{"id":1593,"date":"2024-08-17T18:51:45","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T22:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/?p=1593"},"modified":"2025-03-14T21:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T01:13:11","slug":"short-box-watchmen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/2024\/08\/17\/short-box-watchmen\/","title":{"rendered":"Short Box: Watchmen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watchmen TP \/ HC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clzcomics.r.sizr.io\/core\/covers\/lg\/d6\/d6_1024866_0_WatchmenTPHCTP.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Release: Jun 04, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cover: May 07, 2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/09\/publisher-dc-comics.png?resize=100%2C100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DC Comics logo\" class=\"wp-image-1826\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>Writer<\/td><td>Alan Moore<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cover Artist<\/td><td>Dave Gibbons<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Penciller<\/td><td>Dave Gibbons<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Inker<\/td><td>Dave Gibbons<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Colorist<\/td><td>John Higgins<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Letterer<\/td><td>Dave Gibbons<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Editor<\/td><td>Barbara Kesel, Barry Marx,&nbsp;Len Wein<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I should mention up front that this isn&#8217;t really about <em>Watchmen<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan Moore once said that if <em>Watchmen<\/em> is <em>about<\/em> anything it&#8217;s not about the plot or the actual narrative, it&#8217;s about its own structure, which makes this post kind of fitting in that it&#8217;s not about the story contained in the book but about the book itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DC recently launched a series of &#8220;Compact Comics,&#8221; books whose dimensions are a bit larger than a mass market paperback but a bit smaller than a standard comic or trade paperback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Compact Comics reprint classic DC stories and are designed to be affordable &#8211; they cost about twice as much as a standard floppy comic but contain many comics&#8217; worth of content &#8211; portable, and accessible, being sold wherever books are sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DC Compact Comics | Comic Trailers\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yklMO_mPRoI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve been meaning to check one out just so I could write about it here, but the problem is that either I already have &#8211; in a different format &#8211; or don&#8217;t particularly want what&#8217;s been released so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, my curiosity got the better of me, and I opted for <em>Watchmen<\/em> for multiple reasons, not the least of which was that I found it on sale for $2 off, and I&#8217;ve already owned it in multiple formats at different points in my life, so what&#8217;s one more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was also interested in seeing how well something as dense as <em>Watchmen<\/em> in particular could be compressed down to this smaller format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?resize=640%2C419&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?resize=1024%2C671&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?resize=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?resize=768%2C503&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?resize=1536%2C1006&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?w=1652&amp;ssl=1 1652w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2024\/08\/IMG_20240817_182155-edit-20240817182225.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Next to <em>Absolute Watchmen<\/em> and a standard comic &#8211; the first comic written by Moore I ever read &#8211; for scale.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have to say that even with my aging eyes the reduced size of the lettering is still perfectly readable overall, though I would note that there isn&#8217;t enough of an interior gutter to prevent the pages from disappearing into the fold, so reading\/viewing anything towards the center is going to require <em>really <\/em>pulling the pages open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I suspect most copies are going to end up having broken spines, which, for the sense of irony, makes me hope that <em>Knightfall<\/em> gets the Compact Comics treatment at some point&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for the actual story contained within&#8230;it&#8217;s <em>Watchmen<\/em>. There really isn&#8217;t much that I can say or that <em>needs<\/em> to be said about it. It&#8217;s groundbreaking, revolutionary, &#8220;the <em>Citizen Kane<\/em> of comics,&#8221; beloved, misunderstood, or, depending on your perspective, a tired old overrated relic that ruined comics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(And it&#8217;s also a perennial cash cow for DC and this is yet another way for them to keep it in print and ensure that the rights never revert back to Moore.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In some ways the Compact Comics remind me of the much smaller digests of my youth which served a similar function and were the primary way I became familiar with older classic stories, and had similar &#8211; for the time &#8211; pricing, but they are of a much higher quality product than any digest I ever owned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My understanding is that they&#8217;re selling pretty well, and they&#8217;re full of marketing for other non-compact comics from DC, so here&#8217;s hoping that with their positioning outside of specialty shops they can be a bit of a boon to the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And ideally, anyone who gets hooked by these will move on to buying comics in a format that provides a bigger showcase for the creators&#8217; work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to learn more about Compact Comics than my quick thoughts on them, including the full line up of available titles, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dc.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/02\/dc-announces-dc-compact-comics\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.dc.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/02\/dc-announces-dc-compact-comics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DC&#8217;s announcement<\/a> from last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:15% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"518\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2022\/11\/selfportrait.jpg?resize=518%2C516&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2022\/11\/selfportrait.jpg?w=518&amp;ssl=1 518w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2022\/11\/selfportrait.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2022\/11\/selfportrait.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born and raised in the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Jon Maki developed an enduring love for comics at an early age.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9581540985996689\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<!-- Unbagged -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9581540985996689\" data-ad-slot=\"5626726652\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watchmen TP \/ HC Release: Jun 04, 2024 Cover: May 07, 2014 Creators Writer Alan&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-short-box"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peoZaI-pH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2712,"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions\/2712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opendoor-comics.com\/unbagged\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}