Watchmen

Set in a world, not too dissimilar to ours, someone is killing the costumed hero's that were once the pride of the nation -but who are now objects of derision and scorn. Could these killings be motivated by old grudges or part of a bigger plot?

Rorsharch thinks the latter, and it isn't until Dr Manahattan is exiled -who is the USA's only superhuman deterrent against nuclear Armageddon- that the full extent of the dangers become apparent and the stakes are far higher than anyone could have imagined.

Watchmen is the benchmark to which all other comics have been measured against - and with good reason. Alan Moore provided comics with the most detailed and rich tapestries of any medium. A story that requires, and almost demands, subsequent readings -each time a new detail comes to light. The mise en scene that seem to appear casually often have far reaching consequences. Nothing has been placed in the panels by chance.

The artwork by Dave Gibbons is sublime. It is through Gibbons craftsmanship that the world is believable. It is so grounded in reality that you never once start to doubt what you're reading. Even though this is "a superhero" comic it manages to divest itself of all the trappings that are associated with the sub-genre. This deals with the frailties of the human condition -the people underneath the masks as they struggle to come to terms with events out of their control.

This is an amazing book -one of my favourites. Alongside Frank Millers "The Dark Knight Returns", Art Spielgman's "Maus" and Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" Watchmen proved that comics had now come of age.

Have a look at reviewer Gareth's website www.thesearenotjustphotos.co.uk it's got some pretty atmospheric photos.