Watchmen is a twelve-issue graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. Originally published by DC Comics as a monthly limited series from 1986 to 1987,http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/0,24459,watchmen,00.html "Time Magazine - ALL-TIME 100 Novels" - A synopsis describing Watchmen (retrieved 14 April 2006) it was later republished as a trade paperback. It was one of the first superhero comics to present itself as serious literature, and it also popularized the "graphic novel" format.