Comic book geek? Present!

Watchmen is coming out on March 6, 2009 and I cannot wait. That's right, 3/6/9... three-six-nine! I love seeing patterns in dates and times... like whenever the time is 12:34... one-two-three-four.

As the movie opening nears, there's a viral campaign to get people ready for the release. This has led me to become very giddy and geeky this morning:

The New Frontiersman

I haven't explored it much... but I'm already hyped. I'm not sure if it's the knowledge of this website... or just the coffee I've gulped down.

For those who don't know, Watchmen is a twelve-series comicbook which was released in 1986-1987. The story has been ranked as a modern classic by Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly - not for graphic novels... but for just books in general. In 1988, it won a Hugo Award, an award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements. I believe Watchmen has been the only graphic novel to win this award in the "other works" category.

Here's a quick plot summary (from Wikipedia):
Watchmen is set in an alternate reality which closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. The primary point of divergence is the presence of superheroes. Their existence in this iteration of America is shown to have dramatically affected and altered the outcomes of real-world events such as the Vietnam War and the presidency of Richard Nixon. In keeping with the realism of the series, although the costumed crime fighters of Watchmen are commonly called "superheroes", the only character who possesses obvious superhuman powers is Doctor Manhattan. The existence of Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union, which has increased tensions between the two nations. Additionally, superheroes have become unpopular among the public, which has led to the passage of legislation in 1977 to outlaw them. While many of the heroes retired, Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian operate as government-sanctioned agents, and Rorschach continues to operate outside the law.

In October 1985, New York City police are investigating the murder of Edward Blake. With the police having no leads, costumed vigilante Rorschach decides to probe further. Discovering Blake to be the face behind The Comedian, a costumed hero employed by the United States government, Rorschach believes he has discovered a plot to eliminate costumed adventurers and sets about warning four of his retired comrades, Dan Dreiberg (formerly the second Nite Owl), the super-powered and emotionally detached Doctor Manhattan and his lover Laurie Juspeczyk (the second Silk Spectre), and Adrian Veidt (once the hero Ozymandias, and now a successful businessman).

I can't wait!