Watchmen

Study Guide by Course Hero

narrative voices create a choral or symphonic effect.

What's Inside
TENSE
The events of Watchmen are told in both the past and present
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1 tense.

d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1 ABOUT THE TITLE

Watchmen is derived from the Latin expression, "Quis
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 4 custodiet ipsos custodes?" Attributed to Roman poet Juvenal,
the question commonly translates as "Who watches the
h Characters .................................................................................................. 4
watchmen?" A more accurate translation reads "Who shall
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................ 11 keep watch over the guardians?" In other words, who will keep
the superheroes in check? How much can they be allowed to
c Chapter Summaries .............................................................................. 17 do in the name of the greater good? These questions
permeate Watchmen.
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 40

l Symbols ..................................................................................................... 43

m Themes ...................................................................................................... 44 d In Context

b Motifs .......................................................................................................... 46

e Suggested Reading .............................................................................. 47 Brief History of the Comic

Book
j Book Basics The earliest versions of 19th-century comics were in strip form
and generally found in newspapers. Publishers eventually
AUTHOR realized the money-making potential in compiling old strips into
Alan Moore a book format, and in 1897 the first comic book was published.
The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats, a black-and-white book
YEARS PUBLISHED filled with already-published material, was soon followed by
1986–87 compilations of The Katzenjammer Kids, Buster Brown, and
Mutt & Jeff. The first monthly comic book, again a retread of
GENRE
old black-and-white comics, was published in 1922; the first
Dystopian, Science Fiction
comic book to incorporate the modern comic book layout,
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR Funnies on Parade, followed in 1933.
Watchmen is told primarily from the point of view of a third-
In 1935 National Allied Publications decided to try something
person, omniscient narrator. However, the text also features
different. The company's first-ever comic book, New Fun #1,
first-person and third-person limited narration. The multi-
Watchmen Study Guide
was also the first-ever comic book full of completely original
material. Owner Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson needed more
money to keep his comic book gamble going, and in 1937 he
partnered with two magazine distributors to create Detective
Comics, Inc. Ownership and official names changed over the
years, but Detective Comics, formerly National Allied
Publications, was nicknamed DC Comics before adopting that
as its official name in 1977.
In June 1938 DC Comics changed the industry forever with the
introduction of Superman in Action Comics #1. Created by
author Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster, the
superhuman "man-of-steel" inspired dozens of spin-offs and
knock-offs, including Batman, the Green Lantern, the Flash,
Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel. Secret identities,
skintight costumes, and extraordinary capabilities ushered in
what is known as the Golden Age of Comics, which lasted from
1938 to 1956. Stories about superheroes crushing diabolical
villains were especially popular during World War II, as they
were both patriotic and cheap to ship to soldiers overseas. In
the early 1940s individual issues featuring Superman, Batman,
or Captain Marvel sold more than 1.5 million copies each.
Today individual comic sales top out at around 100,000 copies
for the most popular franchises.
When the war ended, so did the nation's obsession with
superheroes. Romance, crime, Western, and horror titles rose
to popularity, but soon came under fire for "corrupting the
youth of America." Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's 1954 book
Seduction of the Innocent suggested comics were teaching
children terrible values and morals and encouraged parents to
prohibit such reading material. The comics industry hastily
assembled the Comics Code Authority, which developed a
number of guidelines and restrictions about comic content that
same year. Among other things, women had to be drawn
"realistically" and good always had to triumph over evil.
Vampires, ghouls, werewolves, and cannibals were prohibited,
which effectively ended the horror genre. Other genres,
including romance and crime, were impacted as well. With little
else to write about, the industry returned to the superhero.
This time story lines were more silly than sinister and the
campy new characters bordered on the ridiculous.
Realism made a comeback in the 1970s as the Comics Code
Authority rolled back some of its restrictions. A new generation
of writers and illustrators, including Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons,
and Frank Miller, began addressing social issues in their work.
Horror comics were reintroduced, and superheroes of different
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In Context 2
races and gender began appearing on the page. This era,
known as the Bronze Age, was the precursor to the works that
would turn the childish comic book into a "grown-up" literary
staple.
The Graphic Novel
Graphic novels are long-form narratives created in the style of
comic books. The genre gained popularity in the late 1970s,
largely thanks to Will Eisner (1917–2005), dubbed "the father of
the graphic novel." Eisner categorized his acclaimed book A
Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories (1978) as a
graphic novel, calling the term an "adequate euphemism" for a
comic book that deals with "meaningful themes."
Literary and comics scholars often cite Watchmen as another
foundational work of the graphic novel genre, alongside Art
Spiegelman's Maus (1987) and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight
(1986). All three deal with serious themes like morality, fate,
and identity, and are far more sophisticated than the usual
comic fare. Like Eisner's work, this new trio of graphic releases
defied easy categorization and found success outside the
traditional comic book audience. Yet the term graphic novel
rankles Moore. In 2007 he told the London Telegraph, "[t]hat
pompous phrase was thought up by some idiot in the
marketing department of DC [Comics]." He prefers, instead, to
call books of that ilk "Big Expensive Comics."
That's not all Moore was unhappy about. When he and Gibbons
set out to do Watchmen, Moore hoped their gamble on dark
and complex superheroes would encourage other writers and
artists to make their own stories as "technically complex and
ambitious." Instead many were inspired by the book's
dystopian tone. More and more flawed superheroes in dark
universes began to crop up in comic books, and Moore
unwittingly found himself the father of a completely new genre.
That was never what he intended. He began to distance
himself from superheroes and mainstream comics, and, by
2009 after disputes with DC, he all but left comics for good.
The Cold War
The term Cold War describes the nuclear stalemate between
the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II.
Once allies against the Germans, the two nations found
Watchmen Study Guide
themselves at odds when the Soviet Union's Red Army
established left-wing governments in the territories liberated at
the end of the war in 1945. The United States and Great Britain
feared the next step would be the spread of communism; by
1948 that was the case.
The United States had already proved its nuclear capabilities in
the August 1945 bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, intended to end World War II quickly with few
additional American deaths. The Soviets, whose territories and
armies were devastated during World War I, didn't want to risk
military inferiority again. They developed their own nuclear
weapons and detonated their first atomic warhead in 1949. A
struggle for supremacy ensued, and tensions continued to rise
over the next decade. In 1958 the Soviets and Americans
began developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs),
which have a minimum range of 3,400 miles. In 1962 the
Soviets moved some of their ICBM stock to Cuba, where the
missiles easily could be aimed at the United States. The
resulting Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and
the Soviet Union to the brink of war. After the Soviets and the
United States reached an agreement, the Soviets removed the
missiles from Cuba. The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of
1963—which banned nuclear testing in outer space—soon
followed.
Tensions between the two superpowers eased in the 1970s
but ramped up again in the 1980s as both parties began
building their nonnuclear weapons and tried to gain influence in
developing nations. The pages of Watchmen reflect this
struggle for world domination and the ever-present threat of
war.
The Influence of Charlton
Comics
Alan Moore began writing for DC Comics' Swamp Thing in
1983, and not long after began brainstorming story lines for
characters other than the humanoid plant. He had great
success giving an old character new life in the comic
Marvelman, but this time he wanted to resurrect a whole group
of heroes. Moore first considered reviving characters from the
unpopular Sentinels of Justice, a group of crime fighters from
Archie Comics. As Moore visualized it, one of the Sentinels,
named The Shield, would be found dead, and his fellow crime
fighters would have to solve the crime. In his view it didn't really
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In Context 3
matter who the superheroes were as long as the characters
appealed to readers' emotions.
Meanwhile, DC Comics purchased the rights to several
characters from Charlton Comics, a failing comic book
publisher. Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons, who already
had a relationship with DC, proposed using newly acquired
characters like the Question, Captain Atom, The Peacemaker,
and Thunderbolt to tell a story about the perils of power and
the limits of heroism. DC Comics declined—the company
wanted to be able to use their new properties for years to
come, which wouldn't be possible if Moore and Gibbons killed
off some of them and made the others into morally complex
characters who seemed out of place in traditional superhero
stories. Moore and Gibbons loved the story, however, so they
created their own set of superheroes to fill the shoes of the
Charlton characters.
These new characters were inspired by the Charlton originals
but given far more depth and back story. Moore says that
made writing Watchmen a lot easier—he could make the main
characters into anyone he needed them to be. He was also
free to add minor characters and story lines, like the
newsstand regulars and the comic-within-the-comic, The Black
Freighter. These additions allowed Moore to explore themes
beyond the restrictions of a traditional superhero comic book,
which ultimately is what made it stand out from its peers.
Critical and Commercial
Reception
Readers and critics alike identified Watchmen as something
special with the first issue release in 1986. Many praised its
sophisticated story and structure, deemed a departure from
the usual comic-book fare, and the 12-volume series as a whole
won several industry awards: the Jack Kirby Awards for Best
New Series, Best Writer, and Best Writer/Artist, and the Will
Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Finite Series, Best
Graphic Album, Best Writer, and Best Writer/Artist. Science
fiction fans also were quick to praise Moore and Gibbons'
work; in 1988 Watchmen won the Hugo Award from the World
Science Fiction Society, a first for a comic or graphic novel.
While some reviewers praised Moore and Gibbons for
expanding the target demographic of comics, traditionally
stereotyped as kids' or teens' fare, others viewed Watchmen
Watchmen Study Guide
as so "melodramatic" and "hyperbolic" that it would appeal only
to teens and young adults. Other reviewers felt appalled by the
book's graphic violence and "vindictive and sadistic tone."
Despite these reviews, Watchmen has remained a mainstay on
best-seller lists. In 2005 Time magazine named Watchmen one
of the 100 top English-language books published since 1923.
Twenty years after Watchmen was released, DC Comics
ordered another million copies printed to keep up with demand
after its long-anticipated film adaptation went into production.
The film was distributed in 2009 by Warner Brothers.
a Author Biography
Alan Moore was born on November 18, 1953, in Northampton,
England, to working-class parents Sylvia and Ernest Moore. He
lost himself in stories at a young age, delving into Greek and
Norse mythology before discovering American comic books.
Traditional superhero comics became a mainstay when he was
a teenager, but his tastes changed shortly after leaving high
school, when Moore discovered underground comics and the
satirical MAD magazine. Both greatly influenced his desire to
write and illustrate comics of his own.
Moore began his career by publishing poetry and essays in
small, independent magazines. He usually wasn't paid, but he
got valuable experience in meeting deadlines and honing his
creative skills. After trying his hand at drawing weekly comic
strips, Moore soon realized he worked too slowly to make a
living as an illustrator, so he focused all his efforts on writing. In
1980 his first mainstream writing appeared in Doctor Who
Weekly and the British comic anthology 2000 AD. In 1982 he
began to get noticed for his distinct approach to the superhero
genre, when he resurrected the 1954 British superhero
Marvelman (known as Miracleman in the United States). His
work was unusual—not only because Moore was one of the
first to reintroduce a known comic book character, but also
because Moore reimagined the superhero's story to explore
the uneasy relationship between the godlike figure and the
society he is tasked to protect. Often described as "violent"
and "angry," Marvelman wrestles with inner turmoil, giving
depth to a genre once regarded as campy fun for kids and
teens.
Moore continued his examination of heroes' dark sides with V
for Vendetta, a comic about a shadowy, vengeful superhero,
which ran from 1982 to 1986. Early issues caught the eye of
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Author Biography 4
DC Comics executives, who hired Moore to reimagine the
horror title Swamp Thing, originally published in the 1970s.
Moore's version, which came out in 1983, was his first
American publication. That led to the graphic novel Watchmen.
Watchmen was initially conceived as a vehicle for DC's recently
acquired Charlton Comics characters like the Question,
Captain Atom, The Peacemaker, and Thunderbolt. However,
Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons changed tack and created
archetypes that paralleled not only the Charlton characters but
also other well-known superheroes. This approach allowed
them to create a dark commentary on the superhero genre as
a whole. Moore's follow-ups to Watchmen departed from his
usual examination of the superhero psyche: From Hell
(1991–96) looked at the British Empire's decline from the
viewpoint of serial killer Jack the Ripper, who was active in
1888; The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (1999–present)
reimagines characters from classic novels as crime fighters.
Moore's relationship with DC Comics fell apart in 2006 over
royalty disputes and disagreements about a proposed
audience rating system; he severed all ties with the company
and the work he did for it, including Watchmen. He departed
from mainstream comics, and by 2009, he considered himself
"divorced" from the medium as a whole, though he continued
work on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with illustrator
Kevin O'Neill. He has since dedicated himself to film, music,
and prose. His 2016 novel Jerusalem is a 1,300-page tome
about poverty and class in his native Northampton, where he
still lives today.
h Characters
Rorschach
Walter Kovacs was born in 1940 to an unwed mother in New
York City. He was removed from his mother's home at age 13
and took work in a garment factory at 16. In 1964 the highly
publicized murder of a young woman propelled him to become
a masked vigilante. As the crime fighter Rorschach, Kovacs
stopped robberies and apprehended thugs, often alongside
fellow crime fighter Nite Owl. Kovacs became known for
violence during a gruesome kidnapping case—a case that
triggered his decision to become Rorschach full time.
Rorschach is most comfortable in his crime-fighting outfit:
trench coat, gloves, porkpie hat, and black-and-white full-face
Watchmen Study Guide
mask. He continues practicing vigilantism even after the Keene
Act prohibits it. Disgusted by sex and greed and suspicious of
women, Rorschach holds to a right-wing moral code that
prevents him from compromising where the truth is concerned.
Dr. Manhattan
Big, blue, and incredibly naked, Dr. Manhattan is the not-so-
secret weapon in the United States' ongoing nuclear tensions
with Russia. In 1945 after his father convinced him to study
atomic science, a freak accident at Gila Flats in Arizona
obliterated his body but not his conscious mind. He put himself
back together atom by atom and developed the ability to
engage with objects at the atomic level. Unlike humans, Dr.
Manhattan can see all facets of time at once. He knows what's
going to happen before it happens, yet he does nothing to
prevent even the worst events from occurring. This is difficult
for his human friends to understand, but he no longer identifies
as human and is not concerned about morality.
Dan Dreiberg
Dan Dreiberg is obsessed with birds. He studies them
endlessly—particularly owls—and earns extra money writing
the occasional article for ornithology magazines. Dan has
never had a steady career; after his father died, he received a
large inheritance and had no idea what to do with it. That
changed when he approached his childhood hero, Hollis
Mason, about becoming the next Nite Owl. Hollis gave his
blessing, and Dan put his bank account and technological mind
to work, creating an armada of owl-themed gadgets, vehicles,
and costumes. His crime-fighting days ended with the passage
of the Keene Act, but Dan desperately misses being a vigilante.
He comes alive when he's Nite Owl, shedding his shy and
bookish exterior for that of a confident leader, willing to risk
anything for his friends.
Laurie Juspeczyk
Laurie Juspeczyk didn't choose to be a costumed vigilante.
The daughter of Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter) and stepdaughter
of publicist Laurence Schexnayder, she was born into the
business. Her parents divorced when she was young, and
Laurie stayed with her mother. She joined the second
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Characters 5
generation of vigilantes when she was only 16, which is when
she met Dr. Manhattan. They fell in love and moved in together
when she was 20. Laurie wasn't particularly attached to crime
fighting, so she wasn't upset when the Keene Act passed. She
has a hard time empathizing with other vigilantes—she can't
understand why anyone would choose such a complicated,
messy life—and really gets along only with her former and
current boyfriends, Dr. Manhattan and Dan Dreiberg. Though
she hates to admit it, Laurie doesn't really mind fighting crime
again, although the impractical costume definitely has to go.
Adrian Veidt
Orphaned by age 17, genius Adrian Veidt gave away his large
inheritance so he could be a self-made man. He followed in the
footsteps of his hero, Alexander the Great, and traveled the
world, seeking guidance in uniting a divided society. After
returning to the United States, Adrian took on the mantle of
Ozymandias and began fighting crime alongside Dr.
Manhattan, Rorschach, and Nite Owl. He soon realized it
wasn't enough for him, and he retired from vigilantism two
years before the Keene Act passed. Adrian used the good will
he accumulated during the heyday of masked crime fighters to
build a commercial empire. Now extremely wealthy, he can
develop and fund his long-term plan to eradicate the evils
plaguing humankind; this involves killing one co-vigilante,
banishing another, and enlisting help from a gigantic octopus.
Adrian ultimately achieves his goal of world unity, but he alone
feels the weight of every life lost.
The Comedian
Born in 1924, Edward Blake was just a teenager when he
joined the Minutemen as the Comedian. His status within the
group plummeted after he tried to rape Sally Jupiter; although
Sally eventually forgave him, others, like Hollis Mason, never
did. Despite his reputation— or perhaps because of it—the
Comedian continued to do vigilante work after the Minutemen
dissolved. Named for his hunch that the world's governments
were playing one big joke on humanity, the Comedian became
even more disillusioned during the Cold War. He remained
convinced nuclear war with Russia—and therefore the world's
end—was imminent. As his outlook became darker, so did his
appearance. In place of the clownish green costume he wore
with the Minutemen, he began wearing leather pants, American
Watchmen Study Guide Characters 6

flag–inspired sleeves, and a yellow smiley face pin. As a

government employee, he was exempt from the Keene Act,
and he continued fighting crime until his murder in October
1985.

