The Watchmen

The Watchmen

The Watchmen, a graphic novel created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins was published by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987. The series focuses on six main characters: the Comedian, Doctor Manhattan, the Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Rorschach, and the Silk Spectre. Moore created the characters in such a way that they present six radically different viewpoints of the world, leaving the reader to determine which of the characters is the most morally comprehensible. The six characters have the distinction of having characteristics that are both fantastic and realistic. These characteristics balance themselves in a way that gives the reader different philosophies of war and life in general.

The Comedian is a vigilante, real name Edward Morgan Blake (Kavanaugh). His name is a misnomer in that he believes that society is beyond redemption and that civilization will never be more than an ideal. Thus, he decides to mock that all society stands for and kills and fights without abandon. His murder sets Watchmen in motion. Though he continues to come back in flashbacks, his personality can be seen in the actions and thoughts of the other characters. He is the one character in the series that is almost completely unlikable. He has no redeeming qualities as he is constantly driven by greed and violence (Kavanaugh). The Comedian as a character does hold shades of truth and reality. Throughout history there have been people who are strictly in it for the gore and violence. Those that commit school shootings can be seen to have the same level of contempt for society or have been dealt such a hand that violence is the only answer they have.

Doctor Manhattan, the only character with superpowers, is named Jon Osterman. He is a physicist that is changed forever when he is trapped inside a test chamber in the intrinsic field experiment. His body and being is completely vaporized and declared dead. However, over time he slowly is able to reappear and does so fully as a tall, hairless, naked, blue-skinned man. After his reappearance, he can experience time in a non-linear fashion, meaning he can experience all the moments of his life simultaneously. He has a deterministic view of events, at one point saying, “We’re all puppets, Laurie. I’m just a puppet who can see the strings.” (Moore). Doctor Manhattan becomes a pawn for the US government, eventually tipping the Cold War in favor of the United States. Eventually, he leaves the galaxy, losing faith and understanding in humanity. While Doctor Manhattan is clearly a figment, he has brought about questions of the potential side effects of superintelligence and the effects that has on the human psyche. Doctor Manhattan has such high levels of intelligence, that he eventually succumbs to complete apathy about the human race. His questions about what it even means to be human and if the means justify the ends are questions that we struggle with today.