I think it ties in with Ozymandias’ plot. A monstrous act done with the best of intentions.
The pirate and Ozymandias commit the same crime to lesser degrees, a monstrous act done with the best of intentions in order to save the people he cares about. The difference is, the pirate regrets and Ozymandias doesn’t.
I think Ozymandias suspects/fears that there will be a reckoning, but he also doesn’t care because he thinks that it’s the right thing for him to do based on his own moral code.
Now, people, we gotta get Rohrschach some love. Even if you can’t pronounce his name correctly, because I mean, in my mind, he is the most together guy in Watchmen, he knows his rights and wrongs and he’s the one guy who’s not a slacker, he walks a very straight path, his moral compass is absolutely incorruptible (is that the right word?).
I want to be Night Owl this Haloween. Mostly for that awesome arctic costume.
What’s arctic about Night Owl? Because he’s so “cool”?^^
no, no, his snow-suit that he wears when he and Rorschach go to Veidt’s lair
oh that. are the pictures of that from the movie yet?
Not yet-- I just searched for one to post with my reply but couldn’t find anything except his regular crime-fighting suit.
You know, I think that as far as verisimilitude goes, the owl is probably a better choice for a vigilante hero than a bat, don’t you think?
Verisimilitude? Is that like plausibility?
Anyway, the purpose of Batman is to scare people and whaddaya think people are more afraid of? Old Oo-hoo in the forest of Athens or a blood-sucking bad sorry barb mini-dracula?
Verisimilitude… I thought that meant second-to-last?
Bats: the majority eat insects. They have cool wings but are pretty rat-like overall. Nothing to fear, despite the vampirish tendencies of a minority of bat species. Blame Brahm Stoker.
Owls: the majority eat small mammals (closer to humans than insects). They have cool serrated feathers which allows them to fly in near silence! They are fearless and incredible hunters.
Verisimilitude in its literary context is defined as the fact or quality of being verisimilar, the appearance of being true or real; likeness or resemblance of the truth, reality or a fact’s probability. Verisimilitude comes from Latin verum meaning truth and similis meaning similar.
Baltar Baltar
Verisimilitude in its literary context is defined as the fact or quality of being verisimilar, the appearance of being true or real; likeness or resemblance of the truth, reality or a fact’s probability. Verisimilitude comes from Latin verum meaning truth and similis meaning similar.
<gasp!>
It doesn’t mean second-to-last?! Nooooooo! I guess I’ll have to mail Audra my English-geek credentials and an apology for all past harassment.
Does “penultimate” ring a bell?
I saw a girl dressed as the 2nd Sil Spectre, Laurie @ Dragon Con. I couldn’t get a picture.
I’m in the middle of reading it now. I put it down for about week. so far, it’s one if the best superhero stories I’ve ever read.
Right word, GR. I’m not always sure I agree with the direction in which Rohr’s compass points (I know, I know…), but it sure never wavers.
Now, I may sound like a devil’s advocate (have you found him yet, Solai?), but what do you think about Rohrch’s use of torture to procure information? Like the guy whose fingers he breaks in the old dive? Both Rohrch and Batman use fear and intimidation to achieve their purposes, although Batman, at least in the incarnations that I know of, doesn’t usually have to go to the extremes Rohrch does, possibly because he’s a bit more mainstream. Still, he’s dark for a superhero, and part of the appeal of both of these characters is the line they walk between fighting for good and becoming evil in that fight.
So how well do Rohrch and Batman walk that line, do you think?
How could you forget this immortal phrase?
“Semper ubi sub ubi” = “Always where under where”
Say it out loud if you don’t get it. It’s a silly joke and only works in English, of course.
I’ve never read this. So, I’m really glad it won even though I didn’t vote for it.
Avoid the spoilers in this thread for maximum enjoyment! 
And you never know you’re being hunted until it’s too late:
OTOH, people aren’t afraid of owls, even if they should be. Bats, for whatever reason, create a visceral terror in most people, all the better to strike fear into the criminal mind.
I believe he mentions that everyone in that bar was guilty of something. That might be a justification for his own violence, but it stands to reason that, in a place like that, he’s probably right.
Quick random notes:
My beat-up copy of the Watchmen trade paperback is dated 4-6-1988. Though I’ve carried it around, the last time I gave it a serious read through was probably in high school.
I missed a lot of stuff. And a lot went over my head. And different things matter to me now.
I’m a Batman fan, and I’m a Rorscharch fan. But as a kid, I never noticed what a dick Rorscharch is.
Dr. Manhattan, his plotline, and his perspective on time… I still don’t quite understand it, but I like it.
I’m also a fan of the appendix material – Black Freighter, book excerpts, etc. That said, now that I’m in the thrall of the book, and I’m reading it fast, I tried to read as much of that stuff as I could. But once the ball got rolling, I found myself skipping it. Though it’s still good. Keep in mind the story’s original format: One epsiode per month, then nothing. In that context, it was probably easier to digest every little detail from the issues. And that was before the internets, so us comics guys had a lot more time on our hands.
I’m loving the irony of the Comedian as an inexcusable prick who’s ultimately responsible for the world being saved (or saved for now, at least).
[spoiler]I mean, he plants the seeds in Veidt’s heads at the Crimebusters meeting, letting him know what the real threat is – “30 yaers from now, nuclear bombs will be flying around like junebugs.” And he’s the father of Silk Spectre Jr., who talks Dr. Manhattan into saving the world. Or, as I remember it, maybe she does. I haven’t reached that point in the re-read.[/spoiler]
The Comedian-Silk Spectre Jr. plotline is oddly touching. Almost enough to make one consider possibly feeling bad for him. Though not nearly enough for serious consideration.
I used to have a flier for a punk or metal concert with a picture of the Comedian standing in a Dallas window, aiming a rifle, presumably at JFK. I forget whether it was original leftover artwork or what made me think it was JFK, but…
I think that if you look at the comic in its alternate historical context, there is a lot of room for a U.S. government death of Kennedy conspiracy involving the Comedian, the watchmen wiki also has a movie poster that I think is really great:
