Ever since the ‘Watchmen’ graphic novel was published in 1986, it has been surrounded by controversy. Setting aside the wonderful complexities of the plot, subplots, and hero/anti-hero angst, there was the debate of whether it could ever be presented in another medium, especially movies. When the movie version, ‘Watchmen’ premiered in 2009, it drew even more controversy with the debate turning to whether or not it was faithful enough to the original print version. It came to a head again when HBO announced that it was creating a serialized version of the story, especially since it wasn’t based on the original story at all, but in the same universe.
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Last Friday, Damon Lindelof, producer of the HBO series, spoke at a panel at New York Comic Con. He demonstrated his understanding of the importance of his work, emphasizing:
“We are just trying to live up to making this ‘Watchmen’ worthy.”
Speaking of the original story, he related:
“It has an incredible emotional connection for me …. The thing that makes the original perfect was those 12 issues were designed and well-thought out. And it was very clear that there was a beginning, middle, and end in mind. There may have been a little bit of play in terms of the route, but they knew exactly what they were doing. We knew we had to do the same. So we plotted out these episodes. We knew exactly where we were headed. And every mystery, every question that we were asking had to be resolved.”
Artist Dave Gibbons, who was an artist who collaborated on the original ‘Watchmen’ novel was also on the panel. He explained that he supports the show and Lindelof’s efforts, stating:
“There isn’t anything in this that contradicts the graphic novel. And to me it is an application of it, rather than a dilution.”
Let’s hope the show lives up to the hype!
Source: Variety
