The "Romance"

How did you feel about Lily's relationship with Zach? Personally I found it unnecessary to the plot.... I wondered what the appeal for Zach was in the relationship, especially as it would be dangerous for him. Lily would not be the easiest person to get on with, I would imagine!

The ending

So as not to spoil the ending for those who are still going, I will post the question in the comments page....

Bees as a motif

What do you think is the significance of bees in the story? How do you think the secret life of bees relates to Lily's own life?

Civil Rights

How did you feel about the handling of race issues and the civil rights movement in the book? How did you find the portrayal of Rosaleen? (Personally I found it a bit cliched). Why would she spit on the white men's shoes when she was fully aware of what the consequences could be?

Test for Philippa!

Did it work?

The wall

I really liked the use of May's wall, especially the ending where Lily reinvents the purpose of the wall.  I thought it was interesting to see the progression through Lily to a meaning other than alleviating grief and sorrow.

So who's read the book?

Has anyone read the book and seen the film?  I haven't seen it yet, did it measure up?  I like the look of the cast.

The Black Madonna

I've been reading some of Sue Monk Kidd's interviews about the Secret Life of Bees online and they were mostly along the same lines, but this one struck me as particularly interesting.  The interviewer is from a religious publication or website (not sure which) and the focal point of the interview was the black madonna.  I read the Secret Life of Bees years ago and am halfway through rereading it and, despite the importance of the black madonna, it never struck me as a particularly religious book, so this article put an entirely new slant on the book for me.  I'll be interested to see what I pick up this time around.  

Watchmen lives on...

For anyone wishing to continuing posting any thoughts and discussion about Watchmen (or even if you've just finished/finishing it and want to have your say) you can do so here.

Anything and everything Watchmen in this space!

The End Is Nigh

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the input, discussion and dessert over this past months for Watchmen month.

I have really enjoyed getting other peoples thoughts and feedback on Watchmen and comics in general as a medium. I hope you all have to.

A big thanks for trying something thats a little bit different and I hope all enjoyed it!

I'll leave a general Watchmen discussion Q up so that if anyone wants to add any thoughts about Watchmen as the year progesses you can.

Thanks again and looking forward to starting again next month with the Secret Life of Bee's and keep on reading those graphic novels!

Watchmen wrap up meeting

Just one last reminder that if you're keen the Watchmen wrap up meeting will be at my place this Friday @ 7 Carrol Avenue East Gosford starting 7.30pm.

If you can please bring a plate of your favourite dessert...but if you can't don't let that stop you...just come along and enjoy the fun!

Watchmen discussion podcast

For anyone interested, the web site Batman-on-film has a roundtable discussion on the Watchmen film.

http://www.batman-on-film.com/podcasts_menu.html

BOF is a website dedicated to advocating quality in the Batman franchise (and has been operating for 10 years since the 'Batman and Robin' debacle) and also acts as a fan forum.

They also review DC related things in general inlucding movies, DVDs and comics. The panel doing the discussion includes the websites founder, Bill Ramey and a number of other people associated with literature and the comic book industry.

Watchmen Supporting Cast

While the Crimebusters (or Watchmen in the movie) are the focus of Watchmen, there is a very strong supporting cast of characters that help to drive the narrative; the Minutemen, the psychologist and his wife, the newstand vendor, the kid reading Tales of the Black Freighter, the police detectives and the lesbian couple just to name a few.

How did you feel these characters added to the story? Were they vital or superfluous? How does their portrayal compare between the GN and the movie?

Ozymandias

I really would like to know...when you either first read the GN or saw the movie (without having read the GN) did you pick Ozymandias to be the mastermind behind it all?

Character back story

What did everyone think of the importance of the characters back story in the GN or movie? Obviously they both developed the back stories in their own way, and just wondering how important you think the back stories are to understanding the characters?

End of the World?

I'm interested to know what everyone thinks was meant by Rorschach, unmasked, carrying signs predicting the end the world, but still requesting his daily paper be available the next day?

The illustrator

Can anyone tell me: does the author instruct the illustrator how he wants each panel to appear in a graphic novel? It seems to me alot of the story is told through the pictures and all the credit is given to the author, not the illustrator.

Q5 Comedian: Friend or Foe

This is a character that is truly dastardly and yet he gains some sympathy from the other characters in both the GN and the movie. What were peoples thoughts about him and his work?

Q4 Characterisations

Kristen asked:

Were the movie characters more likable than the GN characters?

I 'liked' and felt more sympathy for the characters in the movie, which leads me to ask - was it just that I identify better with people on the big screen, that they seem more real? Or did the screen play, for all it's adherance to the GN, soften the characters somehow to make them less loathsome or pathetic?

Q3 Superheroes v Masked heroes

Kristen asked:

Where does the line between a superhero and a masked hero lie?

We've all watched action flicks where the good guys run, jump, pummel and slaughter their way through untold enemies and scoffed at the unbelievability of it all but in the GN and the movie we saw it all again - yet, and especially in the GN, they always tried to draw a line between being masked and superIs it that they have superior training (did they have any training other than Laurie?), is it that the suit and mask created a sense of confidence, ability and strength that allowed them inhuman power? Is it that I am reading too much into something again and I should go with the flow?