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This Issue 02/26/2009

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The history of Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s 1986 graphic-novel-turned-movie, is a long and complicated one. While it was the only graphic novel to be included in Time Magazine’s “Top 100 Books of the 20th Century,” Watchmen was nevertheless, for years after its publication, considered the Unfilmable Graphic Novel. Ironically, what makes Watchmen the subject of adoration for its considerable cult following is also what has hampered film adaptations since day one: it overflows with interweaving characters, chronologies and subplots. The film has reportedly gone through nearly 20 different directors and visions and the rights to the story have been juggled like a hot potato. The legal battle over Watchmen culminated in last year’s fierce confrontation between Fox and Warner Brothers Studios; to the collective relief of the fanboys, a settlement was reached in December. Graphic novel adaptations have been all the rage in the past years, and the success of films like Sin City and Watchmen director Zach Snyder’s own 300 has finally brought Watchmen off the shelf and onto the big screen. When the film opens on March 6, a 20-year long struggle will finally come to a close.