Watchmen: Chapter III - page 17

PAGE 17

Panel 2:  If we were unsure as to the political bent of the “New Frontiersman,” the graffiti on the ad in the background tells us that it is a right-wing, conservative paper.  The ad, with graffiti italicized, reads:  “New Frontiersman In Your Hearts, You Know It’s Right Wing.”  This also refers to 1964 conservative Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, who used the phrase, “In your hearts, you know it’s right,” as his campaign slogan.  A politician favoring the nuclear option – at a time when the full ramifications weren’t truly known – the use of Goldwater’s slogan as an ad for a major paper in the world of the Watchmen adds another layer to the permeating symbolism that the end times are nigh.

Panel 9:  Hollis Mason’s remark, “The whole world will know soon enough,” in reference to Dr. Manhattan’s altercation on television, foreshadows Russia’s next move, which is to invade Afghanistan, something we see at the end of this issue.