At last we come to the infamous Rorschach issue. Can I really call it infamous? You could argue that every issue of Watchmen. But this issue — more than any other — puts a serious challenge to my thesis that Alan Moore did not intend for the reader to like Rorschach. So approaching this issue, I have to ask if it’s possible to feel sympathy for an unlikable character.
The bulk of this issue focuses on prison psychologist Dr. Malcolm Long — an unfathomably naïve man, who is merely chasing the celebrity of Rorschach. He is just as inept and hungry for fame as the psychologist in The Dark Knight Rises. I wonder if the 1980s were inundated with a slew of pseudo-therapists on TV. Or if Moore and Frank Miller both simply shared a hatred for the field of psychology. Either way, it paints a rather unfortunate picture of therapy.
Moore directly and explicitly states that nobody likes Rorschach. This issue will explain how he became so unlikable in the first place. But today, in the real world, I’m asking, “How on Earth did anybody end up liking Rorschach?”
My question is mostly answered by this single flashback. I mean, how could you not feel bad for a kid whose mother was not only a prostitute, but performed her acts right in front of him?
This is genuinely distressing. Everyone’s heart should ache at the sight of any child being abused like this. But I will contend that it is possible — and necessary — to separate the feelings of sympathy and admiration. It requires more than a surface-level reading of the material, which I believe most Rorschach fans have failed to do.
A rare smile for Rorschach. Perhaps the only we see in the entire series. This wonderfully subtle expression was made in response to Dr. Long’s optimistic appraisal of Walter Kovacs, after failing to pick up on any of his transparent lies. But to Dr. Long’s credit, this smile does seem to give him pause, planting the first seeds of doubt in his mind.
This is one of those times where I feel Moore pushed a little too far in one direction and threatened to undermine his story. Not only is young Walter’s mother an abusive prostitute, but everybody knows it and relentlessly mocks him for it. The problem is that by making Walter too much of a victim, many readers will instinctively root for him and approve of all his actions as an adult.
Moore is trying to tell us that Rorschach displayed an unhinged, violent personality from the beginning. I think most readers would feel that even though young Walter’s retaliation crossed the line, it was mostly justified. Don’t forget that these bullies were just seconds away from pulling down Walter’s pants and doing who-knows-what with him. Trying to sort out the morality of a situation like this is complex and nuanced. Instances like this make reading Watchmen so rich and rewarding an experience.
Dr. Long really did need to spend more time studying about Rorschach. Confronting him about his fake father probably would have given Long an opening for some sort of breakthrough. Instead, Rorschach will dictate the terms of the interviews and drag Long down to his level. As I said previously, it is a shame that this was how Moore chose to portray a psychologist. But I do appreciate him tearing down the attitude Mrs. Long displays: “I got a nice life. Nobody else matters.”
Dr. Long is shocked — genuinely shocked — that anyone wouldn’t like him. This is really stretching the credibility for me. Look how old he is. He must have been a psychologist for quite some time now. How is this the first time he’s encountered any resistance like this?
I love how Rorschach’s mask was inspired by Dr. Manhattan. Even though Rorschach doesn’t care for Dr. Manhattan, both of them like to view the world in blacks and whites never mixing, just from opposite ends of the spectrum. It’s a reductive and dangerous philosophy to live by, yet Rorschach hauntingly calls it “very, very beautiful.”
Rorschach is right, all Dr. Long cares about is profiting off his new celebrity client. But is Rorschach seriously the only patient he sees? What does this man do with his time?
Ostensibly, Rorschach is acting in self-defense here. That man was just about to stab him in the back. But similar to him blinding a bully as a boy, Rorschach crosses the line. At this point, we know he’s a skilled fighter who could have blocked that attack any number of ways. But he chose the splashiest, most dramatic way to get everyone’s attention. He also chose a method that caused an excruciatingly slow and painful death to his fellow inmate. This is a horrific scene. It should not be glorified or admired.
I think it’s quite telling that Rorschach is finding his most success in prison. Unable to continue his rather disastrous investigation, he’s free to torment his fellow prisoners, including Dr. Long.
One of the funniest moments of the series is Dr. Long’s genuine surprise at learning Rorschach ever had any friends. And it’s one more instance of Moore trying to tell the reader not to admire Rorschach. Anyone who says letting people live is being “soft,” is not a good person. No matter how you justify it.
Rorschach glowingly speaks at length about the Comedian, not realizing how wrong he is. Yes, it’s true Eddie Blake saw the ugliness of the world better than most. But rather than using that knowledge to wage an uncompromising war against that ugliness, the Comedian used it to justify his own hyper-violent actions. But Rorschach never worked directly with the Comedian, so he never learned that he was motivated more by apathy than self-righteousness. And Rorschach also doesn’t know that Eddie did, in fact, quit after seeing just how depraved “man’s capacity for horrors” could be. That’s why he got killed. He discovered a horrific truth and essentially surrendered — something that Rorschach might have learned had he been a better detective. Or at least more self-aware.
