Considering Watchmen - by Andrew Hoberek (Hardcover)

About the Book

In this groundbreaking new study, Andrew Hoberek examines Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's landmark comic book series Watchmen from a variety of angles: as an artistic achievement, as a political statement, and as a self-conscious piece of intellectual property. He not only provides a historical context for appreciating how innovative Watchmen was in the 1980s, but also demonstrates the continued influence it has exerted on both comics and literature as a whole.

Book Synopsis

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen has been widely hailed as a landmark in the development of the graphic novel. It was not only aesthetically groundbreaking but also anticipated future developments in politics, literature, and intellectual property. Demonstrating a keen eye for historical detail, Considering Watchmen gives readers a new appreciation of just how radical Moore and Gibbons's blend of gritty realism and formal experimentation was back in 1986. The book also considers Watchmen's place in the history of the comics industry, reading the graphic novel's playful critique of superhero marketing alongside Alan Moore's public statements about the rights to the franchise. Andrew Hoberek examines how Moore and Gibbons engaged with the emerging discourses of neoconservatism and neoliberal capitalism, ideologies that have only become more prominent in subsequent years. Watchmen's influences on the superhero comic and graphic novel are undeniable, but Hoberek reveals how it has also had profound effects on literature as a whole. He suggests that Watchmen not only proved that superhero comics could rise to the status of literature-it also helped to inspire a generation of writers who are redefining the boundaries of the literary, from Jonathan Lethem to Junot Díaz. Hoberek delivers insight and analysis worthy of satisfying serious readers of the genre while shedding new light on Watchmen as both an artistic accomplishment and a book of ideas.

Review Quotes

"Considering Watchmen is every conversation you've ever had about the legendary comic, straightened out and smartened up to the point that you rediscover its original force."--J.D. Connor "Yale University "

"In his erudite and fascinating study, Hoberek reveals how Watchmen, that singularity at the heart of the comic canon, rewrote our literary categories and why its disturbing visions of Apocalyptic American Superpowers continue to haunt readers decades after it first appeared."--Junot Diaz "author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao "

"This is a smart, authoritative, and nuanced book, operating at a highly sophisticated level while still remaining accessible to a wide range of readers--a true knockout punch."
--Jared Gardner "author of Projections: Comics and the History of 21st-century Storytelling "

""Considering Watchmen" is every conversation you ve ever had about the legendary comic, straightened out and smartened up to the point that you rediscover its original force."--J.D. Connor "Yale University ""

""Considering Watchmen" is every conversation you've ever had about the legendary comic, straightened out and smartened up to the point that you rediscover its original force."--J.D. Connor"Yale University" (04/08/2014)

About the Author

ANDREW HOBEREK is an associate professor of English at the University of Missouri.