Is Watchmen the Greatest Graphic Novel Since 1923?

Time magazine says it is. The Time list of the Top 100 Novels in English since 1923 (which in a clever, clever play on words is called "100 All-Time Novels"--1923 is in the fine print) is actually made up of 102 novels and one graphic novel. I don't know why they toss an apple into the mix with all the oranges and then count three oranges as just one, but I guess it's their list and they can do what they want. If they felt they needed a graphic novel, why Watchmen? From Hell is better. Maus is better and probably more culturally important (plus, since it was published in two volumes, they could do the same "multi-volume work counts as one novel" thing they pulled with Lord of the Rings). The real strengths of Watchmen are in its graphic formalism rather than whatever literary merits it might claim as a work of fiction. But Richard Lacayo, who devised the list with Lev Grossman, claimed their twin purposes in naming their 100 were to instruct and enrage, so far be it from me to play into their hands by continuing to complain. I already wrote about aspects of this over at Howling Curmudgeons, so I won't get into it too much here. But I will say congratulations to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, who deserve the attention, even if it does come off smelling like a stunt.