I caved in and reread Watchmen. It's probably been 10 years since I read it, and while I don't remember it that fondly, y'know, what the hell.

Here's the thing. The story makes even less sense on rereading. The plot is set in motion by Edward Blake's murder. He was killed because he discovered Ozymandius' plan. Blake made this discover because he was flying over an island, saw people on it, and went to investigate in case they were bad guys. Everyone on the island thought they were making a movie. That's made very clear. Blake shouldn't have discovered anything. Really, as soon as he got there and found a lot of writers and artists, he should have been on his merry way; there's no indication that he's Stealthy Investigation Guy. And it seems as if Ozymandius didn't let anyone know exactly what they were working on, for obvious reasons. Yeah, the scientists would have known they weren't making a special effect, but Mr. Smartest Man on Earth probably had different cover stories for the various groups. And again, it wouldn't be such a big deal except it's the crux of the entire story. If Blake didn't discover anything, he wouldn't have been killed, and none of the other characters would have started poking around.

I dunno. I like the book, I guess. It's got all the fiddly little details and "things to notice when you reread" and allusions and stuff and design elements and well, cleverness abounds. I'm not denying it. But the actual plot is a letdown. And I grant that I might not appreciate it's "break-through" elements because honestly, I think the first superhero books I read were it and The Dark Knight Returns.

Moore's new comic The Courtyard isn't nearly so ambitious, but it is pretty funny. You know why? Cthulhu. It's a limited series from Avatar, and it's your typical story of a straight arrow FBI guy who has to infiltrate the goth scene to investigate some mysterious murders. Sadly, your typical straight-arrow FBI guy doesn't read enough Lovecraft. If nothing else, this proves the old adage "Cthulhu makes everything funny." Our Hero gets some classified reports about FBI operations in "some backwater seaport of Massachusetts" in the 1920's. "The offence seems vaguely defined and and involves interbreeding: a morals case more than a Federal matter, in my book. [...] The description 'degenerate,' frequently used here, could mean almost anything. These were the Hoover days."

Oh come on, that's funny stuff.