Guide to the Editions: Watchmen

Watchmen
written by Alan Moore
art by Dave Gibbons

Published originally as a limited series in single-issue format, Watchmen #1-12 from September 1986 to October of 1987, by DC, Watchmen has continued to garner critical praise after its completion and is regarded by many as the premiere limited comic run in the history of the medium.  As such, it has received considerable attention in its publication after-life.

US cover for 1987 DC edition

Trade Paperbacks:
Immediately following its initial run in November 1987, Watchmen was published in a collected paperback edition almost simultaneously by sister company Warner Books (ISBN 978-0446386890) as well as DC (pictured, ISBN 978-0930289232).  It went through a large number of re-printings with some variation in cover designs according to printing number and country of release.  In 1995, a revised TPB edition was released with the same content and ISBN, which consequently did not disrupt the re-print numbering.  Likewise, neither did the improved coloring which it adopted for printings following DC's release of the Absolute edition.  Paperbacks with the re-mastered color should include a copyright credit noting Higgins' 2005 additional coloring and digital finishing.

In anticipation of the 2009 film release of Zack Snyder's Watchmen, in addition to an unprecedented number of paperback copies printed in the US, DC released an International Edition paperback (ISBN 978-1401222666).  As mentioned in their product description, it was designed for international release but was made available in the US, though it is now out of print.  It included the same content as the domestic paperback with the refinished coloring of the Absolute edition and a different cover design.

Hardcover Editions: 

2008 hardcover

In 1988, Watchmen was published in a collector's edition by Graphitti Designs, without an ISBN and in an unknown print run.  In particular, the number of "artist's proofs" or other copies with signed book plates—common for Graphitti publications at the time—is uncertain, though very occasionally these appear for sale through second-hand sellers.  The Graphitti edition was bound in black faux-leather with a matching slipcover.  It reproduced, by all accounts, the DC paperback edition precisely, including page size, paper stock and fly pages, but it added forewards by the creators and nearly fifty pages of supplementary material, including Moore's original and revised concept proposals, early art and character design by Gibbons, and promotional material.

Released in 2008, along with the International Edition paperback and the reprinted Absolute edition, DC released a hardcover edition (pictured, ISBN 978-1401219260) in the standard trim size.  Like all editions following the Absolute re-mastering, it includes restored and refinished colors.  It also includes limited supplementary content, including a few sketches.


Absolute Edition:
In 2005, in preparation for the 20th anniversary of the original run, DC released an Absolute edition of Watchmen (ISBN 978-1401207137).  Like the rest of the Absolute series, it featured a sewn, leather cover in a hard slipcase as well as an enlarged page format (8"x12").  It also included re-mastered coloring and digital finishing by Wildstorm FX and original series colorist John Higgins under the supervision of artist Dave Gibbons.  Its additional features included the supplementary material originally collected in the Graphitti edition, further character information in part assimilated from later Watchmen sources, and additional essays by Moore and Gibbons.  It was re-printed in 2008, along with several other editions mentioned here, in anticipation of the Watchmen film release, and again in 2011, though it is now once again out of print.

The Motion Comic:
Also developed in 2008, this animated edition—first available on iTunes and subsequently on DVD—adds motion and sound to the panels already defined in the comic publications.  As such, it's more a remediation of the original comic than an adaptation.  However, it's not for everyone.  All voice work, including female characters, is performed by the same actor, Tom Stechschulte.  The animation, which is overseen by illustrator Dave Gibbons, stagnates the pace of the story and prevents the reader from accelerating.

Deluxe Edition:
No doubt to both capitalize on and promote their July releases of the Before Watchmen Deluxe Editions, DC is also releasing a Deluxe edition of Watchmen (ISBN 978-1401238964, scheduled for release in June).  It will feature a hardcover binding, a slightly enlarged page format, the re-mastered coloring from the Absolute edition, and a few extras, including a new introduction by artist Dave Gibbons.  The remainder of the additional content remains unreleased.