills are alive with the sound of fanboy geekgasms. But at 2-hours-plus, it’s a long, noirish, misanthropic slog through the dank pop-culture dungeons of creator Alan Moore’s mind..."

• The Edmonton Sun
"Although the performances range from thoughtful (Wilson) to misguided (Matthew Goode as Ozymandias), the standout here is Jackie earle Haley as the fascistic, uncompromising Rorschach, a seedy avenger whose obsessions would give Bruce Wayne the willies..."

• Gizmodo: Is Ozymandias Steve Jobs?
"The movie may not be the comic book, but I loved Watchmen. Great eye candy, awesome soundtrack, and it's packed with pop culture references—and some of those made me think that Ozymandias is Steve Jobs..." (Great montage to support this theory...)

• Houston Chronicle: Watch out — superhero flick is over the top
"... The tale of outcast vigilantes in a rotting alternate America was never “unfilmable.” The question isn’t whether Watchmen could be turned into a movie. The question is, should it? And judging from Zack Snyder’s garish, uneven and excessively cruel interpretation, I’d say no..."

• The Los Angeles Times
"Alan Moore was right. There isn't a movie in his landmark graphic novel "Watchmen" -- at least not a really good one. What we get instead is something acceptable but pedestrian, an adaptation that is more a prisoner of its story than the master of it."

• The New Yorker
"The bad news about Watchmen is that it grinds and squelches on for two and a half hours, like a major operation. The good news is that you don’t have to stay past the opening credit sequence -- easily the highlight of the film..."

• PopCandy
"Watchmen isn't a feel-good superhero story, and Zack Snyder's version is definitely not for kids. It's bloody, bullet-riddled and raw... I think the best thing to come out of the renewed Watchmen hysteria is that it may introduce/reintroduce thousands of people to comics. And, for that, I'm willing to sacrifice a squid."

• Rolling Stone
"Even if you don't see Snyder's version, which has its problems, it won't kill you to peek at the comic book that Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof called "the greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced. As for you Watchmen junkies, enough with tearing down the movie before you even see it... [Alan] Moore recalled his four years of toil on the 12-issue DC Comics series as "slam-dancing with a bunch of rhinos." That description also fits watching the movie, which stumbles and sometimes falls on its top-heavy ambitions. But there are also flashes of visual brilliance and performances, especially from Haley and Crudup, that drill deep into the novel's haunted soul..."

• The Seattle Post Intelligencer
"Fans of the critically acclaimed and enduringly popular 1986 graphic novel Watchmen should be pleased with the eye-filling, slavishly faithful, long-time-coming film version that opens today and threatens to become the first true movie event of 2009. In many ways, it's right on the money... On the other hand, in paring down the novel's complex structure and dense tapestry, so much of the characters' backstories and the setup of its alternate universe have been lost that it's hard to imagine how anyone completely unfamiliar with the book could possibly make much sense of what's going on. (B+)

• The Seattle Times: Watchmen" has the power to stupefy
Watchmen, the latest adaptation of a superhero fantasy, is literal, tiring — and much less fun than Dave Gibbons' graphic novel. Review by Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald.

• The Toronto Star
"It's not family entertainment, but this comic adaptation will satisfy fanboys and newcomers... If there's a guiding philosophy for this motley sextet of vigilantes, philosophers, thrill seekers and latex fetishists, it's that they're in it mainly for themselves." (3 and a half stars out of 4)

More Watchmen Coverage...

• The Indpendent: Watchmen returns: The 20-year struggle to bring a cult classic to the big screen

Watching the Watchmen at Borders

Borders UK has teamed up with Titan Books to bring fans two chances to meet Watchmen artist and co-creator Dave Gibbons, with an in-store signing at Borders Islington on 12th March from 7.30pm and another at Borders Glasgow on 14th March from 1.30pm, when the artist will be signing copies of Titan’s fantastic range of Watchmen books including Watching the Watchmen.

Plus, www.borders.co.uk is running a competition where 50 lucky fans can win the chance to attend an exclusive in-store audience with Dave. Taking place before the signing, the lucky winners will be treated to an exclusive presentation of material from Watching The Watchmen, including original character designs, sketches and early pages, and they’ll have the chance to put their own questions to the acclaimed artist.

