I’ll be the first to admit that I entered the graphic novel game far later than everyone else I know. Sure, I indulged in all the old superhero comics of old as a child, from Batman to Green Lantern, but never really got into them with the same fervor as my friends. With Watchmen, my curiosity was piqued – and now, I’m hooked.

In all honesty, my interest was partly driven by the soon-to-be-released movie adaptation. That seems to have given the story some legs, making it far more accessible to the general public; from what I can tell, everyone and their mother has a copy of Watchmen these days. I’m not normally one to jump onto these sort of bandwagons, but I was ultimately convinced by my friends that this was no ordinary graphic novel.

Going in, I had low expectations, most likely jaded by my childhood comic experiences. But it took very little time for me to realize just how wrong I was. Alan Moore’s narrative is absolutely amazing. The amount of depth he can fit in to each panel is constantly surprising. This is partly due to his parallel style of narration, which drives the novel. At many points in the novel, Moore follows multiple characters in multiple locations, intertwining all their experiences together through dialogue that curiously fits each and everyone at the same time. I’d go so far to say that this is what made the book for me; it’s just so damn well written.

What really confirm this are the documents Moore includes at the end of each of Watchmen’s 12 chapters. Each document generally consist of a few pages or clippings from some sort of publication or book in the Watchmen universe. Oftentimes, they supply a bit of backstory, enhancing what’s been conveyed within the chapter, and giving it a context. Other times, the documents serve to foreshadow future chapters. But what makes these documents so necessary and so intriguing is the amount of detail Moore puts into them. It doesn’t just seem as if Moore is including a number of different documents to further his tale – instead, he acts as a literary chameleon, adopting a new style – a new persona – for each of the documents he includes. It’s just so well done that one might actually believe these were written by someone else entirely; it means Moore’s doing his job as a storyteller. And it means he’s doing it damn well.

More so, the plot is equally as captivating. These aren’t your mum and dad’s classic superheroes – these are heroes with crushed dreams, mid-life crises, and countless moral struggles. This isn’t to say they don’t still kick some ass; instead, all these things add another layer of depth and meaning behind the action. It’s definitely a welcome change, and makes readers so much more involved – and oftentimes, sympathetic – with the characters Moore creates. While I’m looking forward to the movie, if there’s one thing I can suggest, it’s read this first. There’s just so much in Moore’s writing that can’t be conveyed on film, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to read this first.

I really can’t stress enough how much I loved Watchmen. Everything about it was just so well executed, especially considering the limited experience I’ve had with the medium thus far. I think I’ve found my new hobby over the Christmas break.