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Watchmen Study Guide Characters 7

Character Map

Mentor

Rorschach
Feared vigilante; does not
identify with his civilian name Former
or identity partners

Hollis Mason
Dan Dreiberg
World War II-era vigilante;
Retired vigilante; feels
enjoys reminiscing about
powerless as a civilian
the old days

New lovers
Co-Minutemen Friends

Laurie Juspeczyk
Retired vigilante; resents
Mother being groomed for the
family business
Sally Jupiter Adrian Veidt
World War II-era vigilante; Retired vigilante; successful
misses being object of desire businessman

Secret
father Former lovers/
partners
Lovers/
enemies

Co-Minutemen The Comedian Dr. Manhattan

Government-sponsored Superbeing; losing touch
vigilante; murdered loner Former with humanity
coworkers

Murderer

Main Character

Other Major Character

Minor Character

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Watchmen Study Guide
Full Character List
Character Description
Rorschach, whose real name is
Walter Kovacs, is a violent vigilante
Rorschach who wears a mask reminiscent of the
ink blots used in Rorschach
psychological tests.
Dr. Manhattan, whose human name is
Jon Osterman, is the product of a
1959 radiation accident. Now
Dr. Manhattan
immortal, he is the primary protector
of the United States during the Cold
War.
Dan Dreiberg, whose alter ego is Nite
Owl, is a technologically minded
Dan Dreiberg ornithologist. He and Rorschach were
partners before the Keene Act was
passed in 1977.
Laurie Juspeczyk, whose alter ego is
Silk Spectre II, is the daughter of Sally
Laurie
Jupiter. Groomed from birth to be a
Juspeczyk
vigilante, she began fighting crime at
16.
Adrian Veidt, whose alter ego is
Ozymandias, is allegedly the smartest
Adrian Veidt man in the world. He thinks bringing
the world to the brink of nuclear
disaster will result in peace.
The Comedian, whose real name is
Edward Blake, began his career as a
masked superhero and then was a
The Comedian government employee during the
Vietnam War. His death at the novel's
start brings the rest of the masked
heroes out of retirement.
Aline Aline is Joey's ex-​girlfriend.
Barney is one of Gerald Grice's
Barney
German shepherds.
Bernard is the news vendor stationed
Bernard outside the Promethean Cab
Company.
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Characters 8
Bernie
Bernie is the teenager who reads The
Black Freighter next to the
newsstand.
Big Figure is a criminal Rorschach put
in jail 20 years ago. When Rorschach
Big Figure
lands in prison, Big Figure is ready for
revenge.
Detective Joe Bourquin is one of the
two detectives who investigate the
Detective Joe
Comedian's murder as well as the
Bourquin
death of Mr. Hirsch and his
daughters.
Roy Victor Chess is the assassin
Roy Victor
hired to kill Adrian Veidt. He dies after
Chess
biting on a cyanide capsule.
The comic book narrator is the
Comic book unnamed main character of The
narrator Black Freighter, the comic book
Bernie reads by the newsstand.
Derf is the most vocal of the "top-
knots," a gang of tough men and
Derf women who wear their hair in buns on
top of their heads. He kills Hollis
Mason.
Derf's girlfriend, also a "top-​knot," is
Derf's girlfriend addicted to KT-​28, or "Katie," a type
of illegal drug.
Dollar Bill is an in-​house superhero
for a national bank. He dies after an
Dollar Bill unfortunate incident involving his
cape, a revolving door, and a criminal
with a gun.
The nameless Doomsday prophet
Doomsday who appears in the first half of the
prophet book is actually Rorschach, who is
not wearing his disguise.
Detective Steven Fine is one of two
detectives who investigates the
Detective
Comedian's murder as well as the
Steven Fine
death of Mr. Hirsch and his
daughters.
Watchmen Study Guide
Forbes, an army intelligence official,
Forbes is Dr. Manhattan's handler during the
televised interview.
Fred is one of Gerald Grice's German
Fred
shepherds.
Professor Milton Glass is Jon
Professor Milton Osterman's boss at Gila Flats. An
Glass excerpt of his essay about Dr.
Manhattan appears after Chapter 4.
Hector Godfrey is the cranky editor
Hector Godfrey
of the New Frontiersman.
The Gordian Knot Lock Company
Gordian Knot
locksmith goes to Dan Dreiberg's
Lock Company
apartment to replace his locks three
locksmith
times after Rorschach breaks in.
Gerald Grice is the man who
kidnapped six-​year-​old Blaire Roche.
Gerald Grice
Rorschach murdered him and his
dogs.
Happy Harry is the owner and
bartender at Happy Harry's, a bar and
Happy Harry
grill Rorschach visits to find out who
killed the Comedian.
Mrs. Hirsch is the wife of the man
who kills himself and his two young
Mrs. Hirsch
daughters because of fear of nuclear
war.
Hooded Justice, the first masked
vigilante in the United States, hides
his homosexuality through a staged
Hooded Justice
relationship with Sally Jupiter. Nelson
Gardner, aka Captain Metropolis, is
his longtime romantic partner.
Joey (full name: Josephine) is a
Joey lesbian cabdriver who works for the
Promethean Cab Company.
The John is the man young Walter
The John
Kovacs sees kissing his mother.
Sally Jupiter, Laurie's mother, was the
original Silk Spectre. She now lives in
Sally Jupiter
an assisted-​living community in
California.
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Characters 9
The Knot Top messenger is the man
Knot Top
at Happy Harry's who tells Dan
messenger
Dreiberg about Hollis Mason's death.
Sylvia Joanna Kovacs, also known as
Sylvia Joanna
Sylvia Glick, is Rorschach's mother
Kovacs
and a prostitute.
Lawrence is one of Big Figure's
Lawrence
bodyguards in prison.
Gloria Long is Dr. Malcolm Long's
Gloria Long wife. She resents her husband's
dedication to helping others.
Dr. Malcolm Long is the
psychoanalyst assigned to
Rorschach after Rorschach's arrest.
Dr. Malcolm
Initially optimistic about his patient's
Long
recovery, he soon takes on
Rorschach's outlook of gloom and
doom.
Hira Manish is one of the artists who
unknowingly designed the octopus-
Hira Manish
like creature that kills millions of New
Yorkers.
Mr. Mason Mr. Mason is Hollis Mason's father.
Hollis Mason is a former police officer
and the original Nite Owl. After
retiring his costume, he writes a
Hollis Mason
memoir about his days as a
superhero and opens an auto repair
shop.
Captain Metropolis (real name:
Nelson Gardner) is one of the original
Captain
Minutemen and the would-​be founder
Metropolis
of the Crimebusters. He is in a secret
relationship with Hooded Justice.
Michael is one of Big Figure's prison
Michael
body guards.
Moloch (real name: Edgar William
Jacobi; aka Edgar William Vaughn,
William Edgar Bright) is a magician
Moloch turned criminal mastermind and the
Comedian's greatest nemesis for
more than 40 years. Rorschach is
framed for his death.
Watchmen Study Guide
Mothman (real name: Byron Lewis)
was one of the Minutemen alongside
Mothman the original Nite Owl and Hooded
Justice. He now lives in a mental
institution.
Fred Motz is a mechanic at Moe
Fred Motz
Vernon's auto repair shop.
Officer Mulhearney is the police
Officer
officer guarding Rorschach in solitary
Mulhearney
confinement.
Richard Nixon, the 37th president of
the United States, is serving his fifth
Richard Nixon
term in 1985 when Watchmen takes
place.
Mr. Osterman is Jon Osterman's
father. He encouraged Jon to give up
Mr. Osterman
watchmaking in favor of atomic
science.
Pyramid The Pyramid Delivery Freight handler
Delivery Freight hired Roy Victor Chess to
handler assassinate Adrian Veidt.
Doug Roth is a writer and editor for
Nova Express, the publication that
Doug Roth
made public the supposed link
between Dr. Manhattan and cancer.
Laurence Laurence (Larry) Schexnayder is
Schexnayder Sally Jupiter's husband and publicist.
Adrian Veidt's secretary is killed by an
Secretary assassin who appears to be gunning
for Veidt.
Seymour is an assistant at the New
Seymour
Frontiersman.
Dolores Shairp is Rorschach's
Mrs. Shairp landlady and a prostitute; she has five
children by five different fathers.
Max Shea is a famous comic-​book
writer. Along with other artists, he has
Max Shea been living in seclusion for two years
while working on what he thinks is an
alien movie.
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Characters 10
The soldier painting the sign on Dr.
Sign-​painting Manhattan's door thinks Dr.
soldier Manhattan is joking when he says
he's going to Mars.
Silhouette, whose real name is Ursula
Zandt, was one of the original
Silhouette Minutemen. She was accused of
lesbianism and kicked out of the
group.
Janey Slater is the former girlfriend of
Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan. She
Janey Slater
leaves him in 1966 after discovering
his affair with Laurie Juspeczyk.
Steve is the blond man who makes
snide comments about Rorschach at
Steve
Happy Harry's bar and then gets his
fingers broken.
The Twilight Lady is a former foe of
Twilight Lady Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl). She had a
crush on him.
Moe Vernon owned the auto repair
Moe Vernon
shop where Mr. Mason worked.
Vietnamese servant #1 works for
Vietnamese Adrian Veidt at his Antarctic lair. A
servant #1 Vietcong refugee, he is killed before
Adrian's final plan is unveiled.
Vietnamese servant #2 works for
Vietnamese Adrian Veidt at his Antarctic lair. A
servant #2 Vietcong refugee, he is killed before
Adrian's final plan is unveiled.
Vietnamese servant #3 works for
Vietnamese Adrian Veidt at his Antarctic lair. A
servant #3 Vietcong refugee, he is killed before
Adrian's final plan is unveiled.
Wally Weaver is Jon Osterman's
Wally Weaver friend/coworker at Gila Flats. He dies
of cancer in 1971.
Watchmen Study Guide Plot Summary 11

understand what he was talking about. Moloch swears he

k Plot Summary knows nothing. Later that day, however, Moloch contacts
Rorschach to set up another meeting. It's a trap: when
Rorschach shows up at Moloch's apartment, Moloch is dead

Keene Act of 1977 from a bullet in the forehead. The police are waiting outside;
they unmask Rorschach and take him to jail.
It is October 1985 in a dystopian United States. The Cold War
is going strong, Richard Nixon is still president, and masked
crime fighters are a thing of the past. Once championed by the Mask Killer
government and the public alike, their existence was outlawed
Rorschach put a lot of people in jail during his decades of
by the (fictional) Keene Act of 1977, which prohibits
vigilantism, and all of them are eager to pay him back for it.
vigilantism—law enforcement undertaken without legal
This panics Dan, Rorschach's former crime-fighting partner
authority—and "costumed adventuring." The United States
and reluctant friend. Dan and Laurie, who has left Dr.
government makes exceptions for Dr. Manhattan, a
Manhattan and moved into Dan's house and bed, don their old
superhuman created during a radiation accident in the 1950s,
costumes and help Rorschach break out of jail. They return to
and the Comedian, a ruthless and seemingly heartless
Dan's house, where Dr. Manhattan is waiting for Laurie. Dr.
mercenary. The Comedian is kept around to fight wars, while
Manhattan takes Laurie to Mars so they can talk about their
Dr. Manhattan's mere presence keeps Russia in check. Dan
relationship and the fate of the world. Dan is crushed, but he
Dreiberg, formerly known as Nite Owl, has retired from
and Rorschach continue with their plan and depart in Dan's owl
vigilantism, as have Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend, Laurie
ship just as the police break down the door. They retrieve
Juspeczyk (formerly known as Silk Spectre II), and business
Rorschach's space costume and "face," and then they hit the
mogul Adrian Veidt (formerly known as Ozymandias), "the
streets to see if they can learn more about the man hired to kill
smartest man in the world." Only Rorschach, a trench
Adrian. At a bar they meet the man who hired the assassin. He
coat–wearing loner disguised by a black-and-white full-face
works for Pyramid Deliveries, and he's scared he's going to be
mask, continues fighting crime.
the next victim.

Armed with this new information, Dan and Rorschach go to

Death of the Comedian Adrian's office, ready to bring him into the fold. He's not there,
so they snoop around, and Dan hacks into his computer. It
Everything changes after the Comedian's brutal murder.
turns out Adrian, whose office is resplendent with ancient
Rorschach notifies his former crime-fighting compatriots about
Egyptian replicas and symbols, owns Pyramid Deliveries. He
the possibility of a "mask killer" on the loose. Dan, Laurie, Dr.
also owns the company whose employees supposedly got
Manhattan, and Adrian aren't convinced the Comedian's crime-
cancer thanks to Dr. Manhattan. They were unknowingly
fighting persona is related to his death, but Rorschach starts
exposed to radiation, which later was blamed on the
his own investigation in the police's shadow. A week later Dr.
superhuman. Dan finds it hard to believe, but he's pretty sure
Manhattan is accused of causing his former lover Janey
Adrian is the "mask killer." He and Rorschach fly the owl ship to
Slater's terminal cancer. After a falling out with Laurie,
Adrian's hideout in Antarctica, stopping briefly so Rorschach
effectively breaking his last tie to Earth, he teleports himself to
can mail a package.
Mars. Two days later Adrian is nearly assassinated in his own
office. The would-be assassin bites down on a cyanide pill
before Adrian can figure out who sent him.
Master Plan for World Peace
Rorschach follows up on a lead with Moloch, a retired criminal
Adrian is not entirely surprised to see his fellow masked men.
and the Comedian's archenemy. Moloch, coincidentally, may be
He easily disarms them and lays out his master plan for world
one of the people who got cancer from Dr. Manhattan. Moloch
peace, which involves a gigantic exploding octopus and the
admits the Comedian came to visit him before his death, but
deaths of millions of people. Dan thinks Adrian is nuts, but it
the Comedian was so drunk and incoherent Moloch couldn't
turns out he's telling the truth. He teleported the octopus to

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Watchmen Study Guide Plot Summary 12

New York 35 minutes ago. Bodies and blood fill the streets
when Laurie and Dr. Manhattan arrive in the city just after
midnight. Dr. Manhattan is having trouble looking into the
future, and he thinks the problem stems from somewhere in
Antarctica, so he teleports himself and Laurie there; soon he
figures out Adrian is behind the disaster and tries to chase him
down, only to be blown to bits by a piece of radioactive
machinery. He puts himself back together moments later.

News broadcasts from around the world reinforce what Adrian

tried to tell everyone: he did what he did for the world's greater
good. Warring countries are standing down, and a peace
summit is in the works. Most of the superheroes agree it's best
to keep the truth behind the "alien invasion" a secret.
Rorschach dissents, believing people deserve to know the
truth. Because of this Dr. Manhattan kills Rorschach; then he
leaves the galaxy. Dan and Laurie start a new life together.
Adrian isn't seen again. In a small newsroom in a recently
rebuilt New York City, an editorial assistant reaches for
Rorschach's journal.

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Watchmen Study Guide Plot Summary 13

Plot Diagram

Climax

11

10
12
9
Falling Action

Rising Action 8
13
7

6 14
5
15
4
Resolution
3

2
1

Introduction

9. Adrian Veidt kills his assistants.

Introduction
10. Dan and Rorschach confront Veidt at his Antarctic lair.

1. Edward Blake, aka the Comedian, is murdered.

Climax

Rising Action 11. A gigantic octopus lands in New York City, killing millions.

2. Flashback: The Comedian tries to rape Silk Spectre.

3. Dr. Manhattan leaves Earth; Russia invades Afghanistan.

Falling Action
4. Rorschach is arrested and unmasked.
12. Dr. Manhattan and Laurie arrive in Antarctica.
5. Flashback: Rorschach kills two dogs and a kidnapper.
13. All except Rorschach agree Veidt's plan was for the best.
6. Dan and Laurie help Rorschach break out of prison.
14. Dr. Manhattan kills Rorschach.
7. Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl, is murdered.

8. Laurie realizes the Comedian is her biological father.

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Watchmen Study Guide Plot Summary 14

Resolution

15. Dan and Laurie assume new identities and leave town.

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Watchmen Study Guide Plot Summary 15

Timeline of Events

Fall 1939

Masked vigilantes join to form the Minutemen, a

cooperative crime-fighting group.

1940

The Comedian (Edward Blake) tries to rape Sally Jupiter

(Silk Spectre).

1949

The Minutemen disband; Laurie Juspeczyk is born.

1959

A near-fatal blast of radiation turns Jon Osterman into

Dr. Manhattan.

March 1964

Kitty Genovese's murder inspires Walter Kovacs to

become the vigilante Rorschach.

1966

The first meeting of the Crimebusters, organized by

Captain Metropolis, is a failure.

1971

Dr. Manhattan ends the Vietnam War.

1975

Adrian Veidt reveals himself to be the man behind

Ozymandias and retires.

1977

The Keene Act is passed, prohibiting citizen vigilantism.

October 12, 1985

The Comedian is murdered. Rorschach alerts his former

colleagues about a "mask killer."

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Watchmen Study Guide Plot Summary 16

October 19, 1985

Laurie leaves Dr. Manhattan.

Later that night

After a live TV interview gone awry, Dr. Manhattan

escapes to Mars.

October 21, 1985

An assassin kills Adrian Veidt's secretary but fails to kill

Veidt himself.

October 21, 1985

Rorscharch is framed for Moloch's murder and is

subsequently arrested.

October 31, 1985

Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl) and Laurie Juspeczyk (Silk

Spectre II) help Rorschach break out of jail.

Later that night

Laurie goes to Mars with Dr. Manhattan; Dan and

Rorschach go into hiding.

November 1, 1985

Having connected Adrian Veidt to the murders, Dan and

Rorscharch fly to his Antarctic lair.

Later that night

A gigantic, alien-like octopus descends on New York

City, killing more than three million people.

November 2, 1985

Dr. Manhattan kills Rorschach after he threatens to tell

the world what really happened.

December 25, 1985

Seymour, an assistant at the New Frontiersman, finds

Rorschach's journal in the crank pile.

