... in bed this morning, it took me about 2 hours. It takes me about twice that to re-read WATCHMEN. Draw your own conclusions about "decompression" from that. Sure, you get a story you can hold in your hands that reads well in one sitting, but we're definitely losing something in the process.
The actual comic: damned fine, in that it shows a clear path for comics to appeal to new younger audiences. If I was a kid flicking through the comicbook racks at my local 7/11, it'd speak to me. Unlike (for example) Mark Waid's LEGION OF SUPERHEROES, which despite some trappings of modernity, is really just the same old, silver age, same old. So, it'd join the ranks of comics I'd recommend for kids new to the artform, alongside ULTIMATE SPIDERMAN and anything by the great Adam Warren. Now there's a guy who understands the flippant morbidity of teenagers.
And, I'm a fan of the dinky manga format, too. It speaks to the inner librarian in me (i.e. it'd be easier to reshelve than goofy, floppy, standard comic book size trade paperbacks that stick out above and beyond any novels you try and display them with).
Saw the twist coming a mile off, though.