I think what people point to is Moore wrote an exhaustive script describing everything to the minute detail. Now, as stupid as that sounds, it also says Dave Gibbons, great as he is, probably could be replaced by Sal Buscema, Don Heck, Tom Grummett, Eduardo Barreto, Mike Grell or John Byrne, or just about any comic book artist with a "clean" style devoid of florish--a workman.

Is WATCHMEN infinitely better if Darwyn Cooke or Michael Cho or, classically, Jack Kirby or John Buscema had produced the art? Well, if the artist is relating Moore's ridiculously dense script, then it's certainly no different except for the style of the figures. And yet it does become something else because of the style of the more "stylistic" artists we can think of. Steve Ditko's WATCHMEN...

I think WATCHMEN benefits from the repetitions Gibbons manages to evoke, visually, in a clean style that makes the symbolism seamless. He's not just an art robot, but Moore made sure Gibbons isn't the star of that product either.

I didn't get offended at the idea SQUADRON SUPREME is compared to WATCHMEN...I didn't even blink, really. SS has a cult status as well, and considering when it was released, it deserves to be mentioned.

Again, WATCHMEN doesn't come close to clobbering my perceptions like the real pinnacles of the medium, for me, such as the "Church of Satan" arc in TOMB OF DRACULA, or John Byrne's FF 236 "Terror in a Tiny Town" or Miller's Daredevil stuff, CONCRETE or Gerber's Man-Thing stories...stories that shoved aside everything I thought a comic book was or could be in ways I wouldn't have imagined before reading them. Thus, WATCHMEN doesn't rate anywhere near them as an evergreen example of the comic book form.

As someone said earlier. Squadron did not recieve much hype or became that big in sales. It has developed a good reputation thru word of mouth alone. I can remember in the mid 90s hearing different people talk about it. I know I hunted for back issues for years. I never found the entire series. I got about 4 and enjoyed them greatly. But could never find  the others. I finally got the trade and was blown away by it.

I enjoyed he over all plot of the Squadron trying to save the planet by ruling it. The sub plots of various Squadron members becoming corrupted along the way. Nighthawk having to comporise his own morals to stop his friends. The Tom Thumb issues where he tries to cure cancer and fails. The second time going against his own morals and still failing. The issue with the Hyperion vs Hyperion fight. The final issue with the brutal finale where nobody really won. I loved it all. I thought it did some big ideas whil still have the sense of wonder super hero comics need.  

Why get mad at Alan Moore?  He's not the guy doing it.

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Im really not. I enjoy a lot of his work. I loved Watchmen, Swamp Thing, Captain Britain. Its a certain segment of the fanbase that put him on this pedastal. Thats a bit annoying at times.

Have you  ever read an Alan Moore script?  It's very meticulous and exhaustive.