Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test

Watchmen is widely considered the greatest graphic novel of all time, receiving critical acclaim by both the comics and mainstream press. Along with the highly anticipated movie adaption,  Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test (Wiley, $17.95; January 2009) is the ideal companion book for the most avid fan. The bok provides all the philosophical insight into the story that will make readers view Watchmen in a completely new light.          

The philosophy that Alan Moore explores in Watchmen is what makes it one of the most fascinating and complex comics ever written. Watchmen and Philosophy peers deeply into this philosophical work to deconstruct the ethical issues raised by Watchmen's costumed adventurers, their actions, and their world. From nuclear destruction to utopia, governmental authority and social responsibility, it answers questions fans have had for years. 

Alan Moore's Watchmen is set in 1985 and chronicles the alternative history of the United States where the US edges dangerously closer to nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Within this world exists a group of crime busters, who don elaborate costumes to conceal their identity and fight crime. Moore uses the story as a means to reflect contemporary anxieties and to deconstruct the concept of “superhero.” Watchmen is widely considered to be Alan Moore’s masterpiece and the comic series that changed the genre forever.    

Watchmen and Philosophy is the latest in the popular Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, edited by William Irwin, the originator of the philosophy and pop culture book genre. This series answers some of life’s eternal philosophical questions through the pop culture lens of our most popular TV shows and movies, which includes Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul and the recent House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies.