Fanboys and girls got their panties in a bunch when a trailer for Watchmen, Alan Moore's 1985 graphic novel about masked vigilantes, previewed before The Dark Knight several weeks ago.

The tome holds a special place for most comic book lovers; it was one of the first comics, along with Maus, to earn the title of graphic novel (though it was released in sections) due to its meta-commentary on the traditional world of superheroes and crime fighters.

Despite a giant marketing tie-in at this year's Comic-Con, Watchmen seems doomed to have the impossibly high expectations of a super-hero action piece that also says something resting on its shoulder. That is, if it even gets released now.

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