It’s a kick in the post-festive balls for comic lovers everywhere (except Alan Moore, who’s probably clapping his ring-heavy hands with joy) as numerous sources are reporting that the Watchmen legal copyright infringement fiasco is set to continue for the foreseeable future. As an everyman moron whose knowledge of legal procedure extends no further than the first episode of Damages, I have been able to comprehend only that 20^th Century Fox’s claim to the book’s copyright has been granted.

While it’s likely that Fox will want to negotiate a settlement with Warner and Paramount, this is unlikely to happen in the immediate future, or indeed any time this year, and looks likely to impede Watchmen’s March release. The worst case scenario is that the film will never see a release, though this is too very unlikely; too much money has been ploughed in the project and its promotion for Warner to decline a compromise.

Still, those disheartened by this news should take consolation in the fact that the Watchmen trade paperback has been in print for almost twenty years. As promising as Zack Snyder’s effort looks, those yet to be exposed to Alan Moore’s magnum opus should head here first. Those funny little squares with the quaint pictures and bubble-framed text are what superheroes were invented for, after all.