Celebrating the release of the movie adaptation from Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures, and directed by Zack Snyder (300), which premieres in UK cinemas nationwide on 6th March, Titan Books is also bringing fans three tie-in books to provide the ultimate companions to the movie experience. Watchmen: The Film Companion takes viewers behind the scenes and beyond the screen with interviews and photographs to learn the secrets of the movie’s production; Watchmen: The Art of the Film explores the evolution of the movie’s artistry, from early artwork to finished stills, set piece schematics to prop showcase shots to take readers from Zack Snyder’s production design office (aka ‘The War Room’) right through to the studio floor; and Watchmen: Portraits presents a stunning collection of black-and-white portrait photographs of the men and women behind the production, taken by the movie’s official still photographer, Clay Enos.

• Dave Gibbons events at Borders stores will be taking place at: Borders Islington, The N1 Shopping Centre, Parkfield Street, Islington, London N1 0PS; Tel: 0207 226 3602 and Borders Glasgow, 98 Buchanan St , Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow, G1 3HA: Tel: 0141 222 7700

• For details of the Signing Competition go to www.borders.co.uk

Who Watches the Watchmen? - A Veidt Music Network (VMN) Special - 1983

Perhaps the best Watchmen viral clip yet -- an 80's MTV parody! The film makers have really gone to town in recreating media from the Watchmen Universe.

And there's more... if you haven't seen the Tales from the Black Freighter trailer for the dvd of the story from within the story, here it is...



Plus... Integrity in journalism... subscribe today at www.thenewfrontiersman.net

New Watchmen In-Film Clips Released

Three in-film clips from Watchmen featuring Night Owl have just been released on YouTube...

"We Can Break Into the Pyramid" featuring Night Owl and Rorsharch:



"Rescue..."



-- and, finally, "Attention Citizens": a chance to see the Comedian in action...



• Watchmen is released in the UK on 6 March. Official web site: watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com

Tube Surfing: 17 February 2009

• Veteran 2000AD artist Cliff Robinson just posted this specatcular Judge Death illustration on his blog...

• Talking of 2000AD, on Saturday 21st March between 1 and 2.30pm, the Forbidden Planet Mega Store in London is having its 30th Anniversary Signing. Artists and writers lined up include Dan Abnett, David Bishop, Simon Davis, Rufus Dayglo, Al Ewing, Brett Ewins, Henry Flint, Robbie Morrison, Tony Lee, Matt Smith and Simon Spurrier. "It'll be a cracker!" says Rufus. Indeed - and you should be able to pick up the paperback edition of David Bishop's Thrill-Powered Overload, too. Click here for the latest info from the Forbidden Planet web site

• Had enough of the Watchmen movie yet? No? Well, you'll be pleased to hear (via Geek Syndicate) that the World Premiere date has been set and it will be in London's Leicester Square on 26th February. No info as yet as to who’s going to be attending in terms of cast and crew but if a very large man sporting a very large beard with firey eyes turns up, we advise anyone in the crowd to run away very quickly...

• We haven't mentioned Steve Holland's brilliant Bear Alley blog in a while, so with a Gerry Anderson feature proving one of the highlights of the latest Comics International, it's somewhat fortuitous that he's come across a behind the scenes article from 1965 reporting from the set of early Supermarionation series, Stingray.

• Another British comics archivist has been quiet, too, Lew Stringer pretty busy with all sorts of projects. But he's sprung back with a terrific post profiling the early career of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen artist "With the publication of the next League volume, Century:1910 due in a few months, I thought it might be appropriate to take a rare glimpse into the early days of this extraordinary artist," says Lew.

• (via Forbidden Planet International): And finally, Paul Gravett has posted up his choice of ten (living) British comics creators who have been most innovative and influential in the comics medium both here and worldwide. "Not an easy job given how many British writers and artists have achieved a great international reputation," notes FPI's Joe Gordon. "I’m sure some some will wonder why their favoured creators aren’t in the list, but as with any such shortlist it’s open to debate and these are Paul’s personal choices, I’m quite sure he’d be more than happy to hear other names suggested... but the problem is its hard to think who from Paul’s list I would cut to make room for some I was considering... I’m sure it will get some debate - what do you think?"

Beating Up Baddies, Watchmen Style...

A new Watchmen viral has just been launched, hot on the heels of the Watchmen TV channel, all to promote the upcoming release of the eagerly-anticipated Watchmen movie.

This time, it's a Watchmen arcade game, retro-styled like the classic 1980s sprite-driven punch-em-ups. Playing Night Owl or the Silk Spectre, you take on a range of thugs in side scrolling beat-em-up in an effort to track down the villainous Molloch's hideout. The game is free to play: simply insert virtual coin in the virtual slot!

• Click here to play the game!