The second printing of Watchmen and Philosophy will sport this new cover - nice, isn't it?
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About Me
- comicsprof
- I'm a Professor in the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at the College of Staten Island, where I teach courses that combine economics, philosophy, and law. I've written "Kantian Ethics and Economics: Autonomy, Dignity, and Character" (Stanford University Press, 2011) as well as several dozen journal articles and book chapters on these topics, and I've edited or co-edited several books in these areas (including "The Thief of Time: Philosophical Essays on Procrastination," with Chrisoula Andreou, Oxford University Press, 2010). Also, I am a frequent writer and editor with the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series. Batman and Philosophy, which I co-edited with Robert Arp, came out in June 2008; Watchmen and Philosophy came out in January 2009; Iron Man and Philosophy comes out in March 2010; and Green Lantern and Philosophy (with Jane Dryden) comes out in May 2011. (I'm currently working on "Superman and Philosophy" and "The Avengers and Philosophy.") Obviously I'm a comic book nut - I launched this blog in March 2007 to discuss comics, review comics new and old, and occasionally explore the philosophical dimensions of the stories and characters.
3 comments:
Hi Mark
Enjoying the book very much at the moment! (the old cover!). Believe it or not, I've been a movie fan/superhero fan for 4/5 of my 50 years and I hadn't read Watchmen prior to seeing the film (I know...I know!). Both are great. I'm a passionate supporter of the movie adaptation and I'd like to know your view, if possible. Anyways.. this book might just get me into studying philosophy more seriously. Lord knows I've tried everything else!
All the best
Andy (UK).
Thanks for the comment and the kind words, Andy - I have to confess, however, that I've not yet seen the movie. I'm probably going to wait til the DVD comes out.
But I'm interesting to what you think about it - obviously you're a "passionate supporter," but can you elaborate a bit more?
Shame on you, Mark!
Only kidding.
Well.. as I indicated, I came into the movie virtually 'cold'. A rough idea of the characters (and pics of them, of course) but nothing of the 'meat' of the story.
Afterwards, I read the novel. Several things enhanced my opinion of the film, really. This is probably (on reflection) because film is my first love and, although I love books, I generally prefer the medium of film (when done well). But to give it it's due, I thought the movie remarkably faithful - both in specifics and in tone/spirit. I know that some people have even turned this into a criticism! I can't see how.
There are omissions, of course, and the major change of the ending, but - on balance - I felt these were more than justified. Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons' ending would have been difficult to pull off cinematically and wouldn't have had the power of the movie ending, I feel. But that's just me.
The casting, I thought, was spot-on. Even in the case of Ozzy, who really is a completely different looking beast in the film, but more suited to the era we're in and to the tone of this movie.
Obviously there are things a comic can do so well, but equally there are things that film can do. Montage, for instance, musical accompaniment, extended fight scenes which often just seem a bit boring to sustain in a comic. Here, they help the mood and the feel of the characters. You have to believe Rorshach is powerful, in his own way, as well as ruthless and cunning.
Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Thanks for replying and for the interest!
Live long and prosper! :-)
A
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