HBO's Watchmen TV series is fast approaching and finally attracting hordes of comic book fans, culture geeks, and anyone interested in watching TV. But if you are meeting the Watchmen world for the first time, some things may not seem obvious when you start watching the show.
TheComparison got a chance to catch a glimpse of early Watchmen episodes, and we can confirm that this is a show that is truly worth your time, even if its bold interpretation of the source may be missed. for those unfamiliar with the original comic book series (published in a graphic novel compilation in 1987).
Who will watch the guards? That's everything you need to know about Watchmen's history before turning on this first episode.
1. It all started as a graphic novel.
Watchmen began as a comic book series in 1986, with a compilation of all 12 issues published in 1987. This graphic novel regularly appears on the lists of the best books of all time and has grown into a cartoon child since the poster. .
(Image credit: Warner Bros. / DC Entertainment)
The original Watchmen comics were unafraid to offer a dark and uncompromising take on recent political affairs, reflecting concerns about nuclear war and police brutality in a media outlet that (in the 1980s) still had no he was given the seriousness and respect he deserved. It wasn't clear to read, and you shouldn't expect to look at the light either.
Watchmen characters have been the subject of many adaptations or sequels, including a recent humorous miniseries, The Doomsday Clock, from 2017 to 2019, as well as the 2009 film directed by Zak Snyder.
Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore strongly criticized the way DC, which owns the Watchmen copyright, used its characters. The series creator, Damon Lindelof, had to publicly justify his television adaptation in an open letter on Instagram.
2. Heroes arose and changed everything
The cast of HBO's Watchmen, which includes Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Tim Blake Nelson (The Buster Scruggs Ballad).
(Image credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock)
This may seem like an obvious argument to those who are used to consuming, well, fictions, but a few key events distinguish American history (where the graphic novel is largely filmed) and the world we know. .
The world of the Watchmen began to differ from ours in the 1940s, when the masked militia began to look like it was tackling petty crime in bustling North American cities. , beginning to blur the line between maintaining order and simply adding violence to the surrounding streets. .
While the popularity of these heroes varied over time and was often used by the police and the US military, an official bill, the Keene Act, was passed in 1977 to prevent "Adventures in Disguise", forcing many of them to withdraw or go into hiding. Activities. On the HBO television series, the police even wore masks to protect themselves and their families, even though unauthorized militiamen are still banned.
Notable heroes (or antiheroes) included comedian Nite Owl, Silk Specter, Rorschach, and Moth Man. As HBO's Watchmen takes place 30 years after the comic events, some of these characters will be more present than others, but there are also many hints and marks for those who are off the screen and who have clearly shaped the story.
It is a world where the Watergate scandal has never been revealed and President Richard Nixon has also been re-elected for a second term, thus creating an entirely different political story.
3. But it's not a superhero story
If you are used to the super powerful capabilities of the Marvel Film Universe, they are rare here. Goalkeeper "heroes" tend to be in excellent physical condition or have a gift for some skills, such as intelligence, subterfuge, or gimmicks. However, they are much larger than ordinary people rather than people with hand claws or lasers. coming out of his eyes.
There are some notable exceptions (especially Dr. Manhattan, which we discuss below), but the characters here tend to be more Batman than Superman, and often without the latter's significant cash reserves.
4. Dr. Manhattan (yes, blue)
A tease in the Watchmen trailer revealed a glimpse of the only true superhero in the world.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. / DC Entertainment)
The only true true superhero in the traditional sense of the term, Mr. Manhattan, was a US Army nuclear scientist, his original name, Jonathan "Jon" Osterman, who had been physically annihilated after being locked up in an atomic test chamber. His body slowly transformed into a divine being with blue skin and the ability to manipulate matter, duplicate himself, and see the past and the future.
It becomes a tool for the United States government and plays a key role in the country's victory over the Vietnam War (unlike our own history). He also has a relationship with Silk Specter, another hero in disguise, their relationship makes up much of the story.
By the end of the comic, Dr. Manhattan has largely left human questions. He moved to Mars and disturbingly suggested in the last few pages that he try to create his own human life. You catch a glimpse of it in the caravan briefly, from what looks like a satellite image, but it will certainly cast a long blue shadow, whether it looks like a lot or not.
5. Adrian Veidt - and this giant squid
Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. / DC Entertainment)
"The smartest man in the world" is quite a nickname, but he deserves it perfectly for Adrian Veidt or Ozymandias, who plays a bit the role of the villain in the Watchmen comics. It incites a complex plot to eliminate many militiamen, even pretending to be an assassination attempt to deflect suspicions.
He even manages to create and transport a giant telekinetic squid in New York City, you read that right, killing millions of people to stoke the fear of extraterrestrial beings and rallying countries around the world to prevent escalation of the war. nuclear (which works, for now). Hero or villain? It's never that easy for Watchmen.
Jeremy Irons plays this character a lot on the Watchmen TV series, although you have to watch him (or read about him) to see if that's true.
6. The Rorschach legacy
How is white supremacy confused in the Rorschach newspapers?
(Image credit: Warner Bros. / DC Entertainment)
The Watchmen narrator was close to Rorschach, a vigilant and emotional police inspector, who spends much of the comic criticizing the moral wasteland he sees in the United States around him.
Dr. Manhattan bluntly erased it when he threatened to reveal Veidt's plot to the world, though his diary, extracting narrative excerpts in comics, go to a press office. Watchmen ends up in a newspaper wondering if he should take it. and read it
What we do know about HBO Watchmen is that the Rorscach newspaper brought it into the world and it was co-opted by a group of white supremacists known as the Seventh Cavalry, whose members use their own version. of the iconic ink-stained Rorschach mask, based on the Rorschach test that measures everyone's psychological state through what he reads in various smudge-like images and forms a large part of questioning the identity of the cartoon and the blur between person and mask.
7. Clocks, clocks and smileys.
The iconic smiley emblem, worn by the comedian.
(Image credit: DC Comics)
In keeping with the nuclear concerns of the time, the Watchmen comics use recurring patterns reminiscent of the unhappy clock, a concrete device that symbolizes how close humanity is to self-destruction.
The image of a clock that counts to midnight reappears in all the comics, with smiling pins and pocket watches with a blood-stained smiley, using similar visual cues, and you'll want to keep an eye on some something similar in the show.
Where, when and how to look
These are just key figures and basic events to watch out for before tuning in to Watchmen, but you can expect Damon Lindelof's series to play with them as much as she pays tribute.
You will find the first episode on the following services at the specified times. New episodes are released each week for the season's nine-episode series.
US: HBO Now (9pm EST, Sunday, October 20)
United Kingdom: Sky Atlantic / NOW TV (21h GMT, Monday, October 21)
You can find more information about the show itself in our Watchmen release date guide, trailers, actors and characters.