After two days of interviews, Dr. Long notes that Rorschach still hasn’t explained what compels him. I’d like to add the word “justify.” It seems like Moore is trying to tell us that there is no good reason for Rorschach to be this way, but I think he undermines that message with the upcoming dramatic story.
Kudos to Dr. Long for bringing back the ink blots. Yes, he’s still painfully naïve and is allowing Rorschach to control the conversation, but at least he’s starting to get somewhere. And if I may play armchair psychologist for a bit, I believe Rorschach is haunted by the image of the dead dog not because of the reminder of the girl who was killed, but because he became too emotional and slaughtered two innocent dogs.
There’s no doubt that Rorschach was especially haunted by child abuse. Yet I find it surprising that even now, years later, he still feels guilty for all the pain he caused while working this case. I’d expect Rorschach to saw those 14 people he hospitalized deserved it by simply being “underworld scum” or something like that. But he chose to add the word “needlessly” here. He actually does have a little more empathy than I think even he realizes.
This case combined two of Rorschach’s deepest fears: child abuse and the female form. It’s not an entirely unreasonable fear — it reminds him of his awful mother. It is rather confusing as to why he spent so many years working in a dress shop. The supplemental material will offer a hint about this, but I think one reason could simply be that Walter — and especially Rorschach — just was not equipped for ordinary life.
This flashback is built around two full silent pages, where we slowly investigate the scene along with Rorschach. It’s masterful storytelling that builds the suspense beautifully toward a legitimately terrifying revelation. But in the larger context of the Watchmen story, I think these pages might weaken Moore’s message. You get so wrapped up in this horrific mystery of the poor little girl, that it becomes all too easy to forget who Rorschach is and what he’s done.
I can’t decide if some of this dialogue is over-the-top or just what this story needs. I think, ultimately, it works because this comic is so well made. Lines like “dark as it gets” would fall flat in lesser stories — especially nowadays. I’m sure I wouldn’t have had these qualms had I read this back when it first came out.
The slow, deliberate pace of another mostly silent page is interrupted with a fun, little joke: the dogs were named after the Flinstones. This, of course, should make us feel even worse that Rorschach killed them in blind rage.
Did Gerald Grice deserve this? He absolutely should be punished in some way, but probably not like this. I also think Moore wanted this scene to remind readers of who Rorschach is. You shouldn’t root for the guy who throws dead dogs through windows. Period.
This is straight-up torture. Not for any constructive purpose, but pure revenge porn. Rorschach sadistically took his time in setting this up instead of gathering evidence to bring this killer to justice within the legal system. But we don’t feel too bad for Grice because he is a true monster.
To show just how depraved Rorschach is, he was almost more satisfied with the destruction of the mannequins than the death of Grice. It wasn’t enough for him to apprehend or even kill that abhorrent man. Rorschach also had to burn every single reminder of his mother in that horrible house.
This dialogue is a bit melodramatic, but like I said previously, Moore and Gibbons have built up enough trust that readers are willing to go along with it. This also reveals Rorschach’s contradictory views toward religion. He believes there is no God, yet he still expresses disdain for sinners. If there wasn’t a God, then would there actually be anything to sin against?
I still find it hard to believe for Dr. Long to be this traumatized by Rorschach’s story. But I thought this ruined dinner party was pretty hilarious.
In what seems to be the first time ever, Rorschach has convinced someone to view the world the same way he sees it. I wouldn’t quite call Dr. Long a convert to the gospel of Rorschach, but he certainly was haunted by this line of thinking for the rest of his life.
The supplemental materials in this issue are some of the best in this series. The arrest report for Rorschach is full of fun little gems, like the fact that he carried a bottle of cologne with him. Even in his crime-fighting getup, he was still sensitive to the remarks about his body odor. And in another level of irony, that cologne was produced by Adrian Veidt, a man Rorschach absolutely loathes.
A report from a psychiatric hospital states that young Walter actually excelled at school once he was removed from his mother. But news of his mother’s death caused him to drop out at age 16 and take that job at the dressmaker’s. Even though he hated his mother, it seems like the conflicting emotions of her death undid all the progress he had made as a teenager. Did Walter choose to work there so he could be surrounded by reminders of his mom? That’s a rather bleak thought, and I’m glad Moore didn’t expound too much on it, since that would be a little too Norman Bates-y.
Rorschach’s delusions first began with a single dropped line about his father. It’s only natural that he’d desperately cling to an imaginary version of a decent parent. Unfortunately, he allowed that delusion to grow and shape his entire worldview. Ironically, he deeply supports everything about President Truman, especially his decision to drop the nuclear bombs. But when he learns of Adrian’s plot, which relies on justifications rather similar to Truman’s, Rorschach will literally oppose it with his life.
And finally, we get Dr. Long’s brazen goal to profit off Rorschach. I can’t believe that a psychologist would actually write that on a note that anybody could find. It really is a shame that this story helped perpetuate the stigma against therapists. But, this is still an incredible story that forces readers to grapple with the balance of having sympathy for an unlikable character.
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