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Product Description
Product Description
Enjoy the ultimate companion to a comics masterpiece, as award-winning artist Dave Gibbons gives his own account of the genesis of WATCHMEN in this dust-jacketed hardback volume, opening his vast personal archives to reveal never-published pages, original character designs, page thumbnails, sketches and much more, including posters, covers and rare portfolio art. Featuring the breathtaking design of Chip Kidd and Mike Essl, WATCHING THE WATCHMEN is both a major art book in its own right, and the definitive companion to the graphic novel that changed an industry.
Voted among Time magazine's 100 Best Novels from 1923 to the present, a perennial bestseller over the past twenty years and widely considered the greatest graphic novel of all time, WATCHMEN is a gripping, labyrinthine piece of comic art, which has earned an acclaimed place in modern literary history.
"I've had a great time, re-visiting the very beginnings of Watchmen and unearthing material I haven't set eyes on for many years. As a fan myself, this is the kind of stuff I eat up and I'm sure the many devotees of the graphic novel will do the same!" says Gibbons.
© DC Comics 2008. All Rights Reserved.
Voted among Time magazine's 100 Best Novels from 1923 to the present, a perennial bestseller over the past twenty years and widely considered the greatest graphic novel of all time, WATCHMEN is a gripping, labyrinthine piece of comic art, which has earned an acclaimed place in modern literary history.
"I've had a great time, re-visiting the very beginnings of Watchmen and unearthing material I haven't set eyes on for many years. As a fan myself, this is the kind of stuff I eat up and I'm sure the many devotees of the graphic novel will do the same!" says Gibbons.
© DC Comics 2008. All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Dave Gibbons is best known for his iconic artwork on the groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen. He has also written and/or drawn many other comics titles, including Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Doctor Who and his semi-autobiographical graphic novel The Originals.
Chip Kidd has been called "the world's best book-jacket designer" and "the closest thing to a rock star" in graphic design today. His iconic designs include the cover for Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. He is also a writer, musician and avid comics fan.
Chip Kidd has been called "the world's best book-jacket designer" and "the closest thing to a rock star" in graphic design today. His iconic designs include the cover for Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. He is also a writer, musician and avid comics fan.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
For fans of Watchmen only,
By
This review is from: Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel (Hardcover)
With the movie coming, it seems that a lot of Watchmen related books are coming out. This is one of them. Judging by the number of reviews on Amazon, this book is looking pretty popular. The construct of the book is great. It's hardcover with a dust jacket. The paper stock is good, thick and low gloss. Inside the book are tons of initial sketches, designs, storyboards, comic panels, scripts and scribbles. Dave Gibbons really packed in a lot of stuff from their sketchbooks. The scans are so high in resolution you can see the texture of the sketchbooks' paper grain. The book starts off with the background story on the history of Watchmen, when Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore first met. Then there's the process of creating the comics, getting the readers reactions (one sent in a fan note using plastic bag), to the sending of the last pages off in an overweight parcel to the publisher. Everything is written in a very condensed manner, the way magazines write their articles. That's not a bad thing though. But for a graphic novel of such caliber, I'm very sure they left out a lot of things. Also, nothing is mentioned about the plot and the character development. I can't believe they actually left out the story about the story, which is what made Watchmen so popular. My reservation about the book is on the perceived lack of depth. Overall, this book is strictly for fans of Watchmen. There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews) 37 of 42 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's a collectible book...but not much more,
By Jacob Shade "avid reader and bibliophile" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel (Hardcover)
I don't feel the need to praise Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbon's "WATCHMEN" anymore than it has been praised already, and I do feel that a supplemental book to look back on the original material was a great idea, but for the most part "WATCHING THE WATCHMEN" just catalogues some of the original sketches and storyboard layouts. Without question, the quality of the printing is up to snuff, and the design of the book is flawless...the problem is there just isn't much content. The book would do better if there was more writing and reflection on the part of Gibbons (and Moore, of course), because most readers are probably more curious as to the ideas and sensibility that helped shape the original "WATCHMEN." There is not much in that department - of course one can just as easily look all of that up on Wikipedia at this point.But overall I have no regrets in buying this book. It is a nice collector's item for those who have an affinity for the original "WATCHMEN" - just don't expect it to be much more than that. 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Glimpse into the Process,
By Robert Greenberger - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel (Hardcover)
Never before had I seen that much thought and effort go into a project. It was January 1985 and I was representing DC Comics to the British talent. Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and I spent a delightful afternoon reviewing the project and Dave showed me sketches for the characters, the covers and even a marketing campaign that was as sophisticated as it was smart. It's a terrific that so much of this material was saved and is finally seeing the light of day, so Dave's wonderful efforts can be celebrated. The book is a visual treat and a terrific companion to the graphic novel.
38 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Called Watching the Watchmen, Not Discussing the Watchmen,
By Stephen Vrattos - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel (Hardcover)
I didn't want to like this book. Watchman is a literary classic and, as such, its interpretation is best left to the reader. How could any examination do justice to the graphic-novel equivalent of Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel? Sure, one of the creative geniuses behind Watchmen, Dave Gibbons, is involved with Watching the Watchmen, but sometimes examinations of works of art by the actual sources from which they've sprung can tarnish one's feelings about said art. Case in point: George Lucas's claim that in Star Wars: A New Hope it was always his intention that Han Solo not shoot Greedo without provocation, that Han Solo was always meant to shoot in defense of Greedo trying to kill Han first. I am not alone in disagreeing, and Lucas's assertions to the contrary will always be a burr in my side. I would that he rather kept this explanation to himself. Would da Vinci's Mona Lisa, be quite as seminal in the annals of art had he scripted a Watching Mona, divulging the facts behind his work, and forever depriving the world of one of, if not the, greatest mysteries of the art world? I think not.So it was with great trepidation that I opened Watching the Watchmen . . . I was first struck by the design by Chip Kidd, the Frank Lloyd Wright of book design. One need not be a fan of graphic novels to be drawn into the artistry of the page layouts; intricate juxtapositions, adversely placed against single-images, powerful in their simplicity; full-page sketches and panel-by-panel breakdown, in which Chip allows Gibbons's genius to speak for itself. And speak for itself it does, gone are the overwrought explanations by industry professionals or learned academics that often leave one scratching their heads in bewilderment or wrinkling their brow in disappointment, as if to say, "That's not how I see it at all!" Watching the Watchmen is page-upon-page of visual treats, a voyeuristic peek into the secret vaults of a masterpiece. It rewards its fans without the insult of telling them what they should have thought when they read the series. In actuality, it enflames further one's appreciation of the complexities, the integrate layering of themes and story that have made this series one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time. |
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