Watchmen

A landmark 12-issue limited series from 1987–1988, Watchmen reimagines the superhero genre by grounding its costumed characters in a gritty, alternate-history Cold War reality. Published under the Zinco imprint, the story is most famously associated with its writer and co-creator, whose intricate plotting and deconstruction of heroism set a new standard for mature storytelling in comics. Its influence on the medium is profound, often cited as a defining work that proved comics could be serious literature.