Watchmen: Chapter XII - page 14

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Panels 1-5: where we see Bubastis and Dr. Manhattan have both followed a path to Veidt that leads to their bitter end.

Panel 4 is obviously a direct callback to Chapter IV, Page 8, panel 4, where Jon Osterman was disintegrated in a similar intrinsic field subtractor.

Panel 5:  Note the skull and crossbones on the warning sign beside Veidt, calling back to the Black Freighter comic while further linking Veidt with the protagonist of that story.  Also, slipping in from off-panel right, we can see Laurie standing and watching Veidt, melting snow dripping from her, forming a pool of water at her feet.

Watchmen: Chapter XI - page 14

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Panel 1: where the arms of the Black Freighter’s main character are transposed with those of Rorschach’s, as he and Nite Owl approach their own Black Freighter in the form of Adrian Veidt’s Antarctic fortress, Karnak.  This visual link between panels 13:9 and 14:1 also yields yet another symbolic link between Veidt and the main character of the Black Freighter story.

Panel 2:  It may not have been readily evident in panel 1, but the presence of the palm tree in the background of this panel allows us to orient ourselves to where Rorschach and Nite Owl are approaching – the previous site for Veidt’s vivarium, where he offered up his servants to their final rest.

Panel 5:  Nite Owl’s comment – “…up here…we’re out of our natural environment…” – is emphasized by the butterfly (a warm weather creature) half-buried in the snow.

Watchmen: Chapter X - page 14

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Panel 1:  where we see a conflict escalating, as a man clutches his face while blood streams over his chest.  He is falling away from Rorschach (the one responsible for this man’s current state), who enters this bar in search of information. 

Also note that, once again, John Higgins bathes this scene in hues of red to emphasize the violence within the scene.

Panel 2:  Note that, in the background, Nite Owl is turning the sign to read “Closed.”

Watchmen: Chapter IX - page 14

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Panel 1:  It is ironic that Dr. Manhattan, who claims to be following the script proscribed for him within his omnipotent point of view, would claim that an inanimate object such as the planet Mars is able to make a choice:  “Life could have flourished here then, but Mars did not choose life.  It chose this.”

Panel 2:  Dr. Manhattan’s comment in the previous panel has initiated yet another memory for Laurie, and again we see only her hands in this panel as she begins to recount how chaotic her life was, which will lead to the flashback beginning in the second panel following this one.

Also note, this is another instance of the “blurred reflection” motif found in this chapter.

Panel 3:  Laurie’s remark that her mother “eroded [her] adolescence, chipping [her] into shape…” is emphasized by the image of one of the many canyons on Mars, which was formed by erosion and the chipping away of its surface over millennia.

Panel 4:  Note that, in this panel, we can see clearly the card reading “black unrest” that Captain Metropolis noted as one of the social evils he wished to stamp out with the formation of the Crimebusters, as seen in Chapter II.

Watchmen: Chapter VIII - page 14

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Panel 1: where we can see the smoke wafting through the prison, a clear visual shortcut for the damage therein.  And the plumes of smoke transition directly to

Panel 2: where Big Figure is smoking his cigar as he gives orders.

Panel 3:  Again, it is important to note how well Dave Gibbons conveys the calm, almost detached, demeanor of Rorschach.  He never loses his cool, never gives in to emotion, and this is where much of his strength comes from. 

Panel 4:  Once more, we get the ironic sarcasm of Rorschach, as he remarks to Big Figure’s overweight henchman, Lawrence, that there’s “fat chance” of him not making such remarks.  Of course, these remarks from Rorschach are not just meant as insults, they are meant to force his opponents into compromising positions, which he achieves over the course of the next few panels.

Panel 6:  Rorschach’s final bit of dialogue here – “…my perspective…” – transitions directly into

Panel 7:  where we get Dan and Laurie’s perspective of the prison, from the owlship, high in the air.

Watchmen: Chapter VII - page 14

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Panel 1:  The image in this panel – the wine, the discarded cufflinks, all on a table in a room overlooking what appears to be the ocean, is an idyllic and romantic scene, one that would typically be used for a romantic coupling such as Laurie and Dan are about to experience.  This imagery sets up the ironic juxtaposition we will see in the next few pages, as Dan and Laurie become intimate.

Also note the perfume, Nostalgia – as has been used before – hearkens back to “better” days, as seen through rose-colored glasses.  For Dan specifically, the nostalgia he wishes to experience is the thrill of his costumed adventuring days – days and experiences that made him feel more like a man than he does in the present.

Panel 4:  Veidt’s comment:  “…I haven’t done this in a while,” obviously is a commentary on what we see in the foreground, Dan and Laurie undressing as they prepare to have sex.

Panel 5:  With this panel, we see more of the humorous/ironic juxtaposition that permeates this entire scene.  The television’s commentator – remarking about Adrian Veidt’s acrobatic display – says, “…just look at the confidence [as Veidt begins] his maneuver.”  This remark about confidence and assuredness is in direct opposition to Dan and Laurie’s experience on the couch, as evidenced by Dan’s unsure remark, “…I’m sorry. Am I crushing you?” 

