The “Watchmen” revolutionized how superheroes were seen by deconstructing them and introducing the grim and gritty. Superheroes were no longer infallible but became humanized. “Watchmen” introduced a dark side to the superhero story by introducing ulterior motives for fighting crime while blurring the lines between good and evil. Furthermore, some of the superheroes even had a dark side.

Immediately after the release of “Watchmen” similar stories started appearing such as “The Dark Night Rises” as this storyline fit the mood of the times. Even today we have similar storytelling such as the series “The Boys” where superheroes are just in it for public image and money, while possessing a truly dark side. In this series I can see likeness between Billy Butcher and Rorschach as they are both dangerous sociopaths fond of violence.

The “Watchmen” not only changed the way we see superheroes but also changed the comic color pallet. Breaking away from the “normal” way of coloring superheroes, “Watchmen” were colored in secondary colors that were seldomly used before. This concept allowed colors to help set the mood and tell the story.

This new way of seeing superheroes can be related to by many people on their own journeys. This is because it shows people working toward goals on paths far from straight lines. We all have a sense of the direction we want to journey, but seldom is it a straight line. We all fall short sometimes. We all make wrong choices now and again. We all get knocked down at least once in our lifetime. The important thing is how we deal with it to stay on our path to reach our goal.