It’s been nearly 20 years since this series was first published, and so much has been written on and about it, every minute detail dissected and every myth explored, it’s hard to imagine yet another review of this classic story. That is until you see the new Absolute Edition published by DC Comics. The presentation alone makes this a noteworthy addition that will make the reader enjoy the story and art all over again on a new level. Watchmen is one of the most important series ever written and should be on every person’s must read list for graphic novels. There is a reason it makes most critics Top Ten lists. On a personal bias, Watchmen was the comic in which I noted who the writer was and that I wanted to follow everything this particular writer did from then on out. Before then I followed series, not artists and writers. To this day, I’m just as chilled at the political and social sentiments echoed in Watchmen as I was when first read in 1986.
The real nitty-gritty of this volume though is the new presentation. Watchmen – The Absolute Edition goes the oversized route so Dave Gibbon’s art can be appreciated on an all new level. Instead of the standard 6 ¾ x 10 ¼ inch size for comics and reprint editions, Absolute Watchmen sizes in at 8 ½ x 13 inches, about a quarter bigger overall, but by the time page stock is included it looks more like a third larger. Slipcase included, it weighs about six pounds!
The oversized artwork brings out details that I had never even seen before, shocking considering I’ve probably read this series six or seven times through. Watchmen has always been a detailed series and now it can be seen even better. Dave Gibbons personally supervised the color reproduction to his original vision.
Best yet are the extras at the end of the book. DC has reprinted everything that was included on the Graphitti Designs edition that has been out of print for years. Included are Alan Moore’s and Dave Gibbons thoughts and afterwords on producing the series, a sampling of the scripts, background information on every character and just about every promotional piece of art produced for this series, including overseas art and the portfolio album art. The oversized edition makes everything stand out even juicier!
The hardcover looks almost identical to the standard trade edition, though the blood splotch close-up is glossy over the matte paper stock of the cover producing a really nice and subtle effect. The slipcase is a stark black with the yellow happy face on front, a countdown clock on back (also in yellow) and “Absolute Watchmen” on the spine with smaller versions of the happy face and clock above and below respectively. “Absolute” is in a bold red color and “Watchmen” is in yellow and the fonts used are from the original editions. Again, Dave Gibbons designed every aspect of this edition according to the back flap.
This is one of the nicest purchases a reader can make, and it turned me on the Absolute format. Watchmen – The Absolute Edition gets a highest recommendation.