Watchmen is a comic book.
Alan Moore ( [ mɔər ] born 18 November 1953 ) is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books including Watchmen , V for Vendetta and From Hell . Before Watchmen . Acting as a prequel to the 1986 12-issue Watchmen limited series by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons , the project consists of eight limited series and one one-shot ( though two were initially planned ) for a total of 37 issues . Watchmen . In 2012 , DC Comics published Before Watchmen , a comic-book series acting as a prequel to the original Watchmen series , without Moore and Gibbons ' involvement .