Eliza’s take: Armament as a deterrent to nuclear war is a sketchy proposition, yet 80 years since Hiroshima, that seems the only approach with traction. The world’s arsenals only grow, and no nation, if attacked, would not respond. The ensuing tit-for-tat would kill millions instantly, billions slowly, and turn the planet into a radioactive sunless winter. But what’s the alternative?
Watchmen, the graphic novel from 1986, brilliantly explores one possibility, whereby a so-egotistical-he-seems-benevolent intellectual pulls off the world’s biggest and most cephalopian frame shift. It’s a little Deus Ex Machina, but the currents of build up and implication are complex. In this, the form of graphic novel shines. Callbacks, links across storylines, and quotes are tucked throughout the intricate illustrations. It’s visually clever, for sure– but more importantly it has the effect of imbuing even grimy and mundane humanity with meaning. These are regular old human lives, and it would be an enormous loss if they were destroyed.
Unfortunately, Watchmen still feels incredibly relevant some 40 years post-publication. Watch the excellent 2018 miniseries to see the trajectory of the graphic novel’s world (now, the intractable problem at the center of the frame is white supremacy), and cross your fingers for another alternative to nuclear annihilation in this one. 8
Moore, Alan and Gibbons, Dave. Watchmen. DC Comics, 1986. Reviewed Sep 14, 2024.