I can see the argument for Watchmen not being a superhero story, although I would argue that there were heroes in it. They were simply flawed like everyone else. In that way they reflect the real world more than a typical superhero story would. There are no people in the real world who could live up to the standards that superheroes adhere to.

I agree with all that....which is why it wasn't a superhero story and most of us starting reading super hero stories. To see something greater than we are.

Joe Zhang wrote: What is a hero, Rance?

Well, ignoring the fact that you are merely asking so that you can refute it, I feel that a hero is someone who puts the needs of others before their own needs. Who will risk their own lives to save the life of another...

Now, it's been a while since I read Watchmen, but I distinctly remember a scene with Silk Spectre and Owlman saving people from a burning building. To me, that is heroic.