To all those who are unfamiliar with Alan Moore's groundbreaking graphic novel, Watchmen, the new trailer must be a confusing barrage of random images. Hopefully, it intrigues you enough to buy the book before March 6. But you want to know what this trailer is about now, don't you? That's why I'm going to explain it to you with the help of a few screen caps. We won't go point by point, I'll just try to walk you through a few chunks of storyline. It's a delicate task, as I really don't want to ruin the story for those unfamiliar with it. It deserves to be read (or seen) as freshly as possible. So on that note, those intimately familiar with the book shouldn't flame me for not explaining the intricate storyline, character relationships, or backgrounds. There are so few surprises in this world, let's try to preserve the ones awaiting the Watchmen newcomers.

Watchmen is set in an alternative 1985, and if you glance at the photos of the Owl Ship and Oxymandias, you'll see the evidence in a lost landmark, and a president long gone. Like most comic book realities, costumed superheroes ( or "costumed adventurers" as they're called in the book) are real, but most have a pronounced lack of superpowers. Watchmen centers on two generations of them -- the Minutemen, and the Crimebusters. No one is actually called "the Watchmen" in the story; the title refers to any group who's goal is to protect society from themselves. Hence the phrase, repeated throughout the book and film, "Who watches the watchmen?"

[ Continued after the jump ... with more pics! ]

It looks like there will be some Star Trek in San Diego after all. Entertainment Weekly featured these four posters in their Comic Con preview, and at last, fans get a glimpse of the young characters populating this reboot. Zoe Saldana does make a lovely Uhura, Chris Pine is a I-guess-that's-Captain Kirk, but Zachary Quinto takes the lookalike cake as Spock. Very eerie! As for Eric Bana's Nero, well, I find myself disturbingly attracted to his tattoos.

These posters will be handed out next week at Comic Con, probably at the Paramount booth. Each character gets their own one-sheet, and when combined, form the logo. Expect hysteria from the hapless studio interns handing out the swag, people snagging ten Kirks and no Uhuras, Nero to be littering the gutters between here and the Gaslamp District, and Spock to be commanding ridiculous prices on Ebay. The swag grabs are never pretty.

[via Empire]