Watchmen

The Reagan era may have been a love-hate phenomenon within the scope of American politics, but it's nothing on Alan Moore's Nixonian dystopia in the graphic novel, Watchmen.

Moore takes us to an alternate version of 1985, where 'former President Nixon' is still 'President Nixon' and seems more like a dictator than anything else. Reminiscent of Orwell's 1984 and Moore's own graphic novel, V for Vendetta, our country becomes a far different place in Watchmen - one where cars can fly and where, strangely, superheroes have been outlawed.

But the area in which all remains the same is in the element of tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which, in Watchmen, sees us closer than ever to a possible World War III. For years, the two countries have been at a stalemate, though, due to the efforts of two former Watchmen: The Comedian and Dr. Manhattan.

The Comedian and Dr. Manhattan have maintained their superhero statuses by signing their lives away to the U.S. government. All of their former comrades have been forced to de-mask and identify themselves, as per a government regulation.

Yet, when the Comedian is killed and Dr. Manhattan goes into exile, it's up to the one crime fighter who refused to do so to figure it all out. Diminutive but deadly, the sadistic Rorschach quickly becomes the hero of Watchmen through his unorthodox methods and intriguing narratives. He's not the type you'd expect for this position, but Rorschach handles the role of catalyst brilliantly.

Though the many flashbacks and contextual moments do occasionally put a damper on things, they have no effect on the true gusto of Watchmen - its concept. We've always had a fascination with terror and, here, Moore takes it to a completely different level. What would happen if the world was falling apart, and the very heroes we'd call upon to save it have been outlawed?

Wrap your head around that: superheroes . . . against the law. Popular culture may have gotten a bit of a re-hash of this concept in last summer's blockbuster movie, The Dark Knight, but if you want the true original in presenting this concept, look no further than Watchmen. Open it up, and prepare yourself for one hell of a ride.