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Watchmen Study Guide
c Chapter Summaries
This study guide analyzes Watchmen as presented in a
compilation of all 12 original volumes. The main storyline is
divided into 12 chapters as determined by the original comic
books. The found documents—essays, book excerpts,
newspaper clippings, and photographs—each have their own
sections of analysis following the related chapter.
Chapter 1
Summary
Watchmen opens on October 12, 1985, in a dystopian New
York City where Richard Nixon has claimed a fifth term as
president of the United States and the fear of nuclear war with
Russia looms large. Chapter 1 begins with an entry from the
journal of Rorschach, a masked crime fighter. He is
disillusioned with New York, where "the streets are extended
gutters and the gutters are full of blood." The art shows blood
streaming into a sewer grate. A circular yellow smiley face,
blood splattered over one eye, rests in the viscous liquid.
Above, in an apartment building, two detectives investigate the
death of Edward Blake. Someone threw Blake over his
balcony. Without any leads, the detectives decide to keep
investigating in private to avoid attracting any "masked
avengers" who might want to solve the case themselves.
Although the Keene Act of 1977 prohibits vigilante justice,
Detective Steven Fine worries about Rorschach, whom he
describes as "crazier than a snake's armpit and wanted on two
counts murder one."
Hours later Rorschach does some investigating of his own. He
uses a grappling hook to hoist himself into Blake's apartment
and discovers a secret closet-within-a-closet. In it he finds a
complete crime-fighting costume and an old photograph of a
group of masked superheroes.
In another part of town, Hollis Mason and Dan Dreiberg share a
few beers and trade stories about the old days. Hollis was the
original Nite Owl, a masked crime fighter; Dan picked up the
persona after Hollis retired. Dan heads home through the dark
and graffiti-covered New York City streets to find Rorschach
sitting at his kitchen table. Rorschach tells him the Comedian,
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Chapter Summaries 17
aka Edward Blake, has been murdered. Dan wonders if the
Comedian's death was a "political killing," but Rorschach
suspects someone is murdering "costumed heroes." Dan is
visibly shaken after Rorschach leaves.
After stopping at a local bar and grill to see if anyone knows
anything about the Comedian's murder, Rorschach visits
Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias, "the world's smartest
man"—and one of the wealthiest. Veidt cashed in on his alter
ego with posters, diet books, and action figures after his
retirement in 1975. Rorschach calls him a "prostitute."
Nevertheless, he warns Veidt about a potential "mask killer" on
the loose. Then Rorschach heads to Rockefeller Military
Research Center to visit Dr. Manhattan and his partner, Laurie
Juspeczyk, aka Silk Spectre II. Laurie isn't upset by the
Comedian's death, as he once tried to rape her mother, but she
is upset by Rorschach's attitude. Dr. Manhattan teleports
Rorschach out of the building.
Laurie calls Dan to see if he wants to grab some dinner. Dr.
Manhattan—whom Laurie calls "Jon," per his name prior to his
radiation accident—stays behind to continue his work. After a
nice dinner, Laurie and Dan reminisce about the old days and
agree "the Keene Act was the best thing that ever happened to
[them]." The chapter ends with a lyric from Bob Dylan's song
"Desolation Row."
Analysis
Watchmen takes place in a dystopian universe. As in most
dystopian settings, the situation is bleak. People are unhappy,
the government is too powerful, and the future looks dismal.
Yet this version of the world isn't too far off from the reality of
1985. Moore demonstrates how a few small changes in the
outcome of important historical events can send a thriving
nation into a tailspin. For example, in reality the United States
was unable to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam and
effectively lost the Vietnam War. In Watchmen the United
States came out victorious and adopted Vietnam as its 51st
state. In reality President Richard Nixon resigned from office in
1974 in the midst of the Watergate scandal. In Watchmen
Nixon is a hero thanks to his successful navigation of the war.
This leads to the revocation of the law prohibiting presidents
from serving more than two terms, which is why Nixon is
serving his fifth term when the story begins in 1985. This "new"
universe is familiar but slightly off-kilter, which enhances the
already-tense tone of the book.
Watchmen Study Guide
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to a large cast of major
characters, including Laurie, Dan, Dr. Manhattan, Adrian, and
Rorschach. Though the first four are important to the plot and
themes, Rorschach alone is the book's protagonist: Rorschach
is the cause of action and propels the plot forward. He is the
first to learn about the Comedian's death, and he is the only
one with any inclination to investigate it. When other
characters, such as Dan and Laurie, begin to take on more
active roles later in the story, they are responding to things
Rorschach has already done. He is the leader.
From the outset it is apparent Rorschach isn't like his fellow
vigilantes. For one thing he's the only one of them who still
goes by his crime-fighting name. His former partner, Dan,
doesn't even seem to know his real name. Rorschach is also
the only character still actively practicing vigilantism despite
the passage of the Keene Act. Even before the subject is
explicitly introduced in Chapter 6, it is clear Rorschach
identifies more with his masked alter ego than with his
"regular" personality. That's one reason Rorschach can't let go
of the Comedian's death. When he's in vigilante mode, he
focuses on making sure justice is served. Because he identifies
only as Rorschach, he is always in vigilante-mode. He can't turn
it off. He may not have liked the Comedian, and he knows
millions more lives are in peril as tensions between the United
States and Russia worsen, but "evil must be punished. Even in
the face of Armageddon." He is propelled by an insatiable need
for justice.
The desire for justice is unwavering in Watchmen, but morality
is subjective. The five major characters have wildly varying
ideas about right and wrong. Laurie, for example, hates the
Comedian because he attempted to rape her mother. She
thinks that makes him a bad person, and she doesn't care that
he's dead. Yet Rorschach thinks the Comedian simply may
have had a "moral lapse" in judgment. That's somewhat odd,
considering Rorschach's utter disdain for what he deems the
sexually promiscuous, murderous, and filthy population of New
York. Perhaps Rorschach is hesitant to judge the Comedian for
his moral failings because Rorschach, an admitted murderer,
has so many of his own.
The detailed illustrations in Watchmen are important to
understanding the nuances of the plot and its characters. Filled
with symbolism, foreshadowing, and small but significant
details, they are just as vital in the storytelling process as the
text itself. Author Alan Moore was very specific in his
instructions to illustrator Dave Gibbons, and every detail in
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Chapter Summaries 18
every frame is there for a reason. For example, the sign
outside Hollis Mason's house/auto repair shop reads "Obsolete
Models a Specialty." This sign isn't just about cars—it's also
about Hollis and his crime-fighting friends. Hollis and Dan both
feel obsolete after the passage of the Keene Act. They miss
the old days, as is evidenced by their weekly meetings to
reminisce. Dan's longing for the past is evident during his
dinner date with Laurie as well. Although they both swear the
Keene Act was a good thing, the wistful look on Laurie's face
and the morose look on Dan's suggest the opposite. Their
body language contradicts their words, strongly hinting Dan
and Laurie aren't as content as they wish to appear.
The quotes at the end of each chapter of Watchmen
encapsulate the tone of the previous pages and serve as a
snapshot of the chapter's major plot points and themes. The
first chapter's quote, a lyric from "Desolation Row" by Bob
Dylan, relates to the idea of vigilantes protecting the
inhabitants and visitors of a squalid, undesirable area of town
from the straight-laced moral authority. In his preface to the
2014 edition of Watchmen, illustrator Dave Gibbons says the
song was, for him, "the spark that would one day ignite
Watchmen." The title of Chapter 1, "At Midnight, All the Agents
..." comes directly from the excerpted lyric, a practice which is
continued throughout the book.
Under the Hood (Chapters 1
and 2)
Summary
Chapter 1
Former Nite Owl Hollis Mason wrote an autobiography after his
retirement from vigilantism in 1962. Under the Hood begins with
the saddest thing Hollis knows: the song "The Ride of the
Valkyries," part of German composer Richard Wagner's opera
cycle The Ring of the Nibelungs.
Moe Vernon, the rough-and-tumble owner of the auto repair
shop where Hollis's father worked, was listening to this music
the day he announced that the head mechanic, Fred Motz, was
sleeping with Moe's wife. Everyone laughed hysterically when
Watchmen Study Guide
he said it; Moe had forgotten he was wearing "an artificial foam
rubber set of realistically painted lady's bosoms," something he
put on to make the mailman laugh. That night Moe committed
suicide. Hollis laughed along with everyone else that day, but
34 years later he knows what it's like to stand there "dressed in
something just as strange, with tears in my eyes while people
died laughing."
Chapter 2
Hollis became a police officer when he was 23. He was
influenced by his grandfather, a Montana farmer, who felt cities
"were just cesspools into which all the world's dishonesty ...
greed ... lust, and godlessness drained." Hollis often saw New
York City through his grandfather's eyes and through the lens
of his favorite "pulp adventure fiction," which championed high
morals and justice for evildoers. Hollis used to borrow ACTION
COMICS from the kids on his beat, and he loved reading about
Superman. He spent his days pacing the city, fantasizing about
the life of a superhero.
Superman made his debut in 1938, and a real-life vigilante
followed that same year. A masked man wearing a cape and a
noose around his neck interrupted two robberies and scared
the criminals into submission with his fists. The newspapers
nicknamed the unidentified man "Hooded Justice." He was the
first known masked vigilante in the United States. Hollis
planned to become the second.
Analysis
Watchmen is a comic book about superheroes, so it's fitting
one of its characters was influenced by a comic book about
superheroes. Superman's introduction was a major departure
from the "darkness and ambiguity" of pulp novels, which were
published from 1896 through the 1950s and were at their
height of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. "Pulps," named for
the low-quality, ragged-edged paper on which they were
printed, were known for their sensational, sometimes grisly
stories, often accompanied by racy cover art. Popular pulp
characters like the Shadow, Doc Savage, and the Phantom
Detective may have lacked Superman's squeaky-clean image,
but, in Hollis's mind, they made up for it with their strong moral
codes. In the pulps good was good and bad was bad—there
was no in-between. The satisfaction of righting wrongs
attracted him to police work just as it attracted him to pulp
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Chapter Summaries 19
novels and comic books. Hollis believes those who fight crime
are good and those who commit crimes are bad. As in his
favorite stories, there are no in-betweens.
Hollis tells the story about Moe Vernon's subsequent suicide
not only to gain the reader's sympathy, as he suggests at the
beginning of Chapter 1, but also to let readers know a life of
heroism isn't necessarily a happy one. Hollis has known the
humiliation of being laughed at for trying to make other people
happy, and he knows the loneliness of a life spent hiding
behind a crazy outfit. This portrayal of a "superhero" is very
different from what audiences were used to seeing in the
mid-1980s. Earlier stories about caped and masked crusaders
were mostly fun and exciting adventures written for children
and teenagers. Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, a four-
issue Batman miniseries written by Frank Miller, are largely
considered to have set the tone for the serious, often angst-
filled portrayals of heroes. In Watchmen author Alan Moore
turned the traditional superhero trope on its head by showing
the darkness and light in each of his characters. Even Hollis,
the epitome of virtue and honor in the name of justice, isn't
immune to the insecurities and missteps that plague us all.
Chapter 2
Summary
Laurie Juspeczyk is in California visiting her mother, Sally
Jupiter, the original Silk Spectre, who lives in an assisted-living
community. Laurie tries to hide the fact that Dr. Manhattan is at
the Comedian's funeral, but Sally knows all about it from
reading the newspaper. Laurie can't understand why her
mother doesn't hate the Comedian for trying to rape her years
earlier; Sally says, "[Y]ou're young. You don't know. Things
change." She shows Laurie old "Tijuana Bibles," or
pornographic comics from the 1930s and 1940s, of which she
is the subject. Laurie is disgusted, but Sally finds them
flattering.
The panels about Sally and Laurie are interspersed with
scenes from the Comedian's funeral in New York. Dr.
Manhattan, Dan Dreiberg, Adrian Veidt, and a retired villain
named Moloch all attend. Their thoughts are shown as
flashbacks, presented in chronological order.
1940s: The Comedian makes unwanted sexual advances
Watchmen Study Guide
toward Sally. She fights him, but she's not strong enough to
ward off his punches and kicks. Hooded Justice walks in
and beats up the Comedian, who makes a snide comment
about Hooded Justice's sexual proclivities.
Circa 1966: Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt) is at the first
meeting of the Crimebusters, which includes Dr. Manhattan,
Silk Spectre II (Laurie), Captain Metropolis, Rorschach, and
the Comedian. Captain Metropolis is eager to create an
organized group of masked crime fighters, the first since
the Minutemen disbanded in 1949. The Comedian doesn't
see the point because "inside 30 years the nukes are gonna
be flyin' like maybugs." The meeting unravels.
Early 1970s: The United States has won the Vietnam War. In
a Vietnamese bar, Dr. Manhattan looks on as a visibly
pregnant Vietnamese woman tells the Comedian he can't
just walk away from his unborn child. She smashes a bottle
in his face, and he shoots her. Dr. Manhattan reprimands the
Comedian, who points out that Dr. Manhattan didn't do
anything to stop him. "You don't really give a damn about
human beings," he tells the perplexed blue superhuman.
1976: Nite Owl (Dan Dreiberg) and the Comedian are
holding off a horde of New Yorkers who appear to be rioting
against the superheroes themselves. The Comedian tells
Nite Owl he's heard rumors about a new law on the horizon,
but until then they are "society's only protection." Nite Owl
asks who, exactly, they're protecting the citizens from.
"From themselves," the Comedian says.
1985: A week before his death, the Comedian breaks into
the apartment of Moloch, his former nemesis. Drunk and
crying, he rants about a "joke" gone too far. The Comedian
goes on and on about how the bad things he's done are
nothing like what's coming. He mentions a mysterious island
and artists and scientists, but Moloch has no idea what he's
talking about.
After scaring Moloch into sharing the final flashback,
Rorschach goes to the Comedian's gravestone. He ruminates
on the violent ends that come to those who practice violence.
The chapter ends with a lyric from Elvis Costello's song "The
Comedians."
Analysis
Chapter 2's flashbacks show the lack of camaraderie between
the masked vigilantes of the 1930s, '40s, and '60s. They work
as individuals or pairs rather than as a cohesive unit. This is
particularly true for the Comedian, one of two vigilantes who
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Chapter Summaries 20
were members of the Minutemen and the would-be
Crimebusters. In this chapter, the only time the reader sees
him attempt to connect with another vigilante is when he tries
to rape Sally. He wants her body, not her companionship or
professional partnership. He refuses to join the Crimebusters
not only because he thinks nuclear war is imminent but
because he doesn't think his fellow crime fighters are capable
of handling America's problems. The Comedian doesn't trust
any of the other vigilantes, even Dr. Manhattan, whom he
suspects is losing touch with humanity and becoming a "flake."
So, when he comes across terrifying information about the
future of the United States, he doesn't turn to the "good
guys"—he goes straight to his former enemy, Moloch, who is so
ill he can't do anything.
What the Comedian has always predicted—the end of the
world—appears finally to be coming to fruition. Although he's
terrified of the future, he doesn't do anything to stop it. This,
coupled with his insistence there's no use fighting small-time
crooks and thugs when nuclear war could happen any day, is
evidence of his fatalistic outlook on life. Fatalism is the
philosophical idea that some things, like social inequality and
war, are preordained and therefore unchangeable by humans.
The Comedian sees no point in working together to quell
societal disruptions since nuclear war is going to end the world
anyway. Likewise, he has little use for meaningful personal
connections with those engaged in the same line of work. He
feels the greatest connection to the man he spent so much of
his career chasing; he identifies more with criminals than with
heroes.
This brings up questions readers might ask throughout
Watchmen: What makes a hero? Who decides who is good and
who is bad? The Comedian is characterized as one of the
"good guys" because he fights "bad guys" for the U.S.
government. That doesn't necessarily make him a good person.
He revels in riots and takes great pleasure in killing people in
Vietnam. He even kills his girlfriend and their unborn baby
without a second thought. Though he is technically a hero, he's
also depicted as morally corrupt. The Comedian helps further
the novel's theme of flawed heroes, a response to the moral
superiority and unattainable perfection of comic book heroes
before the mid-1980s.
One of Watchmen's most important graphic elements is the
yellow smiley face, which the Comedian pins to the left
shoulder of his costume. It first appears in the flashbacks
about Vietnam, and it eventually comes to represent the
Watchmen Study Guide
Comedian's belief that world politics are just one big
unpleasant joke. The little yellow smiley face was created in
1963 by graphic designer Harvey Ross Ball, who made it for
the State Mutual Life Assurance Company, which used it in
morale-boosting ads targeted toward its employees. The icon
didn't become widely recognized until 1971, when the owners of
a Philadelphia Hallmark store added the words Have a Happy
Day to the image. More than 50 million buttons were sold that
year. Even American soldiers on the ground in Vietnam wore
the pins, albeit with irony. The Comedian adopts the symbol as
a pointed jab against a society that championed optimism
during some of the darkest times in global history.
Under the Hood (Chapters 3
and 4)
Summary
Chapter 3
After bulking up at the Police Gymnasium and crafting himself
a costume, Nite Owl hit the streets for the first time in early
1939. Other costumed vigilantes soon followed, including the
Silhouette, Mothman, the Comedian, Silk Spectre, and Dollar
Bill. Hollis has a few theories about why this assorted group of
characters became vigilantes—some wanted publicity, some
did it for adventure, and some did it for "a kind of excitement
that was altogether more adult. " Some were racist, some
admired Hitler, and some were legally insane. But they all had
one thing in common: they wanted to make America "a safer
and better place to live in." The public didn't really notice their
quirks when they worked independently. That changed when
they began working together.
Chapter 4
The Minutemen group was set up in 1939 by Sally Jupiter's
publicist—and later husband—Laurence Schexnayder. The
group got along well for the first few months, but then things
started falling apart. The Comedian was kicked out in 1940 for
attempting to rape Sally. In 1946 the Silhouette was kicked out
of the group after it was learned she was a lesbian. Sally
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Chapter Summaries 21
married in 1947 and left crime fighting for good when her
daughter, Laurie, was born two years later. With "nobody
interesting left to fight, nothing notable to talk about," the
group faded into obscurity. Yet, according to Hollis, "[t]he
damage had already been done."
Analysis
Hollis doesn't explicitly say what "damage" he thinks was done
by the formation of the Minutemen, but it's clear he thinks the
lasting results of vigilantism are less than desirable. His
description of the assorted "superheroes" and their
involvement with the group indicates they weren't exactly well
suited for a life of crime fighting. Hollis was the only one with
any known law enforcement experience; Captain Metropolis
was a Marine, Dollar Bill was a college athlete, Hooded Justice
was rumored to be a wrestler, and Silk Spectre was a model.
Most got into the crime-fighting business for reasons that were
anything but altruistic.
This is particularly true for Sally, who publicized herself as a
vigilante to further her modeling career. In all the
"photographs" depicting her as Silk Spectre, she never wears a
mask over her face. She wanted people to know who she was,
so she never tried to hide her face or identity. She adored the
attention that came with crime fighting, even if her admirers
focused on how she looked rather than how she handled
herself in battle. This is evident in Chapter 2 when she shows
Laurie the "Tijuana Bible," or sex comic, about her alter ego.
Sally cared for more publicity than she did about protecting the
streets from thugs and crooks. This is a sharp contrast to
Hollis, who really wanted to fight crime without anyone
knowing his real identity. That's not to say he gained nothing
from vigilantism. He loved the adventure and the satisfaction of
righting the world's wrongs. But he focused on making the
world a better place; Sally focused on herself. If others were
even half as self-centered as Sally, it would explain why the
Minutemen experiment was ultimately, as Hollis sees it, a
failure.
Chapter 3
Watchmen Study Guide
Summary
A white news vendor pontificates on the state of the world
while a black teenage boy sits on the ground and reads a
comic book, The Black Freighter. The Doomsday Prophet buys
his daily New Frontiersman and tells the news vendor today will
be the end of the world.
At the government research facility, Laurie Juspeczyk and Dr.
Manhattan are making love when she realizes he has cloned
himself. Two Dr. Manhattans are in the room with her, and one
is working in the next room. Dr. Manhattan tries to explain
himself by saying he doesn't know what "stimulates" her
anymore, but she is far angrier about his inability to give her his
undivided attention than his bedroom games. She leaves in a
rage. Meanwhile, Dr. Manhattan's former lover, Janey Slater, is
being interviewed by a reporter from the Nova Express. She is
going public with her terminal cancer, which she believes Dr.
Manhattan caused.
Laurie goes to Dan Dreiberg's house just as a locksmith is
finishing the installation of a new lock. She tells him she left Dr.
Manhattan. Dan tries to console Laurie, but she doesn't want to
wallow in her unhappiness. She walks him to Hollis Mason's
house. On the way, they are cornered in an alley by a group of
knife-wielding thugs. Laurie and Dan make quick work of
fighting them off, then go their separate ways. When Dan
arrives at Hollis's house, he learns Dr. Manhattan went ballistic
during a live television interview that evening.
Dr. Manhattan's meltdown was sparked by Doug Roth from
Nova Express, who insinuates Dr. Manhattan is responsible for
the cancer that killed or is killing his associates, including
Moloch and Janey. Dr. Manhattan is blindsided; he had no idea
Janey was ill. An army intelligence official tries to abort the
interview, but the mob of reporters won't give up. Dr.
Manhattan teleports everyone and everything out of the
television studio, even the TV cameras. After a quick visit to the
research facility, where he sees a soldier painting a radiation
warning on his door, Dr. Manhattan teleports himself to Mars
by way of Arizona.
The next day Laurie goes to the research facility, where she is
accused of putting Dr. Manhattan under the "emotional stress"
that led to his departure. Meanwhile, Rorschach breaks into
Dan's apartment and wakes him up with a newspaper and the
news of Dr. Manhattan's disappearance. "Two of us gone. All
within a week," Rorschach says. Back at the news kiosk, the
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Chapter Summaries 22
news vendor receives a new shipment of newspapers with the
headline "Russians Invade Afghanistan." He tells the teenager
to take The Black Freighter, which he's been reading for two
days, and gives him the hat off his head. "I mean, we all gotta
look out for each other, don't we?" he asks as the kid edges
away.
In Washington, DC, President Nixon and his advisors study
various nuclear war scenarios, each worse than the last. On
Mars Dr. Manhattan looks at old photographs of himself with
Janey. The chapter ends with a quotation from the book of
Genesis: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
Analysis
Important graphic details foreshadowing future events are
peppered throughout the pages of Watchmen, and two on the
first page of Chapter 3 should be explicitly noted. The first is
the blue poster featuring the face of a blond man. It reads
"Missing Writer." The whereabouts of missing writer Max Shea
are discussed tangentially by the news vendor and various
television reporters throughout the rest of the novel. The
reader doesn't yet know what role Shea will play in the book's
plot, but his frequent mentions are no accident. Whatever
leads Rorschach is chasing will somehow intersect with Shea.
The second important detail on the first page is the back cover
of The Black Freighter, which contains an ad for "The Veidt
Method." The Veidt Method's details haven't yet been
explained, but the method itself is of little importance. What
really matters is the word Veidt. The Veidt Method was devised
by business mogul and retired vigilante Adrian Veidt. The ad
appears in this scene to demonstrate Veidt's vast influence. He
appears in only a handful of chapters, but his many product
lines (including Nostalgia perfume, which is also advertised in
this chapter) make his presence felt throughout.
The comic-within-the-comic, The Black Freighter, is also a
constant presence in the novel. It tells the story of a lone
shipwreck survivor who is chased by a band of bloodthirsty
pirates. Watchmen and The Black Freighter tell different stories
in different genres, but Moore parallels events in the two
comics. For example, the teenager is reading a passage in the
comic about how "[t]he freighter's murderous onslaught had
surprised [them]" when new issues of Nova Express arrive.
The cover story accuses Dr. Manhattan of causing cancer in
his friends and acquaintances. It, too, is extremely surprising.
Moore uses passages from The Black Freighter to increase the
Watchmen Study Guide
tension the reader feels as the plot of Watchmen advances.
The Black Freighter's narrator brings to mind another
character searching for something at sea: Captain Ahab of
Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick. Moore and
illustrator Dave Gibbons were both inspired by the novel, in
which Captain Ahab undertakes a relentless hunt for a huge
and evil white whale; Moore once said he hoped Watchmen
would become "the Moby Dick of comics." There are several
other allusions, or indirect references to people, places, things,
or ideas, throughout the book's 12 chapters and realia sections.
In Chapter 3 these include the following:
Nova Express, the liberal newspaper that breaks the story
about Janey Slater's cancer, is also the name of William S.
Burroughs's 1964 science fiction novel about the concept of
control and how language shapes it; the Nova Express
newspaper in Watchmen controls society's views through
language.
The Gordian Knot Lock Company, which Dan Dreiberg
keeps hiring to replace his broken locks, is named for an
ancient legend. In 333 BCE, Macedonian conqueror
Alexander the Great came upon a wagon once owned by
King Midas's father, Gordius. The wagon's yoke was tied
with a mass of complex knots. Alexander was desperate to
untie the knot, but it didn't budge, so he grabbed his sword
and cut it in half. Using the Gordian Knot Lock Company
isn't Dan's best idea—the company's name implies its locks
can be opened. Like Alexander, Rorschach doesn't care
how he gets into Dan's apartment—he just does it.
The chapter's ending quote from Genesis 18:25 is in reference
to Dr. Manhattan. As a superhuman with the ability to alter
atomic structure, he is the closest thing to a god on Earth. It is
he who is the final judge of humankind—he alone has the
power to decide whether humans live or die. Dr. Manhattan
isn't entirely in touch with the morals of humanity, but he does
do what he believes to be "right" according to logic. Until Doug
Roth's pointed questions on national television, Dr. Manhattan
believed he was doing the right thing by staying on Earth so as
to protect it from its inhabitants. Now he worries that his
presence has been more harmful than good, which has him
questioning everything about his existence. This is explored
further in the next chapter.
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Chapter Summaries 23
Under the Hood (Chapter 5)
Summary
The 1950s were difficult for the remaining Minutemen.
Costumed criminals were a thing of the past, and according to
Hollis, it was "always sort of embarrassing" to be the only one
dressed like a trick-or-treater when everyone else was wearing
normal clothing. The new class of criminals wore business suits
and "just weren't as much fun to fight." Even the cases Hollis
investigated for the police force seemed more depressing than
before. It seemed as if a gloom had settled over the decade.
This was only exacerbated by the House Un-American
Activities Committee, which forced the remaining vigilantes to
reveal their identities to prove they weren't communists.
The 1960s were no less problematic. This was the decade in
which Dr. Manhattan was introduced to the world, suddenly
making all other crime fighters seem obsolete. A new
generation of masked vigilantes was coming to the forefront,
and Hollis knew it was time to hang up the mask. He retired to
go back to his first love, repairing cars. A longtime fan took
over the Nite Owl name, and thanks to Ozymandias, the
Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, and the new Nite Owl, costumed
vigilantism continued "[f]or better, or for worse."
Analysis
Hollis's relationship with crime fighting follows the emotional
and social highs and lows of his generation. In 1939 when he
became Nite Owl, he was just 23 years old, and the idea of
secretly defending the city at night felt dangerous and thrilling.
Being part of the Minutemen gave him a group of friends who
not only understood his line of work—they lived it. Hollis didn't
have to feel weird about what he was doing because there
were others just like him, and he was friends with all of them.
The post–World War II years were the height of Hollis's crime-
fighting experience. "We felt we'd taken the worst the 20th
century could throw at us," he writes, and the group didn't
merely survive—it thrived. Hollis had just turned 30 at the war's
end, and he was in the prime of his life. As he continued to age,
however, he began to feel out of place. The times were
changing. It wasn't only the criminals; American culture itself
was changing. Rock and roll became popular, skirts shortened,
and women and minorities began organizing against
Watchmen Study Guide
oppression. This was not the world Hollis knew, nor the world
he fought to save during the war years.
By the end of the 1950s, the remaining Minutemen were relics
of a bygone era. In some ways Dr. Manhattan rendered
vigilantism completely unnecessary. His introduction in 1960
ultimately pushed Hollis into retirement. Dr. Manhattan wasn't
just a crime fighter; he had the abilities to be a crime ender.
What was an aging police officer in an owl costume doing
beside someone who could make weapons—and people—
literally disappear? Even the next group of "regular" masked
vigilantes was better suited to modern crime fighting than
Hollis was. Dan Dreiberg had gadgets and the money with
which to design them; Adrian Veidt had the intelligence of an
entire think tank. Hollis had only his fists and his morals; those
weren't enough to keep him from becoming obsolete. Now in
his mid-40s, Hollis found himself in the same position as the
rest of his generation, standing on the sidelines and watching a
younger generation take over.
Chapter 4
Summary
On Mars Dr. Manhattan thinks about his life thus far. Since he
is not constrained by time or space, he doesn't have memories;
instead he experiences past, present, and future at the same
time. Therefore, his life story isn't always presented in
chronological order (although it is here).
In 1945 high school student Jon Osterman wants to be a
watchmaker like his father. When the atomic bomb is dropped
on Hiroshima, Mr. Osterman insists watchmaking is an
"obsolete trade." He tells Jon to study atomic science instead.
Jon does and eventually gets a government job at Gila Flats, an
atomic research facility in Arizona. There he meets Wally
Weaver, a department assistant, who shows him the test vault.
It's used to "separate objects from their intrinsic fields" while
also ensuring people outside the vault aren't exposed to
radiation.
A few months later, Jon realizes he has left his girlfriend's
watch, which he recently fixed, in the pocket of his coat. The
coat is in the test vault. A terrible accident ensues and he is hit
with an enormous blast of radiation. Jon's body disintegrates,
but he isn't exactly dead. He begins piecing together his atomic
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Chapter Summaries 24
particles and appears around the government campus as first
a walking central nervous system, then a semi-muscled
skeleton, and then finally a hulking, naked, blue humanoid who
can control atomic structure.
The United States government renames Jon "Dr. Manhattan"
and gives him a costume. He is presented to the public as a
"superman" who is the key to preventing nuclear attacks from
enemy states. He is soon introduced to a contingent of masked
crime fighters and, upon direction from the Pentagon, begins
fighting crime himself. "The morality of my activities escapes
me," he notes. Although he can see the future just as well as
the present, he does nothing to stop horrific events, such as
President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
The relationship between Dr. Manhattan and his girlfriend,
Janey Slater, is strained by his superpowers and his
diminishing human instincts. Their problems come to a head
during the first (and only) meeting of the Crimebusters in 1966,
when they meet 16-year-old Laurie Juspeczyk.
Janey—sensitive to the fact that she is aging but Dr. Manhattan
is not—feels jealous of Laurie. She breaks up with Dr.
Manhattan when she learns he has become romantically
involved with Laurie.
In 1971 Dr. Manhattan is sent to Saigon to end the Vietnam
War. The Comedian is already there. Dr. Manhattan is alarmed
by what the conditions in Vietnam say about "the human
condition" and even more concerned that the Comedian sees
the same things but "doesn't care." In 1975 Dr. Manhattan and
Laurie visit newly retired and unmasked Adrien Veidt at his
Antarctic lair, where they talk about Dr. Manhattan's
contributions to science. In 1977 the Keene Act is passed and
vigilantism is outlawed. Dr. Manhattan is exempt from the ruling
since he's (a) employed by the government and (b) a literal
atomic bomb.
Experiences from the recent past flash faster and faster until
Dr. Manhattan is again alone on Mars. He builds a giant glass
clock mechanism out of the Martian sand and wonders if fate
or people shape the future. "Which of us is responsible?" he
asks. "Who makes the world?" The chapter ends with a
quotation from Albert Einstein about the release of atomic
power.
Watchmen Study Guide Chapter Summaries 25

