Scott McCloud says in Understanding Comics that “clothes…can trigger numerous transformations in the way others see us and in the way we see ourselves” (McCloud 38). The same could arguably be said about superheroes in costumes. When superheroes don their costumes, they take on the identity of another person to fight crime. When they return from a hard night’s work, they take off their costumes and revert back to their normal selves. However, which identity is their normal self: the civilian or the caped crusader? The question of what a superhero’s true identity is – the costumed vigilante or the everyday man – is a key theme in the graphic novel Watchmen. Two characters who represent this struggle of identity are Dan Dreiberg – the Nite Owl – and Walter Kovacs – aka Rorschach. Dan and Walter both cement their identities as superheroes by the end of the novel, but to Dan the identity of a superhero means to him personal power while to Walter the identity means a moral commitment to serving justice.
Dan Dreiberg was the second Nite Owl, having picked up the mantle when the first Nite Owl, Hollis Mason, willingly retired. However, Dan was forced into retirement by the “Keene Act,” a law passed by the government banning vigilantism. At first he accepted his fate, writing ornithological articles for science journals and leading a normal life, but he soon began to miss being the Nite Owl. He visited Hollis Mason’s home every week to reminisce about their days as crime fighters, reconnected with friends who fought alongside him like Walter and Laurie Juspeczyk – the Silk Spectre – and kept mementos such as a sexy picture a supervillain once sent him. Dan missed being the Nite Owl because of the self-confidence it gave him. In one sce...
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...isive, scared man, the costume gave him the power to take action and not question himself, making him the best possible person he could be. Rorschach on the other hand discarded his weaker human persona because of the disgust he felt towards the scum of humanity and made it his life’s mission to hunt down and punish those who did wrong in any way possible. Dan’s reasons were very egotistical while Rorschach’s were moral, making Rorschach more of a traditional comic book hero in Watchmen, much like Batman who avenges the death of his parents by fighting crime. However they each perceive themselves, they are still both superheroes.
Works Cited
1) McCloud, Scott. "Chapter Two: The Vocabulary of Comics." Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994. Print.
2) Moore, Alan, and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Print.
All graphic novels are structured to provide few words so the reader can follow the story through the illustrations. The comic panels are drawn to be extremely vivid and revealing. In Watchmen, a story based in a Cold War America, political symbolism is everything. Alan Moore strategically places numerous clues for the reader throughout the story to develop and reveal crucial components of the character’s lives, the setting, and the theme of the novel.
Throughout the Watchmen the reader is presented with many different characters. The characters of Rorschach and Ozymandias have a manichaean relationship. The line between good and evil has been blurred with these two characters: it is unclear to the reader which of the two is good, and which is evil. One is rich, liberal, and handsome. The other is poor, conservative, and ugly. However, despite all of their differences, these characters share a common philosophy: they believe the ends justifies the means.
The Patriot is a movie based on the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the war fought between Great Britain and the thirteen colonies of the North American continent. In this war on American soil the colonists fought for independence from Europe and King George III’s criticized rule. The Patriot takes on this topic through the character Benjamin Martin, played by actor Mel Gibson, who is based on the Revolutionary War militia leader Francis “The Swamp Fox” Marion. The movie also features a few battles actually fought in the war and weapons used in the war. Although the movie displays actual events, people, and objects that occurred and existed during the war, there are historical points changed to satisfy the audience of the theater.
It is understandable to think that Rorschach is the most influential character in Watchmen, however it is clearly The Comedian due to his incredible influence of all the characters and the fact that his death sets the main plot in motion. Though his heroic code is not as strong and stable as Rorschach’s, The Comedian understands the world perfectly, but “he doesn’t care” (Moore, 4.19). Both of these characters saw the “true face” of this reality, one just fought against it while the other became a parody of it.
Perceptions of the superhero and supervillain are mainly based on subjective definitions of each concept. These observations often lead to a definitive dichotomy that precisely splits characters into two impermeable divisions. However, this stringent separation is unable to account for the characters that are not at the extreme ends of their respective side. Neither is this rift capable of classifying characters that flirt with both sides of the superhero-supervillain dichotomy. Therefore it is imperative to analyze the established criteria for both superhero and supervillain to derive a more adequate explanation. Most superheroes are not easily characterized, but rather fall somewhere between Superman, the bastion of moral purity, and Doctor Doom, the display of indubitable corruption. This solicits genesis of an entirely new notion about the differences between superheroes and supervillains. A more precise idea is that superheroes and supervillains are lined on a spectrum that spans from pure good to pure evil. Disparities between superheroes and supervillains are not black and white, but rather these characters are on a spectrum that radically changes based on individual cases.
Watchmen is not just a graphic novel, but also a unique representation of American idealism as expressed through character image. Although the characters are portrayed as "superheroes," each is psychologically complex in that they become symbols for the flaws of American culture. Together, the characters of Watchmen reflect an unflattering image of American identity. We sacrifice morals to defend principles, rather than saving people. We sacrifice ourselves for commercial gain and for the fame that comes from the worship of strangers.
The movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, by Edgar Wright illustrates the plight of Scott Pilgrim on his game-like adventure to win the right to become Ramona Flower’s boyfriend. To win, Scott Pilgrim must duel against Ramona’s seven evil exes, but that endeavor is not so simple when those exes don’t always readily reveal themselves. To pack a visual punch, Edgar Wright utilizes a blend of animated effects and sound clips modeled after fighting video games as a mechanism to deliver the story. Part of what makes the movie, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, so excellent is its heavy use of game culture references and quick paced action sequences which fit the overall narrative of a young love stricken boy on his journey to defeat his opponents.
When comics were first coming out, they were not all that popular but in todays’ world, they have become very popular and well known. Several of these comics have been turned into films, which is one of the many reasons why the popularity has been rising over the years. One of the most well known comics is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This comic was composed and released in 1986 by Frank Miller. With the usage of Frank Miller’s powerful, intense lines and the artwork done by Klaus Janson’s and Lynn Varley’s it has elevated this comic up to the very top of mainstream comics. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the skillful illustrations on the pages successfully create the thought that there are underlying meanings, which makes the atmosphere a very intense one throughout the comic. The work of art that is presented on the pages in this comic are embedded in such a way that the pages become the continuum for the meaning. One of the main themes that are imbedded on the pages through the artwork in this book is the ideological struggle between Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Juror #1 originally thought that the boy was guilty. He was convinced that the evidence was concrete enough to convict the boy. He continued to think this until the jury voted the first time and saw that one of the jurors thought that the boy was innocent. Then throughout the movie, all of the jurors were slowly convinced that the boy was no guilty.
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.
Inception makes us question the world we live in. When Saito proposes an offer on performing inception on a rival corporation, Cobb accepts this in hopes of returning back to his children. After performing the inception, Cobb does see his children’s faces once again. But, he comes to challenge their existence by spinning his totem. How do we tell whether if we are in a dream or in reality? Most people would answer this question by how they feel, but as Ariadne points out, “…I thought the dream space would be all about the visual, but it’s more about the feel of it” (Tullmann 78). Since we truly don’t know how to determine our reality over our dreams, it leads to a constant problem, epistemic angst. Tullmann looks at epistemic angst and the responses to it.
Twelve Angry Men is a classic movie depicting how one determined leader can alter an entire crowd. Through dedication, curiosity, and the pursuit for the truth he is able to persuade a group of twelve to second guess even themselves. Within this heterogynous group are a dozen different personalities - some of which were leaders and most of which were not.
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.
Iadonisi, Richard. Graphic history: essays on graphic novels and/as history. Newcastle, UK: Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2012. Print.
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.