watchingBy Rich Handley

Hasslein Books, out now

An intricately detailed look at the world(s) of Watchmen…

If you like superheroes, chances are that you’ve read Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen. Come to that, even if you don’t like superheroes and you’re reading this site, odds are that you have. You may have been drawn into it because of the Zack Snyder film of a few years ago, or more recently because of DC’s latest reboot that now incorporates the characters. You might have gone further and read the Watchmen prequels that DC produced – some of which were fine, others of which seemed to miss the point of the book they were prequelling in quite spectacular style.

But I’d be quite amazed if there are that many people who have studied the role-playing games, or the other ephemera that were released in the wake of the film. Rich Handley has, and the result is this epic tome that endeavours to piece it all together. Unsurprisingly, there are conflicts – lots and lots of them – between the various sources. Even Alan Moore’s original series has the odd continuity error with characters’ ages not reconciling with their given dates of birth.

In a sense this almost becomes a Choose Your Own Watchmen Adventure book, as Handley’s detailed timeline gives you the chance to follow the characters as they’ve been portrayed in the various media. Bits and pieces that might not have made sense from one medium gain context here that allows you to (perhaps) understand things better.

The book is topped and tailed with a couple of pieces by other writers, both of which make interesting reading: the foreword sets up the real world chronology, while the essay makes a case for Watchmen needing to be seen as of its time.

Verdict: Definitely a book aimed at the Watchmen fan; for others, it’s an insight into how detailed that universe has become. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Watching Time from Amazon.co.uk

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