This favorite keeps getting bumped down the list because I originally wanted to synopsize it in the style of Rick Polito’s 1998 TCM logline for The Wizard of Oz. I got it down to what I thought was a pretty witty one-liner, but A) my summary used some loaded political language that put me off, and B) these favorites—while primarily reminders to myself of all the beautiful things that make life worth living—are also intended to share these delights with others and I was giving too much away…so:
Watchmen (1986–7) was written by Alan Moore, imaged by Dave Gibbons, colored by John Higgins, and edited by Len Wein and Barbara Kesel.
Every time I revisit those twelve issues, they have something new to say. Like the best art, Watchmen whispers one thing to a teenager bouncing between high school and his first job, tells a young adult embarking on a career a totally different tale, and still managed to scare the hell out of a middle-aged man arriving at his mid-life crisis. It also offers the best take on omnipotence and omniscience I’ve ever encountered.