That alarms him. So does the Comedian's acceptance of it. Dr.

Analysis
Dr. Manhattan's name comes from the Manhattan Project, the
code name of the United States government's research project
that ultimately produced the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki to end World War II. Jon Osterman's new
moniker isn't just a nod to the nation's relatively recent foray
into nuclear science; it's also a threat directed at other nuclear-
capable countries, most notably Russia. Dr. Manhattan is both
a weapon and a safeguard against nuclear aggression.
That much power in one being seems risky at best. Despite the
government's best efforts, they are unable to control what Dr.
Manhattan does or where he goes. His mere presence on
Earth serves as a protective force. When he goes to Mars, he
isn't just getting away from his problems; he's putting the
United States and its allies at risk of enemy attack. Dr.
Manhattan is well aware of this. He can see all parts of time,
even things that haven't happened yet, and he's smart enough
to know Russia will take any chance it can get to assert its
dominance. But he doesn't care. Now, 25 years after being hit
with a massive load of radiation, there's very little of Jon
Osterman left in Dr. Manhattan. His "humanity" has been
waning since he first put himself back together at Gila Flats,
and he becomes less and less human with each passing year.
This is visually depicted through his choice of clothing. When
he is first "hired" by the U.S. government, he wears a black full-
body suit not unlike what other crime fighters of the time were
wearing. By the time he meets Laurie a few years later, he's
wearing only a sleeveless black leotard. In Vietnam the leotard
is cut down to a pair of black briefs, and by 1985 he's wearing
nothing at all. The longer he is in this "new" body, the less he
feels the need to adhere to society's standards for "proper"
attire. He doesn't see himself as human, so he doesn't dress
like a human.
Manhattan finds the Comedian's "deliberately amoral" actions
disturbing. He knows the Comedian can see what's in store for
humanity, yet he does nothing to stop the destruction of his
own kind. That's because of the Comedian's inherent fatalism:
he doesn't think the future can be changed. He blames corrupt
authorities and declining social values for the fate of the world
and takes great pleasure in fanning the flames.
Dr. Manhattan, who can see the future, the past, and
everything in between, doesn't subscribe to the same theory.
He knows what the future holds yet still chooses to act
because he knows those actions are what lead to the future he
already sees. He can see the connections mortals can't, and
because of that he spends a lot of time thinking about the role
fate plays in his own life. He doesn't wonder what comes next
or if he could have changed things, but rather who is to blame.
Should the world end, is it his fault for leaving Earth, or his
father's fault for pushing him into atomic science? Was it
perhaps the newspaper that ran the article about Hiroshima, or
was it the mother of the man who designed the plane that
dropped the bomb? Dr. Manhattan is plagued by these
unanswerable questions. Though he is the most "super" of all
the heroes in Watchmen, his conscience doesn't rest any
easier.
As indicated in the chapter's ending quote, Albert Einstein
regretted his involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb. It
may have changed weaponry, but it didn't change humankind's
way of thinking about war. "The solution to this problem lies in
the heart of mankind," he said. The inclusion of this quote
indicates that Dr. Manhattan is not the ultimate solution to the
problems Earth faces. He is yet just another weapon capable
of harm. What the Watchmen universe needs is a hero capable
of love.

He also doesn't view morality the way humans do. As Jon

Osterman, he was able to categorize things as being right or
Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers
wrong, good or bad. Nuclear war was bad; making his father
happy was good. As Dr. Manhattan, he sees only facts, which
and the Superpowers
helped make him a highly effective force in Vietnam. He had
the capabilities to easily kill thousands of soldiers and didn't
suffer the remorse most human soldiers would experience. Summary
Despite his lack of moral stance on the war, he can still see
that humanity as a whole has little regard for human life. The Dr. Milton Glass (who hired Jon Osterman to work at Gila Flats)
"pointless butchering" of the Vietnam War represents doesn't think Dr. Manhattan is going to end wars; he thinks the
humankind's desire for supremacy, even over itself, at any cost. blue "superman" is going to "end worlds." Russia is willing to

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Watchmen Study Guide
protect itself at all costs, even if it means bombing the United
States while knowing full well the United States will bomb it in
return. Glass believes Dr. Manhattan's presence has actually
escalated the arms race and made the world less safe than
before.
Analysis
Although Dr. Glass knew Jon Osterman before he became Dr.
Manhattan, he, like many others, views the blue "superman" as
being more than human. He is a weapon, certainly, but Glass
also thinks of him as a god. Therefore, Dr. Manhattan doesn't
just prevent or respond to war—he can also cause it. Glass
suspects Dr. Manhattan's mere presence will be cause for war
with Russia. Russia was hurt badly during World War II, and
Glass believes the government will do anything to protect
itself, even if that means mutually assured destruction, which is
when two or more opposing sides engage in nuclear warfare. If
Russia sent several nuclear warheads to North America at
once, for example, Dr. Manhattan wouldn't be able to stop
them all. Parts of the United States would be destroyed, and
the United States would unleash nuclear warheads on Russia
in return. Both countries would suffer excruciating losses and
most of the Northern Hemisphere would be lost to nuclear
fallout. Dr. Manhattan isn't so much a hero as someone to be
deeply feared.
Chapter 5
Summary
Rorschach breaks into Moloch's apartment again, this time to
learn more about the list of names Moloch mentioned during
Rorschach's previous visit. He stuffs Moloch into the
refrigerator to pressure him into divulging the details, but
Moloch doesn't know anything. Rorschach releases him and
tells him how to make contact in case he remembers anything.
Detectives Steven Fine and Joe Bourquin investigate a double
homicide/suicide involving a father who killed his two
daughters in front of his wife. He was supposedly worried
about nuclear war. At the newsstand, the news vendor is
talking about how the "goddamn war's screwing everything up"
as the black teenager reads the second issue of The Black
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Chapter Summaries 26
Freighter. Across town, Adrian Veidt is on his way to a meeting
about his action figure line when an unknown assailant shoots
his assistant. Veidt grabs a gold stanchion and deflects the
bullet meant for him and then uses it to beat his would-be
assassin, who bites down on a cyanide capsule before Veidt
can find out who sent him.
Rorschach is watching his drop-spot from a table at the Gunga
Diner. He sees Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk leave a
nearby restaurant together, and he wonders if Laurie is the
masked killer. He is soon distracted by a note from Moloch at
the drop-spot, imploring Rorschach to meet at Moloch's
apartment later that night. Rorschach retrieves his costume,
including his "face," from a nearby alley.
Laurie and Dan go to Dan's house. Laurie is no longer allowed
to live in the research facility since Dr. Manhattan left Earth,
and Dan has offered to let her stay with him. Grateful, she tells
Dan he's "like a big brother" to her. She has no idea he's falling
in love with her.
Rorschach goes to Moloch's at the appointed time only to find
Moloch dead, a bullet hole in his forehead. The meeting is a
trap—the police have been tipped off and they're waiting
outside for Rorschach, whom they've wanted to catch for
years. As police officers barrel into the house, Rorschach
makes a flamethrower out of some kitchen supplies. He
manages to escape the officers inside the apartment, but he
can't escape the flames. He jumps out the window. The
officers below surround him and rip off his mask. "No! My face!
Give it back!" he yells. The chapter ends with the first stanza of
British writer and artist William Blake's poem "The Tyger"
(1794).
Analysis
The end of Chapter 5 reveals what the reader may have
already guessed: the Doomsday Prophet is actually Rorschach
out of disguise. Or, more aptly, the Doomsday Prophet is
Rorschach's disguise. While other costumed crime fighters put
on their vigilante personas only after dark, Rorschach's primary
identity is that of Rorschach. None of his "colleagues" know his
real first or last names, and nobody recognizes him without the
mask. The mask is key here. Rorschach consistently refers to it
as his "face," and when the police pull it off he screams for
them to give it back. All the elements of Rorschach's costume
make him feel more like himself than his human face ever
Watchmen Study Guide Chapter Summaries 27

could. As he puts on his gloves and hat in the alley, he reflects symmetry continues. It's a masterful example of the careful
about how they make him "free from fear or weakness or lust." attention Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons applied to every
Wearing these clothes makes him feel morally superior to the aspect of the book.
rest of the population and gives him a sense of invincibility.
When he is caught and the mask is removed, he is subject to
the failings of human nature once more. Excerpt from Treasure Island
The dual sides of human nature are called into question by
William Blake's "The Lamb" (1789) and "The Tyger." In both
Treasury of Comics
poems the unnamed narrator quizzes the animal in question
about who made them. The poems are generally interpreted as
representing the two natures of humankind: the "meek and
Summary
mild" lamb and the tiger with burning eyes. Did one entity make
This book excerpt details the creation of Tales of the Black
them both? "The Tyger" is the darker and more forceful of the
Freighter, a long-running comic book series. Originally
two poems with allusions to the Greek god Prometheus, the
conceived by artist Joe Orlando and relatively new writer Max
winged Icarus who flew too close to the sun, and Satan
Shea, it tells the story of "a vessel from Hell" that takes on the
himself. Some scholars interpret these allusions as references
souls of "evil men so that they may walk its blood-stained
to rebellion. That certainly fits the tone of Chapter 5, in which
decks for all eternity." Orlando left the project after nine issues,
Adrian is attacked and Rorschach is captured in a blaze of
and artist Walt Feinberg took over. One of their more notable
flames. Neither of them goes quietly—Adrian nearly beats the
collaborations was the two-part "Marooned" story in issues 23
assassin to death with a gold stanchion, and Rorschach
and 24. The series ended soon thereafter, and Shea
screams for his "face" as blood streams across his lips. They
disappeared from the public eye.
are rebelling against societal forces trying in vain to subdue
their strength.

