Are DC's Watchmen Costumes Making a Comeback This Year?

By Shrey Sankalp

I shouldn't have to tell you, but the comic book phenomenon is huge right now - and if you don't believe me, just count the number of trick-or-treaters dressed in superhero costumes next year.
This resurgence in the popularity of comic books can most certainly be appropriated to comic book movies in recent years, but a downfall of the same is how easily people miss out on awarding credit to the films that brought about this revolution.
It is a well documented fact that there would be no costumed adventures today had make-or-break films such as X-Men or Sam Raimi's Spider-Man failed, and while that's true, the fact remains that they are derived from a source material in whose absence, these costumed adventures wouldn't exist, period.

Watchmen's contribution to the comic book world is immeasurable.

The source material in question, is the seminal graphic novel Watchmen. Conceived by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the comic book was published between 1986 and 1987 and changed the whole industry.
Up until this point, comic books were looked at as a juvenile medium with their brightly colored nature, and ridiculously costumed heroes fighting equally ridiculously costumed villains in jovial and deliberately campy stories.
What Watchmen did, was take said ridiculously costumed heroes and infused them with a grit and darkness that explained the why behind the motivation a person could possibly have to wear an elaborate costume and fight crime.
Watchmen took a decidedly safe concept, and by infusing it with a mature darkness, made it more profound. Of course, it only helped that the comic book told a riveting story and presented some truly memorable and well fleshed-out characters.
With the acclaim and appeal that Watchmen enjoyed, it wasn't long before you started seeing Watchmen costumes on Halloween. Yes, the nature of the comic book did limit a section of the audience, but for a niche comic book, its appeal sure did get to a point where for every three Batman costumes or Superman costumes, you could be sure you'd find a Watchmen costume, usually a Nite Owl costume or a Rorschach costume.
This proved to be a revelation for the comic book industry, as very soon, other comic books were also utilizing the narrative depth and character development seen in Watchmen to churn out stories which were more than just two characters in superhero costumes wailing on each other.

It was this modern approach to the comic book that provided the basis of the modern comic book movie. Having seen the success of the other films, it was decided to bring the source material itself to life. The process, at first, proved difficult at first, because the narrative complexity and the adult-oriented nature of the graphic novel was deemed practically unfilmable, but with time, under the watchful (bad pun, sorry) eye of director Zack Snyder, Watchmen was finally brought to screen in all its visual glory, from the meticulously designed sets to the elaborate costumes.
Everyone seems to have a differing opinion on Zack Snyder's work, but a common thread running through all of them is how his visual style is extremely encompassing. Having made 300 before Watchmen, Zack Snyder showed he had the chops to bring a revered niche comic book to life onscreen complete with faithfully recreated costumes and panels lifted straight off of the comic book, and I think we can all agree that Watchmen is no different. The aesthetic of the film is very similar to the comic book, but with added effects such as rain, mist and a darker color palette, Snyder really sells the mood of the film, while making sure it is in line with the comics.
The same authenticity continues to the costumes, where each Watchmen costume is a very close replica of the costume seen in comics. Costumes such as the Nite Owl costume, Silk Spectre costume and Rorschach costume are particular standouts, having been delivered extremely faithfully despite the difficulty involved in bringing them onscreen.
Praise must also go to the visual department for making these costumes look like they are a part of the world, because as fantastical as their designs might be, the level of texture and wear and tear that can be seen on each Watchmen costume simply goes on to show how believable the costume is, if such a costume could actually be designed.
And this attention to detail isn't just limited to the costumes and the atmospherics - entire panels from the comic book have been recreated shot for shot onscreen and the film religiously follows the plot and structure of the comic book, to a point where Watchmen is widely regarded as the most comic accurate film made yet.

As far as film adaptations go, Watchmen is 100% comic book accurate.

The film was touted to be ahead of its time when it came out in 2009, but as the years have passed, the film has only gotten better! With a renewed focus on darker and more mature superhero stories post The Avengers (a trend that Zack Snyder himself is leading, with his costumed slugfest Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice), more and more audiences and filmmakers are looking towards Watchmen for inspiration as to how a comic book movie can be gritty, mature, and yet, entire comic book accurate when it comes to the costumes and aesthetics.
As a result, Watchmen has begun to enjoy the same niche cult classic status as the comic book its based on. Every year, amidst a sea of people dressed in traditional superhero costumes such as the Batman costume, or a Superman costume or an Iron Man costume, you will find a group dressed up in Watchmen costumes, standing out, quietly impressive.
The aesthetic design that the comic, and subsequently the movie employed are unparallelable, and it reflects in the costumes where the Watchmen costumes immediately stand out against other superhero costumes.
Not only does this process make the experience more rewarding for fans of the comic book or the film, it entices a whole another section of the masses to find out more about the characters, that too based on simply the costume's appeal! And the obvious fact is that this appeal is only going to expand more and more, now that DC has encompassed Watchmen into the main continuity following their Rebirth story arc in the comics.

If I were you, I would start making a list of all the costumes I wanted and get purchasing, because as I said, with a renewed focus on the characters in the comics and a renewed drive to see the film in a different light, the line for Watchmen costumes is only going to get longer.
And with the holiday season coming up, and Comic Con, and Halloween and everything next year, the costumes are only going to continue selling out.
Fortunately for you, we at Wonder Costumes decided to watch your back (wow, this writer really cannot stop punning, can he?), and let you know before everyone else, so that you can head to our Watchmen costumes selection, and get a head start.
We'll be covering the resurgence of Watchmen, so to make sure you're updated, watch this space.
(that's it, this writer is going to be...punished)