Watchmen Noir

Colourless comic The classic graphic novel gets republished in a gritty black and white edition that highlights the amazing artwork

The classic graphic novel gets republished in a gritty black and white edition that highlights the amazing artwork.

Author Alan Moore Artist Dave Gibbons Publisher DC Comics Price £33 Web www.dccomics.com Available Now

First released 30 years ago, Watchmen has gone on to become a significant piece of 20th century literature. This new edition presents the classic in a fresh light by depicting the masterful ink and pencil illustrations in raw black and white.

Doing away with John Higgins’ vibrant colouring from the original is a bold move that’s sure to split opinion. On the one hand, readers get to enjoy the same story while gaining a greater insight into Dave Gibbon’s illustrations. While on the other it begs the question: is this version necessary?

It depends on how the reader wants to enjoy the series. If they’re new to it, it might be worth reading Watchmen in colour as it was originally intended. But if you’re already familiar with the series, Watchmen Noir presents a refreshing take on a familiar text. Oddly, there’s no explanation behind this hardcover edition, making Watchmen Noir feel almost perfunctory – even though there are 300 pages of gripping story and remastered art to pore over.

Rorschach shakes up retired supervillain Moloch; the lack of colour takes nothing away from the power of Dave Gibbons’ line-art.