'Watchmen's' provocative portrait of race in America has its own creator worried
More than three decades since it first exploded onto the comic book scene, the mere mention of "Watchmen" still sparks excitement from diehard fans - and plenty of others enthralled by its revolutionary approach to conventional superhero storytelling. Employing pointed commentary, brutal violence and dark subject matter, including vigilantism and the specter of nuclear war, the series of stories about a ragged group of costumed crime-fighters has since been adapted into a feature film (directed by Zack Snyder) and now a highly anticipated HBO drama series.
But within the sprawling alternate America of "Watchmen," one element was noticeably absent: diversity. In the original comics and the 2009 movie, all the heroes are white, and the only person of color - Doctor Manhattan, a genetically transformed nuclear physicist - is blue.
The new "Watchmen," which premiered Sunday, reverses that dynamic in startling fashion, centering an African American woman, known as Sister Night, as its caped crusader protagonist, while injecting hot-button political issues - race and racism, white supremacy and police brutality against African Americans
