WATCHMEN: THE ANNOTATED EDITION
Edited by Leslie Klinger, Forward by Dave Gibbons
Dec 2017
DC Comics

WATCHMEN is possibly the most famous graphic novel ever published. Trade editions have never gone out of print and it still sells BIG numbers. It was on Time magazine’s list of 100 best novels of all time. There has been a movie made, prequels were published and the characters are being introduced into the DC Universe proper. There have also been a lot of articles and even whole books about WATCHMEN. People can’t seem to get enough.

Now Leslie Klinger who has done annotated versions of Sherlock Homes, Dracula and more has tackled this amazing book. There is still debate about what things in Watchmen really means and the symbolism of different images. Klinger isn’t getting into all that, he is dealing with just facts. He was also able to consult with Dave Gibbon (who also wrote the forward). He isn’t analyzing the book but going through and pointing out why some of the things are in there and where they come from. For instance, in issue 4 on page 24 there is an image of a cover of Time Magazine with a watch damaged at Hiroshima. The annotation explains that time actually did run an issue in July 1985 with an article on the bomb going off, though they changed the cover for Watchmen to set a tone. I found this fascinating and it added another layer of depth to THE WATCHMEN for me. If you are a fan I would recommend picking this up. It’s oversized at 12”x 12” and over an inch and a quarter thick but it’s priced at only $49.99 retail though I’m sure you can find a lower price without looking around to hard.
Jon Jordan