I think too many fans of the graphic novel simply went into it expecting to be disappointed. They knew it wouldn't meet their standards and instead of building a new, more realistic, set of standards specifically for a film version of Watchmen they were all too happy to have their cynicism confirmed.

That's not to dismiss the film's numerous faults, or to say that the apprehension was unfounded, I just agree that it's not always being judged by its own merits as a film. It was sort of hamstrung at the gate by people's own expectations and preconceptions.

Speaking of the DVD, bits of Under the Hood have been 'leaked', and based on the stills I've seen it looks pretty neat. I think I'm actually more excited about it than The Black Freighter.

Dad hasn't read the comic, no. I was planning on leaving it with him, but when I was unpacking earlier I noticed I must have absentmindedly picked it up when I was gathering my books. So much for that. He said he had some difficulty following it in the beginning (especially as I didn't do a terribly good job trying to set the stage over the previews) but everything started to come together pretty quickly. He was still talking about it when I left, so I figure I can count him as a fan.