Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Watchmen: Chapter I - page 17

PAGE 17

Panel 1: Again, we get that visual symbolism of the heroes being above everything, as we look up at Veidt’s skyscraper. Atop the building is his personal symbol – a pyramid – and if we look below the bank of windows, there is a clock with the hands very close to midnight like the Doomsday clock.

Panel 3: Note that Rorschach is not wearing his hat while speaking with Veidt, showing respect for this “better class of person,” something that seems almost contrary to the character of Rorschach.

Panel 4: This is the first panel where the audience sees Veidt’s color scheme of purple and gold (his hair). Like most superheroes in comics, these heroes have their primary color schemes: the Comedian is red, white, and blue, Dr. Manhattan is a light blue, and Ozymandias is purple and gold (colors of royalty).

We also see Rorschach is playing with a doll on Veidt’s desk that, readers find out, is an Ozymandias action figure.

And Rorschach shares another insight into this world when he states, “America has Dr. Manhattan. Reds (the Russians) have been running scared since ’65.”

Panel 5: Ozymandias says, when speaking of the Comedian, “The man was practically a Nazi,” which is an astute observation about the type of man Blake was.

Panel 6: Behind Veidt, we see a poster for his benefit performance for Indian Famine Relief, which will – like many things within this story – be significant later.
Rorschach’s defense of the Comedian gives us insights into the personal character of Rorschach. It’s all about the ends, not the means.

Panel 7: “. . . Never became a prostitute,” is a jab at Veidt, who did all the things Rorschach mentions.

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