Watchmen: Chapter II - page 12

PAGE 12

Panel 1:  Back at the funeral, we are now going to see the Comedian from Dr. Manhattan’s point of view, and it is appropriate that we open with a shot looking down from on high, again symbolizing how Dr. Manhattan looms over everything in this world.

It is also worth noting that the only ones that have any color attributed to them – other than the minister’s red stole – are those that have some connection with masked adventurers – Blake’s coffin, Veidt, Manhattan, Dreiberg, and, with the distinct red roses, Moloch.

Panels 3-4:  We have another of the “cinematic” transitions where Manhattan’s visage remains unchanged (other than his dress) and the roses being held by Moloch turn into the fireworks display in Vietnam. 

Panel 5:  Newspaper headline in the foreground reads:  “[VIC]TORY!  [Sa]ys Dick!”  Unlike in our time, America wins in Vietnam thanks to Dr. Manhattan. 

Watchmen: Chapter II - page 11

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Panel 4:  The Comedian’s line, “inside thirty years the nukes are gonna be flyin’” is a bit of foreshadowing while also laying bare the fear of the citizens of the world as to what is on the horizon.

Also, we see – somewhat obscured by the Comedian’s flames – two more of the “crimes” Captain Metropolis feels they should be fighting against – anti-war demos (demonstrations) and black unrest – giving credence to the allegations made by Hollis Mason in Under the Hood.

Panel 7:  As Ozymandias looks at the charred map, which represents the fallout from a nuclear war, Captain Metropolis says, “Somebody has to save the world.”  This is the point where Veidt realizes he is the one that needs to do something about the impending doom looming over the world. 

Panel 8:  Another cinematic transition from the past to present, with the layout of the image a near match to the previous one as Veidt, in the present, appears to be contemplating that day twenty years in the past, a decision that has led him to this point right here.

Watchmen: Chapter II - page 10

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Panels 1-3:  These three panels form one continuous image, which illustrates the setting well, but – through the use of placing gutters within this single drawing – also imbues the scene with its timing.  If it had been created as a single wide panel, some might have read the varying pieces of dialogue as having to occur all at once, which would have stretched its credibility and also would have muddled its pacing.

Panel 1:  Note the clock in the background is poised at five minutes to midnight.

Laurie’s body language shows her pleasure and slight embarrassment at sharing a look with Dr. Manhattan on the previous page, foreshadowing the relationship we already know they will have in the near future.

The disbanding of the Minutemen in 1949 as mentioned by Captain Metropolis also coincides very closely with what is considered the end of the Golden Age of American superhero comics. 

Panel 2:  The “new social evils” that Captain Metropolis mentions – “promiscuity, drugs, campus subversion” – create a demarcation between his “older” conservative ideals and the more liberal sentiments of the mid-60s.  Coupled with things Hollis Mason cites in the excerpts from Under the Hood, Captain Metropolis (another red, white, and blue hero with government ties) can be seen as a neo-fascist.

News headline:  “Dr. Manhattan ‘An Imperialist Weapon’ Say the Russians.”

Also, we see Janey Slater’s reaction to Dr. Manhattan’s flirting with Laurie.  She is not pleased.

Panel 5:  Note Rorschach’s natural word balloon, in stark contrast to his rough balloons of the present.  This scene takes place before the event that changed him into the unhinged, brutal, uncompromising scourge of the underworld that everyone fears in 1985.  He also exhibits his penchant for working alone or in small groups, as he does with Nite Owl.

Panel 6:  Laurie and Dr. Manhattan are again exchanging a glance in the background.  We can also see one of Metropolis’s cards has dropped from his hand as everything he’d hoped for falls apart.

Panel 7:  The Comedian’s remark, “What’s going down . . . you got no idea,” is directed at the Crimebusters, but can also be construed as being directed at the audience, who does not know the devastation that is coming within the book (unless you’re someone that likes to look ahead in your books).

Watchmen: Chapter II - page 9

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Panel 1:  This is a transition from the final panel, previous page.  The dialogue from the minister:  “Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of miseries (emphasis mine),” when read over Veidt’s image, which seems to be of contemplative melancholy, can be seen as a comment on the moral struggle that might be going through his head as his plan is beginning to move forward.

Panel 3:  The line, “. . . who for our sins art justly displeased.” is a reaction to the grave sin that Veidt has perpetrated upon Blake, as well as what will come from his ultimate plan.

Panel 4:  This is a cinematic transition from the present to the past with Veidt’s look not changing as we see him as Ozymandias in 1966.

Panel 5:  Another large panel, used as an establishing shot for readers’ introduction to the Crimebusters – (clockwise from left) Janey Slater, Dr. Manhattan, Captain Metropolis (a former Minuteman), Ozymandias, the Comedian, Rorschach, Nite Owl II, and Silk Spectre II – an adventurer’s group that came between the Minutemen and the Watchmen, but never really got off the ground. 

Also of note, and which will be explained later (as so much in Watchmen is), is the fact that Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre (Laurie Juspeczyk) are sharing a flirtatious glance.

News headlines:  “French Withdraw Military Commitment from NATO” and “Heart Transplant Patient Stable”.  We also note that the Comedian has changed his uniform from the gaudy yellow and purple jumpsuit (of which Ozymandias’s suit mirrors) to the red, white, and blue armor he sports for the duration of his career.

Watchmen: Chapter II - page 8

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Panel 1:  The remark by Hooded Justice to Sally, “And, for God’s sake, cover yourself.” would have been a typical comment of the time.  This remark also transitions nicely into

Panel 2:  where we are looking at a scene from Sally Jupiter’s Tijuana bible, an ironic juxtaposition of two ways in which women’s sexuality is disrespected.

Panel 5:  Note the Nova Express headline:  “How Sick is Dick?  After 3^rd Presidential Heart Op?”

Panel 6:  The painting in the background is by Alberto Vargas, a real-world pin-up artist of the early to mid twentieth century.

Panel 7:  Sally’s remark that “. . . it rains on the just an’ the unjust alike . . .” transitions nicely into

Panel 8:  back at the funeral, focusing on the umbrella and Adrian Veidt.  The remark in the previous panel symbolizes the dichotomy of his plan – either just or unjust depending upon how one views Veidt’s actions at the end of the story.

Watchmen: Chapter II - page 7

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Panel 1:  Mirroring the scene in issue #1 where we saw Rorschach through Dr. Manhattan’s legs, this scene where the Comedian is seen through Hooded Justice’s legs symbolizes what a “small” man Blake really is.

Panel 6:  Blake’s comment, “This is what gets you hot . . .” is the first insinuation that Hooded Justice may have been homosexual.

Of significant note, this panel mirrors Issue #1, Page 3, Panel 3 even down to the spot of blood dripping onto Blake’s costume where he will eventually be wearing his infamous smiley face button when he is killed in 1985.

Panel 9:  Note the clock above the door as Blake exits:  five minutes to midnight.

Watchmen: Chapter II - Page 6

PAGE 6

On this page, we experience the scene that people in the present have alluded to without actually saying it – Edward Blake’s attempted rape of Sally Jupiter set him against almost all of the rest of the masked adventurers, but he was a welcome recruit for our government.  The manner in which this scene is crafted is very unlike a typical comic book.  It is not titillating, not overdone, allowing it to resonate more strongly with readers.

 
Panel 6:  The gorilla mask, which we discover is King Mob’s Ape Mask, adds a subtle visual corroboration to the animalistic scene going on in the foreground.