Since Friday's release of the much-anticipated movie version of "Watchmen," comics and graphic novel fans everywhere are talking about little else. That conversation has been going on with great intensity online, where a group of seven hardcore "Watchmen" fans known as The Legion of Dudes host a biweekly podcast called "Who Reads the Watchmen."

Two of the Dudes have a local connection. Jim Dietz is the owner of the Gypsy Cafe, an Eastern European/Greek/Italian restaurant on the South Side. Adam Umak is a former Harrison City resident now living in Gettysburg.

Dietz, Umak and their buddies, who are scattered around the state and across the country, connect online by Skype to do the "Watchmen" podcast. Besides Dietz and Umak, the Legion of Dudes are: Dan Ashlin also of Gettysburg; Ken Morgan of Scranton; John Marciante of Long Island, N.Y., Adam Reed of Latonia, Ky.; and Russell Latham of Luling, Texas.

The "Watchmen" story unfolds over a period of time in a parallel world -- one in which Richard Nixon serves five terms as president and where a group of superheroes and vigilantes battle forces far more sinister than masked villains.

Dietz read the comic series when it came out in 1986. Unlike later generations who consumed "Watchmen" in its entirely as a graphic novel, Dietz recalls waiting eagerly for each installment. He was 18 at the time, and it had a major impact on him. "It was so different from anything else that had come out at the time. No other comic had been that literate. No other comic made that much use of visual irony, subtext, foreshadowing. It has the depth a really good novel has, as opposed to a lot of other comics, which are very much surface in plot.

"When that came out, it was a total game change."

Umak had a very different experience. He read "Watchmen" when he was in high school after a teacher suggested it. The same literary qualities that drew Dietz to the series turned him off. "'Watchmen' with me has been a progression. I was overwhelmed. You cannot eat an elephant in one bite."

Later in life, he went back to it and begin to appreciate its complexity. Now, he makes it a tradition to read it once a year. "You continually find some new aspect or new connection you didn't find before." These days, he's an eighth-grade teacher in Frederick County, Md., and "Watchmen" has become a topic in his own classes.

Interviewed days before the movie release, Dietz said he was optimistic that it wouldn't disappoint "Watchmen" fans. "Two comics that changed things forever after were 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns' and 'Watchmen.' Now, 23 years later, the things that are changing the perception of superhero movies are Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" and "Watchmen." I'm hoping this will be a new beginning -- superhero movies that maybe can be taken a little more seriously, that can be literate and smarter than just guys in suits beating up on each other."

"Banded together from remote galaxies are seven of the most sinister podcasters of all-time, the Legion of Dudes, dedicated to a single objective -- the conquest of the universe!" So goes the opening of the "Who Reads the Watchmen" podcast. Maybe they haven't conquered the universe, but they have dissected "Watchmen" in great detail. The "Watchmen" podcast launched in December, with a new episode posting every other Thursday.

The "Watchmen" discussion is a spinoff from a larger online endeavor -- Half Hour Wasted/Legion of Dudes, a Web site with podcasts, discussions and blogs devoted to pop culture, including movies and TV, comics and gaming.

The 15-minute episodes are available through iTunes, through the Half Hour Wasted/Legion of Dudes Web site (www.hhwlod.com) and through the comic fan site Comic Forums (www.thecomicforums.com), where the seven podcasters originally met.

The Legion of Dudes approaches the book from many perspectives, Dietz says. Some are reading it for the first time, and others are longtime "Watchmen" fans. He is the only one who read it in its original serial form.

The audience has "ballooned," Dietz says. "iTunes has really given us a boost. The hype for 'Watchmen' is at a fever pitch right now. We've been averaging 300 or 400 downloads a day."

One highlight was an interview they did with artist/writer Dave Gibbons, who along with Alan Moore created "Watchmen." The interview is posted in episode 12, part 2.

For Umak, the podcast has been a way to give a groundbreaking graphic novel its due. "We've been able to have a conversation about a book that's over 20 years old for the first time with thousands of people."

Dietz, who puts in a 60- to 70-hour work week at his restaurant, says the podcast has been a welcome avocation. "I love what I do, but it's also great to get home and totally shift gears and be able to think about something else that I enjoy."

Tomorrow, they'll post the final chapter in the 'Watchmen' podcast, with their take on the film. But the podcasts won't end: they're moving on to a new comic and a new group of superheroes -- DC Comics' "Kingdom Come."

Dietz hosts a monthly Sunday "Geek Brunch" from noon to 3 p.m. at Gypsy Cafe. Past themes have included old-school video games and DC Comics. Today's will be all about "Watchmen." Space is limited and reservations are required: 412-381-4977.