Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

"Who Watches the Watchmen?"

Woo, I'm excited! The trailer for Watchmen is out!

Trailer link here

If you're not familiar with Watchmen, it's a graphic novel (aka: really thick comic book) first produced as a 12-part series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons of DC Comics in 1986-87. According to Wikipedia, it stands unique as the only graphic novel to win a Hugo Award, and was the only graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine's 2005 list of "the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present." I had to check the Hugo bit, because I thought Maus also had a Hugo, but it turns out Maus has a Pulitzer.

I think what makes the story so engrossing is that most of the "superheroes" don't actually have superpowers. They are more like a collection of Batmans (Batmen?)... normal people with some advantage on their side, be it wealth, military training, psychosis, or whatever. And a costume, of course. As people, they all struggle with human failings, doubts, temptations, and mistakes, which feed into the plot. The plot, best described as a "conspiracy-theory-driven mystery of global proportions", helps pull you in too.

I've been following the project for a while, it's been long in the making. I appreciate that the director Zack Snyder (of 300 fame) is doing an interpretation that is faithful to both the storyline and style of the graphic novel. There are many "the making of" video snippets available out there, if you are interested.

This film is slated for 2009 release, I hope I don't get burnt out on anticipation by then.

Time to go reread Watchmen. :)