Watchmen is an example of graphic novels using alternate timelines and possible futures to illustrate elements of our world as they might have been. While V for Vendetta is focused on exploring primarily British 80s politics, Watchmen is centred entirely on the USA as it was in 1985. Since the development of the atomic bomb, the US has been cemented in its position as the superpower on planet Earth for two generations. Watchmen addresses the concerns of the time regarding the Cold War and ever mounting threat of a World War 3 that would last less than a few hours as we would all be obliterated basically immediately, the arrogance of America's actions in Vietnam, and concepts such as whether or not the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Ultimately, the book is a response to the disillusion with government that arose in the 1980s, exploring multiple perspectives in regard to this, ranging from soldiers to businessmen to vigilantes to omnipresent gods.
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