Chapter 5's title, "Fearful Symmetry," isn't just a reference to Analysis

"The Tyger,"—it also describes the structure of the chapter
itself. "Symmetry" is when two parts facing each other on an
axis are the same; for example, if a line is drawn down the
middle of a circle, the parts on either side of the line are mirror
representations of each other. Alan Moore structured Chapter
5 so the second half of the chapter is the "reverse image" of
the first. It begins with Rorschach and Moloch, then jumps to
the police detectives, then to the newsstand, then to Laurie
and Dan, then to Rorschach, then back to the newsstand, and
then to Adrian. Adrian kills the would-be assassin. The story
goes back to the newsstand, to Rorschach, to Laurie and Dan,
the newsstand again, the police detectives, and then back to
where it began with Rorschach and Moloch. The scene in
which Adrian bashes the head of the assassin is the story's
center. It's also the center spread of the chapter itself. In the
center spread (pages 14 and 15 as numbered in the
illustrations), the design of the right page mirrors the design on
the left. Flipping one page back and one page forward, holding
the center pages together, readers can see page 13 has a
double-width cell at the top right and page 16 has a double-
width cell at the top left. Those two pages are symmetrical.
Leafing backward and forward through the chapter, the
Tales of the Black Freighter is the comic book the black
teenager reads every day at the newsstand, and its writer, Max
Shea, is the missing man seen in news reports and on posters
all across New York City. The circumstances of Shea's
disappearance are just as mysterious as one of his stories: "he
apparently vanished from his home one morning and has not
been seen since." Shea doesn't come across as the nicest guy
in this article, though his talent is indisputable. It is, perhaps,
one of the only reasons why people would continue to work
with such a "moody and temperamental writer."
The most important information in this excerpt isn't the plot of
"Marooned" or the backstory of The Black Freighter (although
that's interesting and helpful when trying to understand exactly
what's going on in the comic-within-the-comic). What's really
important is the kind of work Shea does. His work is "uniformly
dark and sinister, balancing metaphysical terrors against an
unnerving sense of reality." In short he's good at scaring
people and making them feel like the things they fear are real.
That comes into play later when Shea's involvement with
Adrian Veidt's master plan is revealed.

