When reading the first part of the book, I was really impressed with all the little details in the artwork. The characters and major objects are important, but there is so much going on in every image that is worth paying attention to, like the sign saying "The End Is Nigh" or the newspaper headline about the invasion of Afghanistan. I think these minor details are as important to the story as the major characters in the images and can give a good indication of the time and place of the story. Also, the artwork gives the book kind of a movie feel. The first page consists of the frame panning out from the smiley face with blood on it, something I would normally see in a film. In my opinion, the graphic novel is a great middle ground between the complexity and depth of a novel and the visualization that a film provides. Because of the role it provides, I think the artwork is definitely my favorite part of Watchmen so far.
Great point Josh. We have never read any book like where the illustrations are just as important as the text. The emphasis on the pictures match the amount of effort spent on developing the storyline. This makes the book turn into film and this is an interesting thing that I have never experienced in a book read in school.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting thing about this graphic novel is the attention payed to detail as you mentioned. Many times, artists can only focus on one thing but part of what makes the story so rich is that the art seems to be almost more important than the actual text, giving the novel a lot of depth. I do agree with the movie feel, and I really like that in this book since it improves the story.
ReplyDeleteThe artwork and hidden meanings behind the text is by far my favorite part about the story. Reading the text and understanding the story is fun, but the most rewarding thing for me when reading the book is when I notice a little detail in the artwork and then make a connection to a bigger theme in the book. Personally, I think this is what the writers of the comic intended for the reader to do. Figuring out what the writer wanted the artwork to represent is a great way to dive deeper into the world of watchmen, but it's also fun!
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