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I guess, seeing as how some high profile blockbuster material is headed to cinemas, that "summer" is officially upon us. Don't mind the weather. Just look at your movie showtimes.

With "Watchmen" we get our first high profile movie release of the year. But, alas, this review is not of the actual film. Rather, it is of the source material and it's companion DVD, "Watchmen: The Motion Comic."

Now, I am a comic geek, but i had never picked up and read the "Watchmen" graphic novel. It didn't intrigue me. Not as much as Batman, Spiderman, or Wolverine do anyway. So when I first HEARD about the film, I said "cool" and pushed it to the back of my mind.

Then "The Dark Knight" came out and had a mind blowing trailer for "Watchmen." Color me intrigued at this point. I still didn't have the nerve to walk into Great Escape to pick up a copy though. Comic Book fans are a ruthless bunch.

Then about a week ago, I noticed Walden Books had a Watchmen table set up. I could pick up a copy and not be judged. So i did.

I had also purchased the "Watchmen: The Motion Comic" DVD at my friendly local Wal-Mart. But now, I saw it as a reading companion.

Let me just say first, the book is better. Even at 5 and a half hours, the DVD cuts out alot of dialouge and set pieces. That's not to say the DVD isn't good, it just doesn't offer the same experience the "Greatest Graphic Novel Of All Time" does. Plus, it's narrated and voiced over by one man. Meaning every character sounds EXACTLY ALIKE.

The story goes something like this: A former masked hero called The Comedian is brutally murdered. Another masked hero by the name of Rorscach is convinced something is out to kill all the other masked heroes. This gives him a new reason to bust skulls... wait... What?

Watchmen is almost grotesquely violent, especially later in the story when the action picks up. It's not your grandfather's superhero book. Turns out, in fact, they aren't really superheroes. Just vigilantes with a knack for playing dress-up.

And there is something wrong with each character. Dan Drieberg, or Nite Owl, is impotent OUTSIDE OF HIS COSTUME! What a "power." Silk Spectre, or Janie Juspeczyk, doesn't even want to be a superhero. She was forced into it by her mother. Adrian Viedt, or Ozymandias, is the smartest man on the planet... and he knows it. Edward Blake, better known as the Comedian, was a famous hero in the forties, the was employed by the government. He also attempted to rape the Silk Spectre's mother.

Then there's Rorscach. The man with the Ink-blot mask. Turns out, he's clinically insane. Or is he?

Several unexpected twists make Watchmen an interesting ride. I just wish it didn't feel so dated. It takes place in an alternate 1985, so references are geared toward that era.

Also, it's incredibly mysoginistic. One minute, you're looking at an attempted rape, the next, you're watching a naked blue man called Dr. Manhattan walk around.

Alan Moore is a genius. But this book, as good as it was, didn't appeal to me the way i had hoped it would. I really wanted to enjoy this story so much more than i actually did. And i did like it. Just not to the standards i had anticipated. Maybe i missed something. Maybe on a second reading?

3 and a half out of 5