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Watchmen Study Guide
Chapter 6
Summary
Rorschach, aka Walter Joseph Kovacs, is in jail. Dr. Malcolm
Long, a psychoanalyst, is administering Rorschach inkblot
tests to better understand Rorschach's mind. Rorschach lies
about what he sees in the ambiguous pictures, and Dr. Long
thinks Rorschach is getting better. As their relationship
continues and Rorschach's life story becomes clearer, Dr.
Long learns his patient hasn't been honest with him.
Walter Joseph Kovacs was born in 1940 to a single mother
who supported herself and her son through prostitution. Young
Walter has vivid memories of the cruel men who appeared to
violate his mother and of his mother's reaction when she
caught him spying. His mother's reputation was well known in
town, which served as fodder for the neighborhood bullies.
When Walter was 10, he beat up a group of boys who called
him "whoreson." Upon investigation of his home life, he was
taken to a children's home. He left at 16 and became an
unskilled worker in a garment factory.
In 1962 Kovacs was working on a dress made of a new fabric
composed of a viscous black fluid between two layers of white
latex. The intended customer, Kitty Genovese, didn't want it, so
Kovacs took it home and cut it down so "it didn't look like a
woman anymore." He stashed it away. Weeks later he learns
Kitty Genovese was murdered in front of her apartment while
dozens of her neighbors looked on. "I knew what people were
then," he tells Dr. Long. He went home, found the fabric from
her dress, and turned it into "a face that [he] could bear to look
at in the mirror." Thus, Kovacs became a vigilante, eventually
partnering with Nite Owl to take down underworld bosses and
street gangs.
Rorschach tells Dr. Long he was "soft" when he first began
fighting the criminal class, meaning he let his quarry live so
they could learn from their mistakes. That changed when
Kovacs investigated the kidnapping of six-year-old Blaire
Roche. He tracked her to a falling-down building in Brooklyn.
He quickly realized she had been killed and fed to two German
Shepherds, which were still on the property. Using a cleaver
from the kitchen, Kovacs killed one of the dogs with a sharp
blow to the middle of its forehead. Blood was everywhere, and
Kovacs closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was
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Chapter Summaries 28
Rorschach. When the kidnapper came home a few hours later,
Rorschach handcuffed him to a pipe and set him on fire.
At first Dr. Long is excited to have Rorschach as a patient, but
the long hours and his subject's dark worldview take a toll on
the once-optimistic doctor. He stops sleeping, he neglects his
wife, and he becomes increasingly worried about the fate of
the world at large. By the end of the chapter, his wife has left
him and he finally understands what Rorschach has been
trying to tell him: in the end, we are all alone in "meaningless
blackness." The chapter ends with a quotation by the German
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "Battle not with monsters, lest
ye become a monster."
Analysis
Chapter 6's title, "The Abyss Gazes Also," is a reference to the
Nietzsche quotation at the end of the chapter. Nietzsche is
basically saying spending too much time around darkness and
despair leads to darkness and despair of one's own. This
advice is meant not for Rorschach but rather for Dr. Long. He
entered his relationship with Rorschach optimistic about his
patient's recovery, but the more he learns about Rorschach's
formative years and the seamy underbelly of New York City,
the more his sunny disposition dims. Rorschach's darkness is
contagious. Dr. Long is particularly susceptible to it because it
is his first exposure to the world's evils. Until now he had never
come face to face with the gritty reality of life in the lowest
classes. College educated, respected in the medical
community, and comfortably ensconced in the upper middle
class, Dr. Long may not have ever heard stories like
Rorschach's before. He has certainly treated criminals, but
probably none so blunt in their descriptions of their childhoods
and their first kills. Working with Rorschach has opened an
entire new world to Dr. Long, and it's an ugly one.
Rorschach's childhood undoubtedly shaped him into the
morally questionable vigilante he is today. He saw his mother
being violated by numerous men and wanted to protect her,
but he was also teased about her not-so-secret occupation,
which ultimately made him resent her and her activities. Adult
Rorschach remains disgusted by sex, and he has very little use
for women, particularly those, like his landlady, who earn
money as prostitutes. He doesn't even like to be reminded of
the female form, which is why he cuts up the dress meant for
Kitty Genovese before storing it. He's not afraid of women, nor
does he hate them—he just doesn't trust them very much. This
Watchmen Study Guide
is undoubtedly because of his strained relationship with his
mother, whose abusive nature and reputation brought him so
much pain.
Kitty Genovese was a real person, and she was murdered in
March 1964. The New York Times initially reported she was
stabbed to death in the courtyard of her apartment complex
while 38 of her neighbors watched from their windows. None
of the witnesses called the police. Psychologists used this
story for decades to come to illustrate the increasing apathy of
society at large. Author Alan Moore uses it in Watchmen as the
catalyst for Rorschach's entry into vigilantism. Her death made
him realize people cared only about themselves. "[A]shamed
for humanity," he designated himself its protector. It's a good
story in regard to how it shaped Rorschach—damaged young
man crusades for humanity following brutal murder—but the
real-life events are much different from the story the New York
Times originally told. Kitty Genovese's neighbors did try to
intervene. Only a handful of people, not 38, were aware of the
commotion going on outside. One man yelled at the attacker
and at least two people called the police. Genovese died in the
arms of a woman who rushed to the apartment's ground floor
vestibule, where the attacker completed the murder. Yet, by
the time the truth came out, the myth of the apathetic
neighbors had already taken root in popular culture.
Another turning point in Rorschach's life was the kidnapping
and murder of Blaire Roche. Until then he had been
"pretending" to be Rorschach every time he put on his mask
and trench coat, and when he took them off he was Walter
Kovacs again. Blaire's grisly death changed him, as did his first
taking of a life. The German Shepherd he killed with a cleaver
was somewhat innocent of its crimes—it didn't choose to
kidnap the girl and cut up her remains—but he took his rage
out on it anyway. He avenged a wrong by doing a wrong of his
own. For most people, taking a life isn't easy no matter the
circumstances. It was even more difficult for Walter Kovacs,
who clings tightly to his moral code of right and wrong. It
wasn't the right thing to do, but it also wasn't the wrong thing.
Kovacs couldn't handle the moral gray area of his actions, but
the vigilante Rorschach could. As Rorschach, the man formerly
known as Kovacs can be at peace with the methods he uses to
make the world a safer place. He is protecting not just the city
but also himself.
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Chapter Summaries 29
Walter J. Kovacs Documents
Summary
The end matter for Chapter 6 includes six documents: the
report made at the time of Rorschach's arrest for his alleged
murder of Moloch; a summary of his early life from the New
York State Psychiatric Hospital; an essay titled "My Parents,"
which Rorschach wrote when he was 13; a transcription of his
recollection about a dream and an accompanying drawing; and
a note from Dr. Malcolm Long, written before he began
speaking with Rorschach. The documents paint a picture of a
smart young man who grew up in a loveless home with a
mother who paid little attention to him. Young Walter idolizes
his father, whom he never met, and decides he must have been
an aide to President Harry Truman, who presided over the end
of World War II. The 13-year-old Walter thinks Truman did the
right thing when he "dropped the atom bomb on Japan and
saved millions of lives."
Analysis
Rorschach's right-wing political views were influenced by those
of his unknown father. The only thing he knew about his dad
was that he liked President Truman, so young Walter decided
to like President Truman, too. Years later Rorschach continues
to think of his father and President Truman as good men
(Chapter 1) and wants to make the world a place of which
"decent men" like them could be proud. Subconsciously,
Rorschach has become a vigilante to please the father he's
never met.
Dr. Malcolm Long's motives are clearer. The included note is
actually a memo to himself about Rorschach, and it was written
before he even met the formerly masked man. He hopes to
uncover a "syndrome" specific to masked vigilantes, and he
reminds himself to "keep notes with an eye to possible future
publication." From the outset of their relationship, Dr. Long is
more focused on the fame his association with Rorschach will
bring than helping his patient deal with his own demons.
Watchmen Study Guide
Chapter 7
Summary
Laurie Juspeczyk accidentally activates the flamethrower on
Archie, Dan Dreiberg's owl ship, while trying to light a cigarette.
Dan helps her extinguish the flames, and they talk about how
he became the second Nite Owl. Left with a large family
inheritance, he had no need for steady employment so he took
on the mantle of his childhood hero, Hollis Mason, aka Nite
Owl. Dan regrets that Crimebusters never got off the ground in
1966. In his mind being part of a crime-fighting group would
have been like being part of the Knights of the Round Table.
Dan gave up vigilante heroism after the passage of the Keene
Act in 1977, and now he mostly studies and writes about
ornithology.
Laurie and Dan go upstairs and watch TV. They see an
interview with Rorschach's landlady, who claims Rorschach
often propositioned her for sex. World powers are preparing
for war, and the search for writer Max Shea has been called off
after two years. Dan removes his glasses and Laurie suddenly
realizes how attractive he is. They kiss on the couch like
teenagers, but Dan is physically unable to go any further than
that. Laurie tells him it's fine, and they go to bed together.
Dan dreams of the Twilight Lady, one of his old foes who had a
crush on him. They are naked, then shed their bodies like
clothing. Dan is now in his owl suit, and the Twilight Lady is
Laurie, wearing her Silk Spectre II costume. They lean in for a
kiss just as a nuclear bomb explodes, which turns bodies into
black skeletons. Dan wakes with a start, then goes to his
basement workshop. When Laurie finds him, he is naked save
for his night-vision goggles. He tells her the war makes him feel
"so powerless. So impotent." He confesses he's worried there
really is a mask killer on the loose, and he just wants to take
Archie out for a spin. Laurie thinks it's a good idea. They gear
up and head out.
As Archie launches into the air, Dan and Laurie notice people
stranded in the top stories of a burning tenement building. Dan
lowers Archie alongside the building so Laurie can help them
onto the owl ship. Dan flies to the next building's roof and lets
the residents of the burning building out, and then flies Archie
above the clouds. He and Laurie have sex. When they're
finished, Dan decides they need to break Rorschach out of jail.
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Chapter Summaries 30
The chapter ends with a quotation from the Bible's book of
Job: "I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. My
skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat."
Analysis
Dan has a complicated relationship with vigilantism. Although
he often says it's good he no longer fights crime, a large part of
him misses it. The gadgets, the adventures, and the
satisfaction that comes from helping others gave him a
purpose where he had none before. Dan's early days of
heroism sound a lot like another caped crusader who identifies
with winged nocturnal creatures—both he and Batman are
wealthy, technologically minded orphans who have a costume
and a gizmo for every situation. They differ, however, in how
they relate to others. Batman is a notoriously solitary
character, preferring to fight crime by himself or with one or
two very trusted associates, but Dan really loves the idea of a
large group of people united by a similar purpose. A romantic
at heart, he thinks being part of the Crimebusters would have
been like being a member of King Arthur's Knights of the
Round Table. Although he hasn't fought crime for nearly a
decade, he hangs on to his old gear not only out of nostalgia
but also out of hope. He wants to have a purpose and the
sense that he's part of something bigger than himself. Crime
fighting gave him both those things.
Crime fighting also gave him a sense of power and confidence.
Dan Dreiberg the civilian could be classified as the
quintessential nerd from the top of his oversized glasses to the
bottom of his obsession with owls. He is shy and awkward
around self-confident Laurie, and he does his best to mask his
attraction to her so as not to make her uncomfortable. She is
the one who instigates the kiss on the couch, and although Dan
has deep feelings for her, he's unable to become sexually
aroused. His impotency is directly connected to his feelings of
powerlessness. Putting on his owl suit is akin to putting on a
different persona. As Nite Owl, he is self-assured and in
complete control, saving the tenants with ease. This time he
doesn't shy away from Laurie's advances. Being Nite Owl
makes him feel "so confident it's like [he's] on fire."
Unlike Dan, Laurie's personality doesn't change when she puts
on Silk Spectre's slinky yellow outfit. For one thing, her outfit,
like her mother's, doesn't include a mask. There is nothing for
her to hide behind. Secondly, Laurie didn't choose to become a
vigilante—she inherited the role. She's not running from
Watchmen Study Guide
loneliness or insecurity like Dan, she's not an atomic
superhuman like Dr. Manhattan, and she doesn't feel the desire
to save the world like Adrian and Rorschach. Because she took
her mother's place at such a young age, she never had the
opportunity to develop a "regular" life from which she wanted
to escape. Her private and public personas are the same
because she was groomed to be Silk Spectre from the very
beginning. That, coupled with her youth, distances her from the
other vigilantes.
Blood from the Shoulder of
Pallas
Summary
Dan Dreiberg's article for the Journal of the American
Ornithological Society discusses the tendency of bird
enthusiasts to focus more on the physical characteristics of a
particular species than the larger purpose and experiences of
birds themselves. He shares an anecdote about hearing an owl
screech in a hospital parking lot, which made him not just want
to learn about owls but "to experience rather than merely
record."
Analysis
Dan's article speaks to his desire to understand owls and other
birds beyond their physical characteristics. This sentiment also
applies to his personal relationships and his learning style. He
isn't just searching for the answer to what something is—he
wants to know why it is. Only then can he draw a conclusion
about a particular situation. That's one of the reasons he's
hesitant to pass judgment on Rorschach in Chapter 7.
The anecdote about the owl in the hospital parking lot is
notable in part because of what Dan was doing at the hospital
in the first place. He was "visiting a sick acquaintance at a
hospital in Maine on behalf of a mutual friend." Dan doesn't
have a lot of friends, so it can automatically be assumed the
man in question is Hollis Mason. Hollis was in the Minutemen
with Byron Lewis, aka Mothman, who was put in a mental
hospital for alcoholism and insanity. That's most likely whom
Dan was visiting. Dan is the only member of the "new"
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Chapter Summaries 31
generation of crime fighters to go out of his way to maintain a
relationship with the old. Their conversations and
companionship make him feel like he belongs.
Chapter 8
Summary
Hollis Mason calls Sally Jupiter on the morning of Halloween to
tell her about the tenement rescue. They reminisce about the
old days. Across town Dan Dreiberg is slowly piecing together
the puzzling events of the previous two weeks. He suspects
the cancer that killed Wally Weaver and is now killing Janey
Slater and Moloch wasn't caused by Dr. Manhattan, but by
their employment at Dimensional Developments. Dan is
struggling to understand the company's corporate structure,
and he's eager to get the information Rorschach has already
collected. A visit from Detective Steven Fine makes Dan even
more anxious than before. Dan and Laurie Juspeczyk need to
rescue Rorschach before they get arrested for vigilantism
themselves.
As Dan and Laurie prepare Archie for takeoff, the narrative
jumps between tertiary characters:
Seymour and Mr. Godfrey are working on the latest edition
of the New Frontiersman. The front-page article is in
support of Rorschach. There's also a story about Max Shea,
the missing writer.
Max Shea and Hira Manish, an artist, look forward to leaving
the unnamed island where they're working.
Hollis overhears a news brief about a New Frontiersman
article supporting masked vigilantes, followed by news that
an inmate Rorschach attacked with hot grease died.
The top-knots at Bernard's newsstand blame Dr. Manhattan
for the global unrest.
Things aren't going well for Rorschach at Sing Sing
Correctional Facility. His fellow prisoners—many of whom were
incarcerated thanks to Rorschach's efforts—want him dead,
particularly a mob boss named Big Figure. A riot breaks out
after the death of the grease-splattered inmate, which Big
Figure and his two cronies use as an opportunity to kill
Rorschach, who is in solitary confinement. Rorschach has
other plans. He breaks the fingers of one of the goons, whom
Big Figure then orders to be killed, and then electrocutes the
Watchmen Study Guide
other. When Laurie and Dan arrive, Rorschach is hunting a
terrified Big Figure, who ducks into the restroom. Rorschach
follows, kills him, and then leaves with Dan and Laurie.
The trio goes back to Dan's house to grab a few things. Laurie,
worried about the jailbreak and the impending global war, turns
around to find Dr. Manhattan sitting in Dan's living room. He
says they will be having a conversation on Mars in an hour, and
he has come to get her. Dan is gob-smacked by Dr.
Manhattan's appearance, but Laurie assures him she'll be fine,
and she and Dr. Manhattan teleport out of the house. With the
police hot on their heels, Dan and Rorschach use an old
subway tunnel to make a quick getaway in Archie.
Meanwhile, the top-knots at the newsstand listen to a radio
report about Rorschach's escape. They've heard "some owl
character did it," and one of the guys says his dad knows Nite
Owl, who "lives over some garage near here." They go to Hollis
Mason's house, intending just to "kick his ass," but accidentally
kill him. He's found moments later by three trick-or-treaters.
The chapter ends with a line from Eleanor Farjeon's poem
"Hallowe'en," which includes the line "On Hallowe'en the old
ghosts come about us."
Analysis
Chapter 8 is all about liberation, or freedom from oppression.
Rorschach is, of course, physically liberated when Dan and
Laurie break him out of Sing Sing, but Dan and Laurie also
undergo a liberation of their own. Prior to their engagement
with the tenement fire, neither were willing to break the law
prohibiting vigilantism. Dan, in particular, felt an acute loss
when he was forced to hang up his night-vision goggles. Now
that he's back in costume, a dormant part of his personality
has sparked back to life. He's more confidant and sure of
himself and easily assumes the role of leader, even in his
relationship with Laurie. Although Laurie protests she doesn't
like her skimpy costume, she does admit she missed the thrill
of having a secret. Both she and Dan appear to have a
newfound sense of purpose and energy now that they're back
in the vigilante game.
Vigilantism was outlawed in 1977 in part because of the public
backlash to it. Unlike police officers, vigilantes weren't held to
any standards of decorum or law. It wasn't unusual for some of
them, most notably the Comedian and Rorschach, to step
beyond the bounds of what was considered fair and
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Chapter Summaries 32
acceptable treatment of alleged criminals. The "top knots,"
named for the hairstyle of a bun on top of the head, haven't
forgotten that. High on a drug known as "Katie" and notoriously
bigoted—Derf complains about "superfags." His girlfriend has a
swastika tattoo on her arm. The pair are eager to get justice
for all the ills they think vigilantes have caused in the past. The
dramatic irony of this is that they are doing the exact same
things they hate about vigilantes and essentially become the
thing they despise the most.
Derf's girlfriend's tattoo isn't the only important graphic
element in Chapter 8. The alternating panels depicting Sally
and Hollis's conversation are also of note. The frames focusing
on Sally are light and sunny with yellow as the dominant color.
The frames showing Hollis's home are darker with lots of
purple shadows. Although it isn't explicitly said, the mood of
the frames indicates Sally's life is perhaps a happier one than
Hollis's. It is definitely more comfortable. Sally is getting a
pedicure and has fresh flowers in her room; Hollis's desk holds
an old tin can labeled "phone money," and he mentions how
expensive it is to call California. Hollis hasn't yet retired from
his auto shop, but he doesn't have a lot of disposable income.
Sally doesn't work anymore, yet she has enough disposable
income to treat herself to spa services and a bottle of nice
perfume.
The perfume on the first page of the chapter surfaces
throughout Watchmen both in bottle form and in
advertisements. Called "Nostalgia," it's one of Adrian Veidt's
many commercial products. Careful readers will notice it
appears every time a character or group of characters reflects
on the past. A close-up of the bottle is shown as Hollis and
Sally discuss the good old days, and a billboard for the
perfume is in the background as the top-knots race to Hollis's
house. Their actions are reminiscent of the old days of
costumed vigilantism. The billboard's message, "Oh how the
ghost of you clings" ties in to the chapter title, "Old Ghosts."
The ghosts of Hollis's past—his stint as the first Nite Owl and
his subsequent unmasking of himself in his autobiography—are
catching up with him.
Excerpts from the New
Frontiersman
Watchmen Study Guide
Summary
The front-page story of the New Frontiersman, "Honor is Like
the Hawk: Sometimes It Must Go Hooded," is editor Hector
Godfrey's rebuttal to Nova Express's attack on masked crime
fighters. Godfrey argues vigilantes are a necessary force in the
fight against communism and therefore should not be
demonized. He implores readers to ask themselves, "just who
stands to benefit most from Nova Express' ridiculing of
American legends." The article is accompanied by a political
cartoon featuring a generic superhero in a boxing ring
surrounded by Nova Express editor Doug Roth, the American
people, various social ills, and a weeping Statue of Liberty.
The next article in the New Frontiersman is about the
disappearance of Max Shea. The search for the missing writer
has been called off, but Godfrey thinks Shea's abrupt
disappearance is related to the disappearances of four other
artists, several scientists, and the head of a dead psychic.
Analysis
In Alan Moore's version of a dystopian United States, Nova
Express is a left-wing, liberal publication while New
Frontiersman represents the conservative right wing. New
Frontiersman editor Godfrey believes in protecting the United
States from communism at all costs, even if it means bringing
back vigilantes. That sounds reasonable until he compares
masked vigilantism to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist
group about whom he has only nice things to say. Though
Godfrey makes some good points, he's also blatantly racist.
That makes it very hard for the reader to sympathize with him.
Moore creates characters like this on purpose. Like actual
humans, his characters all have light sides and dark sides. As in
real life, there are no perfect heroes or pure villains. Readers
are forced to examine their own values and morals as they try
to understand those of the book's characters, which makes for
a far more complex (but interesting) read.
Some of Godfrey's ideas come out of left field, but he's not
entirely off base when it comes to suspecting conspiracies. His
insights about the disappearances of Max Shea and the
missing artists are entirely on point, as is his conclusion that
Doug Roth at Nova Express has an ulterior motive for
lambasting Dr. Manhattan and his ilk. The problem is that the
New Frontiersman isn't known as the most reliable source of
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Chapter Summaries 33
news—it reads more as a tabloid than serious journalism, and
only those who already agree with the paper's viewpoints (like
Rorschach) are reading the latest issue. They aren't the people
who need to be convinced something weird is going on.
Unfortunately, no one else is listening.
Chapter 9
Summary
Dr. Manhattan and Laurie Juspeczyk arrive on Mars. After a
few panic-inducing moments, he remembers she needs oxygen
to breathe and creates an oxygen-laden aura around her body.
Laurie is irritated with him for forgetting she needs oxygen and
because he knows what's going to happen before it happens.
She accuses him of being "a puppet following a script," and he
doesn't disagree. "We're all puppets, Laurie. I'm just a puppet
who can see the strings," he says. Dr. Manhattan explains that
time is like a three-dimensional jewel. Humans can see only
one edge of it, but he can see every side. He asks her to recall
her first memory and try it for herself. She does, and several
other memories follow.
Laurie's first memory is of her parents, Sally Jupiter and
Larry Schexnayder, fighting about her paternity. Even as a
child, Laurie suspected Hooded Justice was her real father.
Schexnayder, a notorious bully, smashes the snow globe
Laurie is holding when he realizes she's listening to their
argument.
Sally hosts a reunion of the Minutemen. Laurie is 13 and
upset her mother won't let her read Hollis Mason's book,
Under the Hood.
After the 1966 Crimebusters meeting, the Comedian tells
Laurie she looks like her mother and asks if Sally ever talks
about him. Laurie says she doesn't. A furious Sally interrupts
their conversation as the Comedian lights Laurie's cigarette.
"Are there no depths you won't sink to?" Sally asks the
Comedian. The Comedian protests, "Can't a guy talk to his,
y'know, his old friend's daughter?"
Laurie and Dr. Manhattan attend a banquet in honor of the
Comedian in 1973. By this time, Laurie has read Hollis's
book, and she knows the Comedian tried to rape her
mother. She drunkenly accuses him of forcing her mother to
have sex with him, to which he responds, shocked, "Only
once." She throws her drink in his face right before Dr.
Watchmen Study Guide
Manhattan teleports her out of the room.
In between memories Dr. Manhattan gives Laurie a tour of
Mars atop his glass clockwork castle. He seems distraught to
learn Laurie and Dan are sleeping together, which confuses
Laurie because she thought he already knew about them—he
said as much when she first arrived. He tells her she is his "only
link, [his] only concern with the world." Now that they're no
longer together, he has no stake in the future of Earth. Laurie
can't believe that, and they argue about the importance of
human life. Dr. Manhattan argues Laurie isn't allowing herself
to see things from his point of view. "You're deliberately
shutting out understanding, as if you're afraid, as if you're too
delicate" he says. Memories of her mother and the Comedian
flash past Laurie's eyes again, and she realizes the Comedian,
not Hooded Justice, is her father. She smashes a bottle of
Nostalgia perfume in her hands and Dr. Manhattan's glass
castle comes crashing to the ground. At the same time, Dr.
Manhattan realizes Earth is worth saving because every human
life is a miracle. The chapter ends with a quotation from
psychiatrist Carl Jung, which says the purpose of existence "is
to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being."
Analysis
Dr. Manhattan has a very unusual relationship with time. Unlike
humans, he doesn't have memories. He says time is like a
multidimensional object, where everything–past, present, and
future—can be seen at once. When he "remembers" something,
it's as if he's going back in time and experiencing it for the first
time while still knowing what's going to happen in the future.
More simply, everything is happening at once, and the human
mind moves linearly from one event to the next. Because he
isn't human, Dr. Manhattan can see everything at once. That's
why he knows he and Laurie are going to have a conversation
before it happens and why he knows what she's going to tell
him. Laurie's problem with this is the same problem Janey
Slater had 23 years ago when John F. Kennedy was shot—if
Dr. Manhattan knows what's going to happen, why doesn't he
stop it?
It's a good question, and it's one of the few Dr. Manhattan isn't
able to fully answer. As he explains to Laurie, everything in the
universe is preordained. That includes his responses. For
example, Dr. Manhattan tells Laurie he knew what was going to
happen when he went on the television show. Instead of
changing the hands of fate by skipping the show or looking into
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Chapter Summaries 34
the cancer allegations before he arrived, he acted the way he
saw himself acting when he looked into his future. He wasn't
really surprised, but he knew he was supposed to be because
that's what he saw. Laurie equates this to being a puppet,
which in her mind is a bad thing. Dr. Manhattan insists
everyone is like this since everything is preordained. They just
don't know it. Like the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan is a fatalist. He
believes fate cannot be changed, so he doesn't attempt to do
so. Yet, he is different from the Comedian in that he comes to
see the value of human life. The Comedian believed nothing
mattered because the world was going to end, but Dr.
Manhattan thinks the beauty and near-impossibility of
individual human life outweighs the certainty that it will end.
Unlike the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan sees value in existence.
It can be debated whether Dr. Manhattan knew he would
eventually go back to Earth even though he swore to Laurie he
wouldn't, but the reader is given a subtle clue about his plans
near the end of the chapter. When Laurie figures out the
Comedian is her father, she throws a bottle of Nostalgia
perfume at Dr. Manhattan's glass clockwork. The sand-based
structure is a symbol of Dr. Manhattan's purpose for going to
Mars, which was to better understand the meaning of life and
time. His divorce from humanity was the only way he knew how
to protect himself from the pain of knowing he hurt people he
loved. Laurie's chucking the perfume bottle suggests no one,
