Watchmen As Literature: A Literary Analysis

Watchmen in graphic novel form does an amazing job at presenting many different themes about ethics, the weight of war, and even drawing to light how well the different aspects of graphic novels can work together. While the themes, and main plot of the novel and film are similar, some pieces of the story are either lost, or completely thrown away. In “Watchmen As Literature”, Sanders discusses how each aspect, especially the visual aspects in a novel like Watchmen is planned carefully, and not without reason. In the article, it’s said that Moore would have detailed drafts and notes about what was to happen within the novel, based on how it would affect the story as a while. While the movie manages to still tell a gripping story, the small changes made work to tell the story differently on an emotional level given the small changes made to put it on the silver screen. …show more content…
While Jon is still blue, and the stark yellow of the iconic smiley face continues to command the screen, other techniques are not taken advantage of. A great example of the way that color makes a difference in the way that the story of The Comedian’s death is told without the red wash over the panels that the novel presented (Watchmen, Chapter 1, page 2-4). Red is an important color within the context of that particular scene for many reasons. One, it is the color of blood, which is dripping down The Comedian’s face, and it is the color of aggression, an emotion that The Comedian is often shown to be feeling. The association that the red wash offers to the reader is lost when put on the screen, taking away different associations and, in the end, taking away part of the