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Moore’s treatment of superheroes is a satire of the genre, as it undermines the clichés
and generic codes, allowing Moore to explore a question that he had already addressed
in his British comics Captain Britain , and especially Marvelman (known as Miracleman
in the U.S.): what if superheroes existed in the real world? However, Wa t c h m e n moves
far beyond this conceit, becoming something rarely glimpsed in superhero comics, a
meditation not only on the genre, its political implications and fetishistic nature, but
also the psychology of the characters, and the nature of the comics medium itself, the
structure, vocabulary, and grammar of which is fully exploited by Moore and Gibbons.
Hailed as a masterpiece by many critics at the time of its release, a Wa t c h m e n fi l m
seemed inevitable. Terry Gilliam was one name attached to the project in the early
years, but after years in development and several scripts, the fi lm version seemed like it
would never emerge. However, in 2009, after complex litigation, Warner Bros. eventu-
ally released a fi lm based on Wa t c h m e n directed by Zack Snyder, which, despite mixed
reviews from critics, was something of a commercial success and attempted to remain
true to its source. However, Moore had long claimed that Watchmen was deliberately
intended to be unfi lmable, designed to showcase resources that were unique to the
medium of comics. After having been frustrated by adaptations of his work in the past,
and having previously resolved never to work for DC Comics following the dispute over
merchandising royalties from the original comic series, Moore insisted that his name
be removed from the credits for the fi lm. Despite such controversy, Watchmen remains
a byword for well-crafted and intelligent story-telling in comics, as well as a striking
deconstruction of the superhero genre.
Chris Murray
WEIRDO. A black and white comics anthology, We i r d o was published in magazine
format by underground comics stalwart Last Gasp for 28 issues (1981–93). Edited
by Robert Crumb for 10 issues, followed by Peter Bagge (issues #11–17, and #25)
and Aline Kominsky-Crumb (issues #18–24, and #26–28), the legendary Crumb’s
presence always loomed over the magazine, and his regular contributions, including
striking color covers, remained the primary draw despite the impressive range of con-
tributors over the full run. We i r d o followed Arcade (7 issues, 1975–76), edited by
Art Spiegelman and Bill Griffi th, as a venue carrying still active underground artists
towards a more independent or alternative status while also introducing the work of
rising artists, including Bagge. Since their runs were almost simultaneous, We i r d o ’s
emphatically lowbrow aesthetic implicitly set it against the artistically ambitious and
slickly produced RAW (1980–91), edited by Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly. As with
most anthologies, the quality of We i r d o was erratic, but it provided a regular space of
resistance against mainstream superhero comics when there were few such alternatives
available to its unconventional artists. In retrospect, We i r d o fi lled the gap between the
waning underground in which Crumb had been the dominant fi gure, and the growing
but more diff use world of adult comics and alternative comics that would soon be
transformed by many of its younger contributors.