not even a superhuman, can run away from the past. For Dr.
Manhattan, Laurie's memories of the past illuminate the miracle
of her existence and the existence of every single person on
Earth, which "kindle[s] a light of meaning" for him in regard to
the human race. His glass castle crumbles when he realizes
saving humanity is more important than understanding
intangible concepts. Dr. Manhattan may no longer be human,
but he has not yet lost his humanity.
Sally Jupiter Scrapbook
Clippings
Summary
Sally Jupiter's scrapbook clippings include two news
articles—one is about her debut in the crime-fighting world, the
other about her alleged romantic relationship with Hooded
Justice. A letter from King Taylor Productions updates Sally
Watchmen Study Guide
and Laurence Schexnayder, her agent and future husband, on
the progress of her biopic; a subsequent clipping reviews the
final film. There is also an introductory letter from Nelson
Gardner, aka Captain Metropolis, inviting Sally to join the
Minutemen, as well as a letter from Schexnayder advising her
it's time to get out of the business. The final article is a 1976
interview with Probe magazine about "the seamier side of her
crime fighting career," including her feelings about Silhouette's
departure from the Minutemen and her own relationship with
the Comedian.
Analysis
For Sally Jupiter, aka Silk Spectre, becoming a masked
vigilante was "a money thing." She didn't really care about
protecting society from thugs and crooks—she just wanted to
boost her own career from that of burlesque dancer and model
to something even more fabulous. Her main goal was to be
publicly recognized, which is at odds with the notion of a
"masked" crime fighter. That's one reason Sally is never seen
wearing a mask. She wants people to know her as Sally
Jupiter, not Silk Spectre. Unfortunately, Sally's notoriety
doesn't pan out the way she planned. The so-called biopic
about her life ends up being nothing more than poorly filmed
pornography, in which footage of her crime fighting is barely
used (and the film review misspells her last name). By the
1970s once-famous Sally was all but forgotten.
Sally's scrapbook clippings include multiple mentions of
homosexuality. Silhouette was kicked out of the Minutemen
when it was revealed she was a lesbian, but Sally says
Silhouette wasn't the only gay crime fighter. According to clues
from the various clippings and letters, it is clear Hooded
Justice was gay and Sally was his "beard," or pretend girlfriend.
Hooded Justice's lover was none other than "Nelly," aka Nelson
Gardner/Captain Metropolis. At a time where homosexuality
was reviled, it was important for Hooded Justice, Captain
Metropolis, and Silhouette to hide their sexual orientation. Sally
was willing to help Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis, but
she didn't support Silhouette when Schexnayder suggested
she be booted from the group. Sally didn't want to risk her own
reputation by standing up for Silhouette, and she was probably
delighted to be the sole woman in the group after Silhouette's
departure. Sally was all about her image, even when it meant
hurting someone else.
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Chapter Summaries 35
Chapter 10
Summary
Tensions are high as President Richard Nixon, Vice President
Gerald Ford, and presidential advisors gather in a secure
underground bunker. The country's defense readiness
condition, or DEFCON, is at 2. The men sit and wait for Russia
to make a move. President Nixon has his hand on the "nuclear
football" the entire time.
Dan Dreiberg and Rorschach try to figure out their next move.
They make a brief stop at Rorschach's apartment to get his
spare costume, his "face," and the final draft of his journal.
They run into Rorschach's landlady, Mrs. Shairp,
who—falsely—announced on TV that Rorschach sexually
assaulted her. They return to Archie's underwater hiding spot
so Dan can continue running computer models in hopes of
finding a pattern that indicates a "mask killer." Rorschach is
impatient—he would rather talk to real people than rely on a
computer. Dan loses his temper and chastises Rorschach for
being so weird and inconsiderate. Rorschach immediately
apologizes, and Dan is stunned a few moments later when
Rorschach tells him he's a good friend. The air cleared, and
Dan raises Archie to the surface so they can "visit the criminal
fraternity."
The reunited crime-fighting duo end up at Happy Harry's Bar
and Grill, where they stumble upon the man who hired Adrian
Veidt's would-be assassin. He's a Pyramid Delivery freight
handler, and he wanted in on the side action his coworkers
were getting. Now his coworkers are dead, and he's terrified
he'll be next. While Rorschach interrogates the freight handler,
Dan inadvertently finds out Hollis Mason was killed by some
knot-tops the night before. Rorschach intervenes before Dan
can strangle the knot-top messenger. They leave the bar and
decide to visit Adrian, hoping this new information will convince
him to help them.
Halfway around the world, a large ship with the Pyramid
Deliveries logo is at sea. Max Shea and Hira Manish leave the
party on deck to canoodle in a storeroom where Shea
accidentally uncovers a bomb on a timer. Moments later, the
ship explodes.
Back in New York, Dan and Rorschach are surprised to find
Watchmen Study Guide
Adrian's building completely empty. They snoop through the
office. While Rorschach goes on a tangent about the ancient
Egyptian paraphernalia decorating the office, Dan hacks into
Adrian's computer. He finds evidence that leads him to believe
Adrian, who is currently hiding at his Antarctic lair, is behind all
the attacks on masked crime fighters. After making a quick
stop to send Rorschach's journal to the New Frontiersman,
they fly Archie to Antarctica so they can confront Adrian. The
chapter ends with a quotation from a Bob Dylan song.
Analysis
Chapter 10's title, "Two Riders Were Approaching," is a
reference to Bob Dylan's 1967 song "All Along the
Watchtower," made iconic by Jimi Hendrix's 1968 cover
version. The song, which is also quoted at the end of the
chapter, tells of a conversation between a "joker" and a "thief"
about an unnamed, impending catastrophe. The joker is
panicking, looking for "some way to get out of here," and the
thief attempts to calm him. The song takes on symbolic
meaning when applied to the characters and plot of
Watchmen. The joker is the Comedian, who goes into a
downward spiral when he realizes what the thief, Adrian Veidt,
is planning. The "princes" stationed at the watchtower
represent political forces creating societal discord. The joker
and the thief stand separate from them, as do the "two riders ...
approaching"—Rorschach and Nite Owl. Dylan has never said
explicitly what "All Along the Watchtower" is about, and music
aficionados have debated inspirations from the Vietnam War to
Armageddon, and everything in between. It is clearly a song
about discord and rebellion, and by using it in the chapter's title
and its ending quotation, Moore underscores the rising tension
between world powers and the heroes themselves.
The situation with Russia has become increasingly worse since
Dr. Manhattan's departure from Earth, which is illustrated by
the DEFCON image at the beginning of the chapter. DEFCON,
short for "defense condition," is a numerical system that
describes the likelihood of war. A DEFCON level of 5 means
absolute peace, while DEFCON 1 signals imminent aggression.
DEFCON 2, as seen in Chapter 10 of Watchmen, means the
United States government is actively preparing to engage in
battle. The "football" President Nixon is holding is officially
known as the "president's emergency satchel." Used by every
president since John F. Kennedy, it confirms the president's
identity and allows him to communicate with the Pentagon.
Among other things, the satchel carries a menu of nuclear
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Chapter Summaries 36
strike options. In real life an aide to the president carries the
nuclear football, but illustrator Dave Gibbons depicts it as
being chained to Nixon's wrist in the first few pages of Chapter
10. This highlights the notion that no matter how many advisors
he has on hand, the final decisions about nuclear war are at the
discretion of the president.
The imminence of nuclear war has brought Dan and Rorschach
back together again, and their resurrected partnership
illuminates the differences in their personalities. Ever the
techno-wizard, Dan relies on computers to help him
understand the intricacies of the situation while Rorschach
prefers a more hands-on approach to gathering intel. Each of
their strengths complements the other's weaknesses, which is
what ultimately makes them a good team. Their personalities
are also evenly balanced. When Rorschach is impatient, Dan
remains calm; when Dan is about to blow, Rorschach keeps
him in check. Their relationship has never been a close
one—Dan only recently learned Rorschach's real name, and he
learned it from the news—but it is based on mutual trust and
respect. Their connection becomes even deeper after
Rorschach apologizes for his "difficult" personality. In that
moment Dan's longtime crime-fighting partner finally becomes
his friend.
Veidt Enterprises
Correspondence
Summary
The final grouping of realia is business correspondence
between Adrian Veidt and the presidents of various
departments in his company. The head of Marketing and
Development shares a brochure for proposed additions to the
Ozymandias action figure line, and the director of Veidt
Cosmetics and Toiletries suggests a departure from the
Nostalgia line of fragrances. The final document is a sales
piece for the Veidt Method self-improvement program.
Analysis
Adrian has no qualms about earning money from his
Ozymandias persona, but he's not willing to overstep legal and
Watchmen Study Guide
social boundaries by putting images of his friends and foe up
for sale. That may not change how Rorschach views him—in
Chapter 1 he accuses Veidt of being no better than a
prostitute—but it demonstrates Veidt isn't willing to
compromise his ethics to make a buck. In his letter to the
marketing department, however, Veidt doesn't mention any
moral problems with the proposal; he instead says he doesn't
want to make Rorschach and Nite Owl into action figures
because "[t]he American public has never really gone in for
super-heroes in a big way." That's only partially true.
Superheroes were all the rage in the late 1930s and 1940s, but
public sentiment turned when a more cynical and
technologically advanced breed of heroes was introduced in
the 1960s.
Adrian's letter to the marketing department also indicates how
closely his business decisions are tied to the global mood. He
is eager to release a new line of action figures because history
suggests "an increase in the sale of soldiers and action figures"
during times of political and militaristic upheaval. Likewise,
sales figures show Nostalgia perfume's success is due partly
to ads exhorting customers to look to the past as a source of
happiness. Adrian knows this worldwide longing for the old
days will fade after he unveils his master plan for de-escalating
the threat of nuclear war, which is why he suggests a new line
of cosmetics that "[project] a vision of a technological Utopia."
Adrian might be one of the more moral and ethical business
people of the moment, but even when world peace is at stake
he won't completely sacrifice his capitalistic instincts.
Chapter 11
Summary
Rorschach and Dan Dreiberg (dressed as Nite Owl) arrive in
Antarctica. As they ride air scooters to Adrian Veidt's Antarctic
lair, Adrian invites his three servants into the Vivarium, a glass-
enclosed tropical garden. He offers them drinks as celebration
and tells them his life story. Orphaned at 17, wealthy from a
generous inheritance, and indescribably smart, young Adrian
could have lived a life of "idle luxury" but instead "burned with
the paradoxical urge to do everything." The only person he saw
as his peer was Alexander of Macedonia (also known as
Alexander the Great), the ancient Greek king and legendary
leader who forged one of the biggest empires of the ancient
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Chapter Summaries 37
world before he was 30. Adrian decided to give away all his
money and literally follow in his hero's footsteps, traveling the
world to find enlightenment. Along the way he did some drugs
in the desert and had a vision of himself walking with ancient
kings. He adopted the name of Egyptian king Rameses II (in
Greek, Ozymandias) and came back to the United States to
conquer "the evils that beset [men]." When he finishes his
story, his servants are dead, or at least comatose. Adrian
retracts the glass walls of the Vivarium, and the servants are
almost entirely covered in snow by the time he returns to his
lair.
Various characters converge at the newsstand in New York
City. Ex-lovers Aline and Joey get into a fistfight as Gloria and
Dr. Malcolm Long are reunited. Malcolm wants to break up the
fight, and Gloria threatens to leave him for good if he gets
involved. The black teenager hanging out at the newsstand
reads the last part of The Black Freighter. The narrator of the
comic book makes it to his family's home and accidentally kills
his wife while his children watch. The pirate ship waits for him
at sea; he swims to it and climbs aboard to the sound of
cheers. When the teenager puts down the comic, the news
vendor introduces himself. It turns out he and the kid are both
named Bernard/Bernie.
In Antarctica Dan and Rorschach finally make it to Adrian's
hideaway. Adrian easily overpowers the two interlopers and
explains his master plan. He never liked the Comedian's
outlook on the world and vowed "to deny his kind their last
black laugh at Earth's expense." He tells Dan and Rorschach
he commissioned artists and writers to create an alien-like
monster on a remote island to be teleported to New York City.
It would explode upon arrival and kill half the population.
Fearing intergalactic enemies, warring governments around
the world would be forced to band together. World peace
would follow. The Comedian found out about the plan and told
Moloch, so Adrian killed them. He then got Dr. Manhattan out
of the way and staged his own assassination attempt.
Dan doesn't think any of this is possible, but he's glad he and
Rorschach got there in time to stop Adrian's "hopeless black
fantasy." Except they didn't. Adrian teleported the monster 35
minutes ago. At the newsstand, a flash of blinding light
decimates everything—and everyone—in its path. The chapter
ends with a quotation from Ozymandias by the English
Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley: "My name is
Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and
despair!"
Watchmen Study Guide
Analysis
Adrian's idol, Alexander of Macedonia, ruled the ancient Greek
state from 336 to 323 BCE. Ruthless and power hungry, one of
his first acts as king was to kill the men behind his father's
death, followed by all his own rivals and anyone who stood in
opposition to him. He and his enormous armies marched
eastward and south into Asia and Egypt, conquering
everything that stood in their path. Cities that rebelled against
him were burnt to the ground, and all survivors were taken as
slaves. Yet the more area he conquered, the more his ideas
about social equality changed. When Alexander first set out to
conquer the eastern Mediterranean seaboard, it was with the
idea that native Macedonians would reign supreme over the
annexed peoples, who were mostly Persians. Along the way,
Alexander changed his mind and decided Persians would be
allowed to stand alongside Macedonians in government and
society. Moreover, he wanted to create a "master race" that
unified the Macedonian and Persian bloodlines.
The Macedonians hated that idea. This wasn't what Alexander
had originally promised them—they didn't want to be
considered equals of the people their king had conquered.
Alexander, however, didn't much care what his people thought.
By that time he had decided he was a god and told everyone to
treat him as such. Ancient Greek culture has multiple stories of
mortals who acquire divine status, so though his
pronouncement was unusual, it wasn't entirely crazy. The city
under his control acknowledged his desires but made clear it
didn't believe the hype.
So which Alexander does Adrian Veidt identify with: the hard-
fisted ruler who yearned to unite different peoples or the
somewhat delusional king who thinks he's more god than
mortal? It's more than a little of both. Adrian's ultimate goal is
to unify ideologically different governments without stripping
them or their peoples of the things that make them unique.
He's not trying to make the Soviets give up communism or ruin
the workings of American democracy. He really just wants
everyone to get along. He believes that requires a common
enemy, which just so happens to be aliens. This, he believes,
will make him even more successful than Alexander, whose
hard work was negated when his conquered territories split
into separate kingdoms after his death. That's where Adrian's
megalomania, or delusion about his own power and greatness,
comes in. Adrian doesn't just want to be a king—he thinks he is
a king. When he's in his Antarctic lair, he sheds the clothing and
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Chapter Summaries 38
personality of businessman Adrian Veidt and puts on the regal
cape, tunic, and headband of Ozymandias. That's not normal.
Neither is his belief he can succeed where an ancient king
whose exploits are bolstered by legend couldn't. He sees
himself as being better than everyone else, even famed rulers.
Adrian's belief in the supremacy of his ideas and himself is
what allows him to kill his servants with little regret. He justifies
their deaths by comparing them to those of servants of ancient
kings, who were killed so as not to share their masters' secrets.
He doesn't take this responsibility lightly, as he's reluctant to
do it in the first place, but he goes through with it for what he
believes is the greater good. That same thinking applies to the
millions of deaths he knows will result from his fake alien
invasion. He believes collateral damage is a necessary evil
when solving the problems of the world. This is in stark
contrast to the Comedian, who killed indiscriminately because
he believed the world was already doomed.
Interview with Adrian Veidt
Summary
Doug Roth's 1975 interview with Adrian Veidt portrays the
recently retired vigilante as an affable, down-to-earth
businessman who is concerned about the fate of the world. He
says "a new world is within our grasp ... if only we want it badly
enough." He points out there are some who would rather see
the world end instead of take responsibility for its continuation.
He's not one of those people.
Analysis
He's smart, he's handsome, he's funny, and he's able to make
jokes about cocaine with the best of them. Is there anything
Adrian Veidt can't do? Doug Roth's interview veers into the
fawning territory of a teen celebrity magazine minus the
cheesy pin-up posters. In all honesty that's not too hard to
do—Adrian is eminently likeable. His earnest desire to save the
world is hard to dispute, as is his meteoric rise to fame and
fortune. Born to wealth and privilege, he gave it all away to
start where most people start: with nothing. His hard work and
determination paid off, and now he's the embodiment of the
American Dream, chiseled abs and all.
Watchmen Study Guide
The Nova Express article emphasizes what Adrian told Dan
Dreiberg and Rorschach in Chapter 11. Everything he has done
is for the greater good. He's not a villain. There are, in fact, no
true villains in Watchmen, nor are there morally pure heroes.
Author Alan Moore does this on purpose. His characters may
be archetypes, or representatives of common personalities,
but they aren't one-dimensional. Like real people, they all have
positive and negative characteristics. Adrian may have
arranged the deaths of millions of people, but he did it to save
the rest of humanity. It's hard to categorize him as a "bad guy"
because his intentions are so good.
Chapter 12
Summary
It is midnight on November 2, 1985. New York City is a picture
of carnage: dead bodies are heaped upon one another, and
blood runs through the streets. Laurie Juspeczyk and Dr.
Manhattan teleport in from Mars to find giant tentacles snaking
through the mess. Dr. Manhattan is almost jubilant—he had no
premonition about the attack because "a squall of tachyons"
(hypothetical particles that travel faster than light) are blocking
his ability to accurately see different parts of time at once. The
feeling of uncertainty about what comes next is exhilarating.
Laurie, however, is completely horrified and on the verge of
becoming sick. She asks Dr. Manhattan to "take it away." They
teleport to where Dr. Manhattan thinks the tachyons are
originating.
In Antarctica Adrian Veidt tells Dan Dreiberg and Rorschach he
had a psychic's brain cloned, enlarged, and put into the
gigantic octopus. The brain was filled with "terrible" information
about a fictional alien world. When the octopus was teleported
to New York, the brain broadcasted horrific images, messages,
and sounds. Even people who lived nowhere near New York
would be haunted by them for years to come.
Dr. Manhattan and Laurie arrive. Dr. Manhattan teleports
himself inside the lair and tracks Adrian into a mechanical
workroom, where he's lured into a "subtractor" with Bubastis,
Adrian's genetically modified pet lynx. Adrian flips the switch,
and Dr. Manhattan and Bubastis are blown to smithereens. He
turns and comes face to face with Laurie, who shoots him.
Adrian catches the bullet and kicks her to the ground.
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Chapter Summaries 39
Moments later, Dr. Manhattan's enormous arm breaks through
a glass wall and reaches for Adrian. He has put himself back
together, and he's pretty upset Adrian thinks he could get rid of
him so easily.
Adrian turns on his bank of TV screens. Every channel is
covering the "alien invasion" in New York. Millions of people are
dead, but Russia has withdrawn from Afghanistan and a peace
summit in Geneva is imminent. Adrian lifts his arms in triumph
and yells, "I did it!" The others reluctantly agree. Laurie, Dan,
and Dr. Manhattan think nobody should know the truth behind
the invasion, but Rorschach refuses to compromise. "Not even
in the face of Armageddon," he says before leaving the lair. He
isn't surprised when Dr. Manhattan follows him, nor when Dr.
Manhattan blasts him to pieces.
Dr. Manhattan finds Dan and Laurie spooning next to the
indoor pool in a post-coital nap. He walks across the pool and
up the walls to Adrian's orrery (a mechanical model of the solar
system). Adrian is eager to explain how he feels the weight "of
that awful, necessary crime" and mourns every death. He
hopes Dr. Manhattan can understand. Dr. Manhattan does,
"without condoning or condemning." He leaves Earth for
another galaxy.
Two months later Laurie and Dan visit Sally Jupiter in California
on Christmas Day. They have disguised themselves as Sam
and Sandra Hollis, and they're starting a new life together.
Laurie tells Sally she knows who her father is, and she isn't
upset with Sally for hiding it from her. "You never did anything
wrong by me," she tells her mother.
New York City has been pieced back together. At the New
Frontiersman, Mr. Godfrey tells Seymour to select something
from the crank pile to run in the paper—they have two pages to
fill and they can't write about Russia now that it's an ally.
Seymour, wearing a smiley face shirt stained with ketchup,
reaches for Rorschach's journal. The chapter ends with a lyric
from the song "Santies" by musician John Cale: "It would be a
stronger world, a strong loving world, to die in."
Analysis
The focus of the first six pages of Chapter 12 is the unending
mass of dead bodies resulting from the mutant octopus's
arrival, but there are also subtle graphic elements that speak to
the magnitude of Adrian's actions. The first is the clock on the
Watchmen Study Guide
chapter's "cover" and page 1. The clocks in Watchmen are all
related to the Doomsday Clock, which represents how close
the world stands to global catastrophe. Started in 1947,
scientists update the Doomsday Clock every year. The closer
its hands get to midnight, the more likely disaster is. The clocks
at the beginning of each chapter in Watchmen have ticked
steadily closer to the dreaded hour, and in Chapter 12 it has
finally arrived.
Other indications of the magnitude of the disaster can be
found in background signage. A Madison Square Garden sign
boasts the band Pale Horse is performing with another band,
Krystalnacht. "Krystalnacht" is a reference to "Kristallnacht," or
"the Night of Broken Glass" in Nazi Germany. On November 9,
1938, Nazis throughout Germany took to the streets to destroy
Jewish-owned businesses, property, and places of worship.
They killed 91 Jews, and 30,000 Jewish men were imprisoned
for no reason other than their ethnicity. Naming Pale Horse's
opening act after this brutal event is author Alan Moore's way
of calling out the senseless violence Adrian is willing to inflict
on innocent people in the name of the greater good. ("Pale
Horse," incidentally, is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse as described in the New Testament of the Bible.)
Another sign, this time for the 1951 movie The Day the Earth
Stood Still, is even more telling. In this sci-fi thriller, an alien
comes to Earth to warn the planet will be destroyed if humans
cannot learn to live peacefully with one another. This is
Adrian's very plan.
Adrian has mixed feelings about the havoc he wrought in New
York City. On one hand, he brought two superpowers back
from the brink of mutual nuclear annihilation. On the other
hand, he killed three million people. He feels enormously guilty
about what he did to achieve his goals—even though he
believes he had no choice—and Dr. Manhattan's parting words
don't make him feel much better. When Adrian tries to justify
his actions by saying "[i]t all worked out in the end," Dr.
Manhattan points out "[n]othing ever ends." The world peace
Adrian has managed to achieve is only a temporary fix. Power-
hungry humans got themselves into this mess, and they will
undoubtedly do so again. It is harder for Adrian to justify his
actions when he realizes the results are not going to last.
Two separate instances of religious imagery in Chapter 12
portray Adrian and Dr. Manhattan as Jesus-like figures. The
first is when Adrian shouts, "I did it!" upon learning of the
success of his plan. Standing in front of a painting of Alexander
the Great, Adrian lifts his arms in victory. This panel is drawn so
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Quotes 40
that it looks like the sword and the staff in the painting are
going through his hands. This is symbolic of Jesus's crucifixion,
and it paints Adrian as a Christ-like figure who bore the sins of
the world before making a difficult sacrifice to ensure the
continuation of humankind. Dr. Manhattan has his own "Jesus
moment" when he walks across the water of Adrian's
swimming pool. It has already been established that Dr.
Manhattan isn't human, but this depiction firmly puts him in the
realm of the gods. The laws of Earth, even those of gravity,
don't apply to him. When he leaves Earth a few pages later, he
does so to create human life of his own. Professor Glass was
speaking the truth in "Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and the
Superpowers"—the man formerly known as Jon Osterman
really has become a god.
The final pages of Watchmen leave the futures of the
characters and the planet open-ended. Dan and Laurie are
planning a return to crime fighting—thugs and cheats don't
magically disappear with the arrival of world peace—and
Adrian's plans are unknown. The most important part of the
story's conclusion is the threat of renewed global tension.
Rorschach put his journal in the mail before he learned the
details of Adrian's plan, but what he has already documented is
enough to send the authorities to Adrian's door. Will the public
believe something printed in the New Frontiersman, which
regularly mines its articles from "the crank pile"? Moore's text
doesn't answer that question, but illustrator Dave Gibbons
does. The last frame of the book recalls the very first: a yellow
smiley face with a slash of red across one eye. It appears
world peace isn't made to last.
g Quotes
"Evil must be punished. Even in the
face of Armageddon I shall not
compromise."
— Rorschach, Chapter 1
Rorschach's strict moral code pushes him to investigate the
Comedian's murder even when it seems like the world is on the
brink of nuclear destruction. He realizes one death may not
matter a lot in the grand scheme of things, but he cannot let a
Watchmen Study Guide
wrong go unpunished.
"Who are we protecting them
from?"
— Dan Dreiberg, Chapter 2
Dan asks this question as he and the Comedian hold rioting
New Yorkers at bay in 1975. The crowd is rioting against the
vigilantes, and Dan is beginning to question the usefulness of
the vigilantes' profession. The Comedian responds that they're
protecting civilians from "themselves," but Dan doesn't seem
so sure.
"Yes, we were crazy, we were
kinky, we were Nazis."
— Hollis Mason, Under the Hood (Chapters 3 and 4)
Alan Moore's masked vigilantes are nothing like the
superheroes of old. All flawed in some way, they seem more
human than the traditional superhero of the 1960s and '70s.
Some of these flaws—Rorschach's terrible childhood, for
example—make the characters more sympathetic, while
others—like Hooded Justice's admiration for Hitler—make them
harder to like.
"You know how every damn thing
in this world fits together except
people!"
— Janey Slater, Chapter 3
Janey says this to Dr. Manhattan shortly after the
assassination of John F. Kennedy. She's trying to tell him he
lost his humanity when he became a superhuman. His inability
to understand the more illogical aspects of human nature
prevent him from being a true superhero.
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Quotes 41
"Part of ... being a hero is knowing
when you don't need to be one
anymore."
— Hollis Mason, Under the Hood (Chapter 5)
Hollis decides to retire his owl costume not long after Dr.
Manhattan introduces himself to the world. Hollis no longer
feels necessary or relevant now that a godlike being is
watching over the United States. He can make peace with his
retirement because he knows the world will be well cared for.
"The morality of my activities
escapes me."
— Dr. Manhattan, Chapter 4
Dr. Manhattan's transformation into a superhuman strips him of
his moral compass. He no longer sees events or actions as
morally right or wrong—he sees only facts and logic. That's not
very helpful in the long run. The United States government
relies on Dr. Manhattan to protect the country from nuclear
attack, but he feels no moral obligation to fulfill his duty. When
he loses Laurie Juspeczyk, his one connection to Earth, he no
longer feels the need to protect the planet.
"We are all of us living in the
shadow of Manhattan."
— Professor Milton Glass, Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and
the Superpowers
Dr. Manhattan isn't just a nuclear deterrent. His unique
capabilities and groundbreaking research have revolutionized
what people wear and how they travel. In his essay Dr. Glass
points out just how much the world relies on someone who isn't
even human. It's an enormous risk that weighs heavily on
humanity, whether people realize it or not.
Watchmen Study Guide Quotes 42