Panel 6:  More ironic juxtaposition:

Commentator:  “…there’s not the slightest tremor of effort.  It’s all one smooth, seamless flow of motion…”

Dan: “Uh, I can’t seem to…” as he struggles to unbutton Laurie’s shirt.

Panel 7:  Moore offers us a feint, as we hear the commentator say, “…this is absolutely breathtaking…” while Laurie seems to be in the initial throes of desire as she exclaims, “Oh.  Ohh, Dan…”  But, as we move to

Panel 8:  we realize that her exhalation wasn’t from passion, but discomfort because Dan was sitting on her in an awkward position, evidenced by her remark – in response to Dan’s “What’s the matter?” – “…If you could just lift yourself a little, I could…”

And again, Moore juxtaposes this awkwardness against the commentary of Veidt’s acrobatic display with the remark:  “The grace of each movement is extraordinary.  This is a man in his forties…”  The latter part of that statement is also true for Dan, who is having far more difficulty with what could be termed a much simpler exercise – at least physically – than that which Veidt is attempting.

Watchmen: Chapter VI - page 14

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Panel 1: which is also an overhead scene, but back in the prison, as Dr. Long speaks with Kovacs. 

As this scene opens, we see Dr. Long now slip verbally, almost calling his patient Rorschach, but catching himself before finishing the name.  Also note, Dr. Long appears to have three bottles of pain killers before him on the table, the increase in his medication symbolizing the deeper he is sinking into the “abyss.”

Panel 3:  The idea that when Kovacs first put on the mask of Rorschach he was still only, “Kovacs pretending to be Rorschach,” is a very interesting one.  At this point, through the flashbacks, we will experience the metamorphosis of Kovacs into Rorschach.

Panel 6:  Not only does Rorschach leave a calling card that is a Rorschach blot – the mirror image of a stylized ‘R” – but the criminals he “let live” in this image are also a near mirror image, a human Rorschach blot for the police to find.

Watchmen: Chapter V - pages 14-15

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This is the only two-page spread to be found in the entire book, and the utiliziation of this technique, and the larger panel bridging the two pages, not only adds drama to the action and accentuates what is happening, but the fold of these two pages acts as the mirror for this symmetrical chapter of Watchmen. 

Panel 2:  Note that the pool in the foreground is another reflective surface, reinforcing the overall theme.

Panel 4:  This tall panel bridging the gap is the mirror for the chapter.  The pool reflects the action while the stance of Veidt and the collapse of his attacker coupled with the large “V” in the background forms another symmetrical “X” to reinforce, yet again, the theme of the issue. 

Panel 6:  More reflection in the pool and the floor in the background.

Panel 7:  As Adrian crushes the assailant’s skull against the bronze Egyptian mask on the edge of the pool, it forms a rather morbid, and blood-soaked, symmetrical image of two faces coming together.  Also, note that a spot of blood has fallen onto Adrian’s yellow flower, echoing the blood on the Comedian’s yellow smiley face button.

Watchmen: Chapter IV - Page 14

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Panel 1:  Dr. Manhattan’s comment on the other costumed adventurers at the charity event in this panel is interesting and humorous and can also be seen as a commentary on superhero comics in general:  “. . . friendly middle-aged men who like to dress up.  I have nothing in common with them.”  Despite the fact that Dr. Manhattan is part of this “adventurers” fraternity, he feels no connection to these other heroes, a sign he is becoming – or is already – detached from humanity. 

The only one Dr. Manhattan finds interesting and might possibly see as a peer is Ozymandias.  This is interesting because in chapter XI the manner in which Ozymandias thinks of Dr. Manhattan – particularly by the fact that he always calls him Jon – shows that this feeling of being a peer is reciprocated, something that Adrian Veidt finds in nobody else, as far as we can tell.

Panel 2:  Yet another example of how detached from humanity Jon has become is exhibited when he disintegrates the head of a hoodlum who had pulled a gun on him.  The extreme nature of this act, done with such indifference, is a prime example of how Dr. Manhattan views humanity, especially considering the fact that the bullets could not have harmed him.

Watchmen: Chapter III - page 14

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Panel 2:  Roth’s dialogue, “am I starting to make you feel uncomfortable?” plays out over a scene with Dan holding one of the bloodied gang members by the shirt collar while Laurie crushes the scrotum of another, the pain evident on the punk’s face.

This scene – the final part of their violent encounter – is awash in red.

Panel 4:  More text/image juxtaposition as Roth’s dialogue, “. . . from where I’m standing, it’s starting to look pretty conclusive” is a comment on the conclusion of Dan and Laurie’s altercation with these gang members.

Panel 5:  Although Dr. Manhattan can see all points in his life – past, present, and future – and has already experienced them all, he has no ability to change what happens, because – as I rudimentarily understand quantum physics – he is “in the moment” so to speak, even if he saw this moment twenty years in our linear past. 

Panel 6:  And again, “the show’s over” is a comment on the fact that the rest of the knot-tops have run off, leaving their fellow members lying in the alley as Dan and Laurie survey the scene.