HBO’s Watchmen TV show, an adaptation/extrapolation of the iconic graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, premieres this Sunday.
Despite the fact that Watchmen is one of the most well-known comics ever made (it is famously the only comic book included on TIME’s list of 100 great novels, among other honors), it is fair to expect that many people watching the show will be unfamiliar with the source material. The show itself certainly expects that. Taking place 30 years after the events of the comic, and populated with almost entirely different characters, Watchmen can be viewed by any fan of showrunner Damon Lindelof’s previous TV work (Lost, The Leftovers) without having to do any homework.
But the Watchmen show does contain several references, both visual and thematic, to the original comic. In case you’re a newcomer to the franchise, Entertainment Weekly put together a list of highlights that might help you understand some of the references. Check it out HERE.