"We're both leftovers." "We're all puppets, Laurie. I'm just

a puppet who can see the strings."
— Dan Dreiberg, Chapter 5

— Dr. Manhattan, Chapter 9

Dan's offer to let Laurie Juspeczyk move in with him hints at
how much he misses being Nite Owl. The Keene Act, outlawing
Dr. Manhattan doesn't experience time as humans do. For him
masked vigilantism, has made him feel obsolete, and only a few
the past, present, and future play out at once. Laurie becomes
other people, including Laurie, can relate to his feelings. Of all
upset with him when she realizes he goes along with what is
the retired masked vigilantes, Dan misses the old days the
preordained instead of trying to change it. His response
most.
indicates this is the case for everyone—they just don't know it.

"I abandoned my disguise and

"Needing nothing, I burned with
became myself, free from fear or
the paradoxical urge to do
weakness or lust."
everything."
— Rorschach, Chapter 5
— Adrian Veidt, Chapter 11

The disguise of which Rorschach speaks is his "civilian"

Adrian could have lived in ease and luxury after his parents'
persona. When he is Walter Kovacs, the ugliness of the
deaths, but he instead gave everything away so he could
world—prostitution, commercialism, violent crime—is too much
create a life on his own terms. He wouldn't have been satisfied
for him to handle. That all goes away when he puts on his
as a wealthy playboy; he wanted his life to mean something. He
black-and-white mask and trench coat. Like a suit of armor, it
wouldn't consider himself a truly great man until he solved the
protects him from the overwhelming unhappiness surrounding
world's biggest problems.
him. He feels stronger and more capable than Rorschach,
which is why what used to be a costumed identity has become
his primary identity.
"I understood what innocent intent
had brought me to, and ... waded
"We do it because we are
out beyond my depth."
compelled."
— Comic book narrator, Chapter 11
— Rorschach, Chapter 6

The comic book narrator's musings as he swims to the pirate

Rorschach says this while he is in prison, during his interview
with Dr. Malcolm Long. He's describing the instinct to face
problems head-on instead of turning a blind eye. It is
impossible for him to see something and then pretend it
doesn't exist, which is why he is still a vigilante long after the
Keene Act passed. It turns out Dr. Long is the same way. Like
Rorschach, he cannot resist the urge to help others even when
it's in his best interest not to get involved.
ship foreshadow what Adrian eventually will realize about his
plan to scare the world into global peace. Adrian's intent was
innocent, as was that of the comic book narrator, but his
actions put the blood of millions on his hands. No matter how
much he tries to justify what he did, he will have a hard time
living with the consequences.

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Watchmen Study Guide
"Failing to prevent Earth's
salvation is your only triumph."
— Adrian Veidt, Chapter 12
Adrian is right: if Rorschach and Dan Dreiberg succeeded in
stopping his plan to send a gigantic mutant octopus to New
York City, they also would have blocked any chances of
nuclear disarmament and world peace. Their success is in their
failure, which is unusual for comic book heroes. It also brings
up the question of who is the real hero in this situation. Is it
Adrian, who secured world peace but caused millions to die, or
is it Dan and Rorschach, who tried to do the "morally correct"
thing and prevent the carnage? That is the ultimate question of
Watchmen: what should be considered morally correct and
who should be the judge of it?
"One more body amongst
foundations makes little
difference."
— Rorschach, Chapter 12
Unlike Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk, Rorschach doesn't
intend to keep the truth about New York's "alien invasion" a
secret. He has always said he refuses to compromise his moral
principles, but he also knows not everyone follows the same
moral code. He believes "one more body" does make a
difference—that's why he spent so much effort trying to find
out who killed the Comedian. Dr. Manhattan and Adrian, on the
other hand, think the world's greater good is more important.
Rorschach appeals to Dr. Manhattan's sense of logic to
provoke him to get the job over with.
l Symbols
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Symbols 43
Christ Figures
Author Alan Moore includes several Biblical allusions, or
references, in Watchmen, but none are as blatant as the
religious imagery in Chapter 12. The first instance is when
Adrian Veidt celebrates the success of his plan to unite
opposing governments against a common enemy. He raises his
arms in celebration against a backdrop of a painting of
Alexander the Great. From the position of Adrian's arms, it
looks as if the staff and the sword in the painting are piercing
his fists. His "crucifixion" is symbolic of the sacrifice he made
to ensure world peace. Unlike Jesus, he didn't sacrifice himself,
but he did have the fate of the world in mind when he doomed
millions of New Yorkers to death. He is a Christ figure in the
sense that his purpose was to save others, and he made an
enormous sacrifice to do it.
Dr. Manhattan is also portrayed as a Christ figure in Chapter
12. He literally walks across water after coming across Laurie
Juspeczyk and Dan Dreiberg lying by Adrian's indoor pool. He
is depicted as both a savior and a danger throughout the book,
and his light steps across the watery surface confirm there is
nothing human about him. He also exhibits Christ-like
benevolence and forgiveness in the preceding panels. He is not
angry when he sees Laurie and Dan spooning on a bearskin
rug. He instead looks moderately touched and pleased by the
tableau in front of him. No longer jealous that Laurie has moved
on from their relationship, he seems happy that she's happy.
That, too, is a lot to ask of a mere human.
Dr. Manhattan's Clothing
Dr. Manhattan wasn't always a big naked blue guy. In the early
1960s he wore pants and a black tank top during his off-hours
and a black skintight body suit with a blue belt when he
represented the government. Though he was no longer human,
he still felt human modesty, even in his own home. That
changes as the years pass. Though he's required to wear
formal attire for government functions, his crime-fighting
costume becomes skimpier. At the 1966 meeting of the
Crimebusters, his full-body jumpsuit has been cut down to a
leotard. By the time he's in Vietnam, he's wearing the
Watchmen Study Guide
equivalent of a swimsuit, which becomes progressively
skimpier over time. He no longer wears a robe at home with
Laurie, and when he returns to Earth following New York's
destruction, he's completely naked. His nakedness symbolizes
his loss of human identity and connection with humanity.
m Themes
Identity
As masked crime fighters, all of Watchmen's main characters
have dual identities. In some cases the alter egos are the
personalities each vigilante wishes they had in "real" life. Dan
Dreiberg, for example, feels more confident and powerful when
he's dressed as Nite Owl. When he snaps on his utility belt, he
no longer worries about nuclear war or unrequited love.
Rorschach, whose vigilante work often ends in violence, is
better equipped to acknowledge and address the evils of
society when he disappears behind his mask. As Walter
Kovacs, he couldn't deal with the way he brutally murdered
Gerald Grice's German Shepherd, but as Rorschach the gore
doesn't bother him at all. It's a necessary means to an end.
Rorschach eventually comes to find himself identifying more
with his vigilante persona than his everyday self, which is why
the persona of Rorschach supersedes that of Walter Kovacs
to become his primary identity. The same thing happens with
Adrian Veidt. For Rorschach, leaving behind Walter Kovacs is
symbolic of his decision to move past the difficulties of
childhood. For Adrian, embodying the role of Ozymandias
outside of work represents his belief that he is an all-powerful
ruler on par with Alexander the Great and Ramses II. Both men
view their "regular" personas as disguises of their true selves.
These disguises of normalcy are imperative for gathering intel
and, in Adrian's case, building fortunes and good will, but each
man prefers to wear the personalities of their crime-fighting
alter egos.
Some of the characters in Watchmen also lose their identities.
Sally Jupiter, nee Juspeczyk, does it on purpose. She changes
her last name to "Jupiter" to erase the Polish part of her
heritage at a time when Poles were looked down upon in the
United States. Dr. Manhattan slowly and inadvertently loses his
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Themes 44
human identity after his transformation from blond scientist to
blue superhuman. He is more in tune with atomic structure
than human emotion, and as the years pass, he becomes less
and less able to empathize with individuals and humanity as a
whole. By 1985 he sees himself as separate from the people
he's there to protect. Only Laurie Juspeczyk treats him as if he
were mortal. She refers to him by his original name, Jon, and
continually implores him to think about the emotional impact of
his actions. Their breakup cuts the last string tethering him to
humanity, and he departs Earth for a world devoid of human
emotion and convoluted logic.
Ethics and Morality
Each of the masked vigilantes in Watchmen has a different set
of morals and ethics. Ethics are the moral principles that
influence a person's behavior, while morality determines
whether an action is right or wrong. As there is no universal
guideline for morals and ethics, it is up to each person to
decide what is best for them. In Watchmen that means several
different viewpoints about what makes an action acceptable or
not. These differences are best described by three different
ethical philosophies.
Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism is the belief that an action is
right if it results in happiness for everyone affected, not just
the person who instigated it. Adrian Veidt subscribes to this
theory. Even though he knew his plan for world peace would
result in the deaths of millions of people, he also knew
millions and millions more around the world would benefit
from it.
Egoism: Egoism is the belief that people should pursue
actions that are in their own self-interest. They do not care
about the fate of anyone else affected by the action. This
theory applies to the Comedian. He couldn't wait to leave
Vietnam when the war was over even though his
Vietnamese girlfriend was pregnant with his child. She
pleads with him to stay, saying she can't forget the child that
grows inside of her. He tells her, "Well, that's unfortunate,
because that's just what I'm gonna do." She attacks him with
a broken beer bottle, so he shoots her. Her death (and that
of her unborn child) was in only his best interest, not hers.
Until he figured out the magnitude of Adrian's plan, he cared
only for himself.
Watchmen Study Guide
Deontological ethics: Utilitarianism and egoism fall under
the category of teleological ethics, which state that the
"rightness" of an action is determined by result of that
action. If the result of the action is good, then the act is
morally good. The opposite of that is deontological ethics,
which separates the morality of the action from its outcome.
A moral action can still have a negative outcome. That's how
Rorschach operates. He feels morally obligated to tell the
world about Adrian's plan. That would undoubtedly disrupt
world peace, but it's still the right thing to do. His version of
morality is very black and white, and he has no patience in
the gray areas in which Adrian dabbles.
Morals also affect the lives of some of the minor characters in
Watchmen. Those who congregate at the newsstand (Dr.
Malcolm Long and his wife, Gloria; Joey and Aline; Bernard and
Bernie) can be divided into two groups: those who feel a moral
obligation to help others and make things right and those who
believe everyone must fend for themselves. Aline tries to help
Joey by giving her a self-help book, and when they fight, Dr.
Long goes against his wife's wishes and tries to break it up. It
turns out, however, that it is the Comedian who is right: it
doesn't matter if people try to help each other or not. We are
all going to die in the end.
Fate
The idea of fate plays a large role in the actions of Watchmen's
characters. Some, like the Comedian and Dr. Manhattan, are
fatalists. They believe everything that happens is preordained
and therefore cannot be changed. That's why the Comedian
isn't interested in being part of the Crimebusters: "You think
[catching criminals] matters? You think that solves anything?"
he asks rhetorically. "Inside thirty years the nukes are gonna be
flyin' like maybugs." He doesn't see the point of crime fighting
when the world is going to end soon anyway.
Dr. Manhattan takes a similar yet slightly less pessimistic view.
He can see all aspects of time, which means he can
experience the future at the same time he's experiencing the
past or the present. He knows what's going to happen before it
happens. Laurie Juspeczyk and Janey Slater both get angry
with him for not preventing tragedies like the assassination of
John F. Kennedy, but Dr. Manhattan says he "can't prevent the
Copyright © 2018 Course Hero, Inc.
Themes 45
future. To [him], it's already happening." Instead he makes sure
the present matches the preordained future.
There are, of course, plenty of characters who don't believe
fate to be immovable. Rorschach and Dan Dreiberg track down
the Comedian's murderer and try to convince him to rethink his
master plan. Adrian also believes fate can be changed. He
does everything in his power to prevent nuclear war between
the United States and Russia and establish peace between .
rival nations.
Flawed Heroes
Watchmen differs from the superhero comics that came before
it in that author Alan Moore insisted on making his characters
three-dimensional. Unlike the early versions of Batman and
Superman, Rorschach, Adrian Veidt, Dan Dreiberg, and Laurie
Juspeczyk all have good qualities and bad qualities. Some are
darker than others, but none, not even Adrian, can be
considered a villain. Moore has said in interviews that he "went
out of [his] way" to give even the most unpleasant characters
positive characteristics. By doing so, the reader can better
understand each character's motivations.
Rorschach, for example, is noticeably unkempt and ill-
mannered. He breaks into Dan's house without a second
thought and eats vegetables straight from the can; he's never
clean-shaven and he always smells a little rank. It's hard to
sympathize with someone like that. Moore's inclusion of
Rorschach's backstory—his negligent mother, his upbringing in
a group home, his lack of career training—helps the reader
understand why Rorschach is the way he is, which makes it
easier for the reader to connect with him.
Likewise, none of the characters are all-out heroes. Dan, who
rescues his partner and gets the girl, comes the closest to
taking on the classic hero role in Watchmen. Yet he, too, has
his bad points, lacking self-confidence out of uniform to the
point where he is unable to take any action at all. Only Laurie's
prodding gets him into the owl suit and back on the streets.
Flawed superheroes are, of course, incredibly common now,
but only because of the work Moore did in Watchmen.
Watchmen Study Guide Motifs 46

ice and a scooter handle illuminated against the yellow light of

Time the tunnel form a makeshift smiley face, and steam from
Rorschach's recently obliterated body is the streak of blood.

This symbol appears in more than a dozen other places in the

The subject of time is a frequent theme in Alan Moore's body
book, and with good reason: it represents the grim realities of
of work. In Watchmen Moore proposes that time is a
life. Neither optimism nor power nor strength can erase the
meaningless construct devised for the inferior human mind. In
ugliness of the human race and people's treatment of one
Chapter 9 Dr. Manhattan compares time to "an intricately
another. Society strives for happiness but finds nothing but
structured jewel." He can see every side of the metaphorical
misery. This is true for the Comedian, who embraces the
jewel, but humans "insist on viewing one edge at a time." While
world's disastrous fate with grace until he learns about
regular people can experience only the present, Dr. Manhattan
Adrian's plan, which is more terrible than anything he could
lives through the past, present, and future at the same time.
ever imagine before. The thought of all those lost lives ruins
This is one of the reasons he believes the future is
him before he hits the pavement. Even Adrian loses his
preordained. He has already experienced it, so it therefore
formerly contagious optimism when he realizes human nature
cannot be changed.
cannot be controlled, and the peace he worked so hard to
This can be difficult for other characters—and the reader—to achieve will be fleeting. The image of the bloodied smiley face
understand, which puts an enormous strain on Dr. Manhattan's reminds the reader the worst can always happen—and
personal life. He knows before he even meets Laurie that she probably will.
will someday leave him, yet he feels he must go through the
motions of the relationship so its end plays out just as he had
already experienced it. The same thing happens when he is Nostalgia Perfume
accused on national television of causing his ex-girlfriend
Janey Slater's cancer. He can see what will happen but cannot Adrian Veidt's Nostalgia perfume is seen frequently throughout
take steps to prevent it. The knowledge of what is to come is the pages of Watchmen, both in billboard and magazine
more of a burden than a blessing, and it brings a certain advertisements and in the hands of the book's characters. Its
sadness to Dr. Manhattan's character. He is always aware that name was chosen to remind people of better days,
his good fortune will someday end. encouraging them to buy during times of "global uncertainty."
The perfume appears in Watchmen when characters are
thinking about "the old days." It's on Sally Jupiter's dresser as
she and Hollis reminisce over the phone. Rorschach, who
b Motifs misses the days when vigilantism was legal and admired, keeps
a bottle of it in his pocket and apparently douses himself in the
fragrance to cover up more unsavory smells. Laurie hurls a
bottle of the perfume at Dr. Manhattan's glass clockwork
Bloodied Smiley Face castle after she revisits old memories and realizes the
Comedian is her father. When a bottle of Nostalgia is visible,
The most recognizable part of the Comedian's costume is the
glimpses of an idealized past aren't far behind.
yellow smiley face pinned to his left shoulder. The accessory is
meant to poke fun at people's optimism in a world doomed to
nuclear Armageddon. When the Comedian is murdered, his
treasured symbol ends up on the sidewalk, with a streak above
The Black Freighter
the left eye. The bloodied smiley face appears in different
The Black Freighter is the comic-within-the-comic read by
guises throughout the book. In Chapter 4 there is a smiley face
Bernie, the teenager who sits next to the newsstand every day.
made of rocks on Mars. In Chapter 12 a spark hydrant is
It tells the story of an unnamed narrator marooned on a
smeared with blood; its sockets look like the eyes on the
deserted island after a deadly altercation with a pirate ship
Comedian's pin. Chapter 12 has another hidden bloodied smiley
from hell. It's up to him to find a way back to his hometown and
face in the panels immediately after Rorschach's death. Black

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Watchmen Study Guide Suggested Reading 47

save his family before the pirates arrive. The Black Freighter is Gibbons, Dave, et al. Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive
a cautionary tale about the dangers of doing what is morally Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel. Titan, 2010.
right, and the narrator's plight parallels that of Watchmen's
vigilantes, particularly Adrian Veidt. Each man considers Hoberek, Andrew. Considering Watchmen: Poetics, Property,

himself a moral person, yet each is willing to kill others who Politics. Rutgers UP, 2014.

stand in the way of a goal. The comic book narrator kills two
townspeople so they don't report him to the pirates; Adrian
oversees the deaths of the Comedian, Moloch, his three
Vietnamese servants, his assistant, several employees, and
millions of New Yorkers. They think their aspirations justify the
loss of life. When they finally achieve their goals, they are not
happy with the men they have become.
Hughes, Jamie A. "'Who Watches the Watchmen?': Ideology
and 'Real World' Superheroes." Journal of Popular Culture, vol.
39, no. 4, Aug. 2006, pp. 546–57. EBSCOhost.
Keating, Erin M. "The Female Link: Citation and Continuity in
Watchmen." Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 45, no. 6, Dec.
2012, pp. 1266–88. EBSCOhost.

Millidge, Gary Spencer. Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary

Clocks Gentleman. Abiogenesis, 2013.

Van Ness, Sara J. Watchmen as Literature: A Critical Study of

The clock is one of Watchmen's most prevalent images. An
the Graphic Novel. McFarland, 2010.
analog clock appears at the beginning of each chapter; its
hands tick steadily closer to midnight with the passing of each White, Mark D. Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test.
part of the story. Chapter 1's clock is at 11:58; Chapter 12's is at Wiley, 2009.
12:00. This is symbolic of the Doomsday Clock, a metaphor for
the world's proximity to global disaster. The Doomsday Clock
was established in 1947, and scientists and security experts
determine its movements each year. Rhetoric in favor of
nuclear action advances the clock's hands; steps to prevent
such actions move the hands in reverse. When determining the
Doomsday Clock's movements, experts take factors such as
climate change into account as well. However, the clocks in
Watchmen advance only as the threat of war increases. This
increases the tension with each subsequent chapter and
foreshadows calamity at the book's end. That's why even
though Adrian Veidt deploys the mutant octopus a little before
11:30 p.m., the clocks all over New York City read midnight.

e Suggested Reading
Barnes, David. "Time in the Gutter: Temporal Structures in
Watchmen." Kronoscope, vol. 9, no. 1/2, May 2009, pp. 51–60.
EBSCOhost.

Bensam, Richard. Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on

Watchmen. Sequart Research & Literacy, 2011.

Flad, Lukas. "Postmodern Elements in Watchmen." Medium, 10

Jan. 2017.

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