Who chooses our heroes? Who watches our heroes? Who watches the Watchmen? Over
the course of history, many public figures have been scrutinized for heroic actions that some
have deemed controversial. Charles Darwin dismantled theories of Creationism with his
discoveries in evolutionary biology. President Harry Truman single-handedly ended World War
II by authorizing the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, killing thousands upon
thousands of civilians. Gangster John Dillinger stole from banks all across the U.S. Midwest in
the midst of the Great Depression and was heralded by some as a modern-day Robin Hood. All
of these figures share a common characteristic concerning their heroic lore: the controversy
surrounding the decisions they have made continues to resonate throughout society.
We find the same debate about controversial heroes in our literature as well. Probably the
most well-known example of this in the graphic novel genre exists in Alan Moore’s Watchmen.
While the story follows the perspectives of several vigilantes, the most interesting of the group
may be Walter Kovacs, or Rorschach. A man with a mysterious ink-blot mask and even more
mysterious persona, he represents due justice in its purest form and will go to any length to make
sure that it is carried out. He must ignore the corrupt authority that exists in the world of
Watchmen and the criticism that he receives from the public to do what he knows is right.
Rorschach’s heroism stems from his immunity from public corruption and opinion. He sees
criminals escape justice, whether it is because of a cold case or botched police work, and hunts
them down himself. Rorschach does not disregard the law, but works above i...
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people in our society. Lastly, a hero will do the unpopular task in order to make sure good
prevails. They risk the opinion of the public eye in order to preserve righteousness. Rorschach is
not a superhuman with powers the common man is incapable of. He is an individual who had an
epiphany and saw something wrong with the world. Rorschach did not simply go out and spread
the ideas he thought encapsulated “good”; he, instead, went out and made a change in the world
armed only with his journal. Anyone can be heroic and all it takes is an idea and a will to fight.
Works Cited
Dietrich, B.D. “The human stain: chaos and the rage for order in Watchmen”. Extrapolation 50.1
(2009): 120-144. Print.
The Code of Hammurabi. Trans. L.W. King. Holy Ebooks. Web. October 14, 2009.
Moore, Alan. Watchmen. New York: DC Comics, 1986. Print.
In most stories we enjoy, may it be from childhood or something more recent there is many times a theme that shows a clear hero and a clear villain. But ordinarily this is not the case in real life, there are few times that this is quite that simple. There are many sides to each story, and sometimes people turn a blind eye to, or ignore the opposing side’s argument. But if we look at both sides of a situation in the stories we can more clearly understand what is going on, moreover the villains in the book or play would seem more real, instead of a horrible person being evil for no reason, these two people have their own agenda may it be a ruthless vengeance or misplaced trust.
Through the character Rorshach, The Watchmen explores the issues of nature verses nurture for him. Moore adds that a super hero, can be a psychological argument. A super hero is neither born nor shaped by environment, it is the creation of an alter ego to suppress childhood conflicting inner issues. Rorshach dealt with issues as a young child that rationalized in his mind to hide behind a costume and a mask in order to live.
Garrett, Brandon. Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2011. 86. Print.
Watchmen takes place during one of our country’s most recent politically intense era’s. The fear of government corruption along with the fear of the Soviet Union and nuclear warfare was very much a real thing. Alan Moore uses political symbols, real and fictional, to represent this rough time and create a realistic setting to an otherwise fictional plot of superheroes. By incorporating mature messages and illustrations it does not only appeal to young adults looking to be entertained by a picture book. It allows Watchmen to stand alone in the category of graphic novels and be looked at as an icon of its time.
In Alan Moore's The Watchmen, Moore presents the reader with two drastically different characters who have one strikingly similar trait. Ozymandias is a handsome, rich, public, and powerful man. Rorschach is an ugly, poor, private, and almost worthless man. Despite all of these contrasts, they share a common philosophy: they believe that the ends justify the means. This is a major theme of the story, and through it Moore causes the reader the ask themselves the question - do the ends justify the means?
In the novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, interprets the achievement of order and law through the use of power and violence by superheroes. This novel consists a total of seven different characters to demonstrate how superheroes obtain peace in society through the use of violence. The writer portrays the plot in different characters’ perspectives by guiding readers in their point of view. This motivation also assists readers to examine the loneliness and the feeling of isolation during Dr. Jonathan Osterman, Walter Joseph Kovacs and Laurie Juspeczky’s life experiences.
of how he should live and how people should perceive him. His entire adult life rested on
else that makes comic-superhero films so unique. What The Watchmen does that is above what almost any other film is able to do is to be filled with numerous layers. A key topic that is tackled throughout this film is human morality, particularly in the difference between tyranny, the concept that truth and morals are absolute not up for interpretation, and each of the masked adventurers seems to have a altered way of how to handle this.
Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” focuses on several characters throughout the novel making the idea of a main character moot. However, one character can be described as the most influential to the plot of the graphic novel. Rorschach can be seen as such due to the fact that he narrates a large portion of the novel, and his heroic code that he follows. Not only does he influence the plot by those two reasons, but also by uniting the characters after a long silence. The Comedian is the only character that almost perfectly fits as the character with the most influence on the plot of “Watchmen.” The death of his character allows for the plot to be set in motion. He has not only has he shaped every other character in the novel, but the symbol that represents his character can be found throughout the graphic novel. Although Rorschach can be interpreted as the most influential character of “Watchmen,” The Comedian influenced more aspects of the plot than any other character of the graphic novel.
To conclude, the graphic novel Watchmen presents the non-fantastic representation of a superhero, implying that not all heroes are like Superman. This notion is explored within the novel by mentioning the realistic motives of the characters choosing to become superheroes, by Rorschach’s representation and through the heroic reactions of the New Yorkers to a street crime. These elements all contribute to Watchmen’s uniqueness and complexity as a superhero comic.
... that during that time was not very prominent. He took steps to learn about it so that he could help other people understand.
Confirming the concept that no person is simply one thing, V, from Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta, manifests traits of both a hero and villain, with a sense of justice and morality V attempts to correct a corrupt government, however, his sense of morality is occasionally skewed and his sense of ethics are warped so much so that his actions can be seen as negligent at times.
The Watchmen has various themes that are discovered throughout the movie; self-identity, politics, ethics and human nature. When analyzing these themes, we can uncover a lot of truth that relates back to why the characters act the way they do. Self-identity is portrayed in this
A hero is someone looked up to in society because of their success or how
Hercule Poirot is extremely intelligent, and he is most well known for his curly moustache, and short stature. He is a retired Belgian police officer, and is the most known detective. I put a big guy in a police uniform, and police things around it. It has a police car, badge, flashlight, whistle, hot, and police people.