Watchmen is a comic book.
Watchmen is an American comic-book limited series published by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 , and collected in 1987 . Watchmen depicts an alternate history where superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1960s and their presence changed history so that the United States won the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal was never exposed . A commercial success , Watchmen has received critical acclaim both in the comics and mainstream press , and is considered by several critics and reviewers to be one of the most significant works of 20th-century literature . Watchmen was recognized in Times List of the 100 Best Novels as one of the best English language novels published since 1923 , and placed # 91 on The Comics Journals list of the top 100 comics of the 20th century . Watchmen is a 2009 American superhero film directed by Zack Snyder , based on the 1986 -- 87 DC Comics limited series of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons .