Chapter 1
There are various visual motifs being employed immediately. One such motif is the flashbacks of Eddie Blake's attack and death that occur in a red filter, the only exception to the dominate red color scheme in these flashback panels is the smiley face that Blake is wearing. Throughout the first chapter there are various color schemes for different backgrounds as well as characters: Rorschach most often appears surrounded in browns and various dark colors, Daniel Dreiberg is surrounded by browns and yellows, Adrian Veidt is encompassed in a variety of purples, Dr. Manhattan and Laurie Juspeczyk appear with pale greens and purples. Each of these color schemes sets a certain tone for each interaction. For instance when Rorschach visits Veidt the two have a more straight-forward conversation than any other in the first chapter, a dignified conversation, dignity being a trait of royalty, of which purple is most often associated with. Of course, it could be argued that the purple is symbolic of Veidt's riches, or royalty.
The famous Watchmen symbol, the blood-stained smiley plays as important foreshadowing in the chapter. In the first chapter alone, I feel the smiley symbolizes former peace and happiness. When it becomes stained with blood during The Comedian's altercation with the unknown assailant, it represents events being set in motion that threaten to disturb the peace and happiness our characters are experiencing. When it pops up in the last seen of the chapter, the blood mark is gone whilst Laurie and Daniel have a nice, laughable conversation. Because the blood is no longer present, it represents peace and happiness again, characterized by the pair's comfort and happiness with each other.
My favorite element in the book is the beginning of a popular quote being introduced at the start of the chapter, and then at the end of that chapter the quote is finished off wholly in a small panel. The quote serves to highlight the central theme of the chapter while simultaneously, grandiosely, instructing the reader to connect the dots, in terms of what occurred.Two final elements of note are presented at the end of the chapter. The excerpt from the fictional novel "Under The Hood" of which was "written" by Hollis Mason, the former Nite Owl; this excerpt serves to provide further background on the setting of Watchmen. The other element of note, being the clock on the lastly page being both curiously and ominously close to midnight.
Chapter 2
Immediately, in Chapter 2, we take note of patterns that can be found throughout the book. Firstly, The covers of each issue, as we have seen, are a close up of something in the first panel of the first page. It was first evident in Chapter 1, when we are given the Smiley on the ground surrounded by blood. Here we have the face of an angel statue in a cemetery, in the rain. In both instances it serves to give the reader a focus point for the issue and to immediately give a transition from the cover, to the story.
Another pattern we've seen and will continue to see, is the changing of the image of the clock on the last page that continues to tick towards midnight, but now includes, even more foreboding than the clock itself, blood. If that doesn't give a reader a sense of foreshadowing, I don't know what will.
A visual motif present in this issue is whenever there are two scenes occurring simultaneously, the panels alternate and, teaming with the 9-panel format littered throughout the book, create an 'X' type pattern; with one scene taking the form of the 'X' and the other taking the remaining panels. In a nearly identical fashion, whenever Moloch tells Rorschach of his encounter with The Comedian, all nine panels remain in the same scene but change color tone, thus creating the 'X' shape with the panels yet again.
As far as I am aware, the 'X' panel pages serve only an aesthetic purpose; merely symmetrically eye-pleasing.
Transitions in this chapter occur in a very interesting manner. There are nearly no simple scene changes in this chapter, most transitions are set-up with a visual aid: Often a character is taken and "flashbacked' to a point in time where we are looking at them in the same position but in a different time period, the transition take 2-3 panels. Another aid in scene transitions is the use of dialogue: like when transitioning between Laurie and her mother conversing, and The Comedian's funeral. Whenever we transition to and from the funeral, Laurie and/or her mother remarks of something thematically or visually relevant at the funeral.
Through the use of the flashback, we are able to characterize both The Comedian and the one experiencing the flashback. Interestingly, The Comedian exposes for the reader the pivotal character flaws in several characters, in their flashbacks to him: Ozymandias is deduced as the smartest man in a hopeless world ("...Then Ozzy here is gonna be the smartest man on the cinder."), Dr. Manhattan is made aware of his growing detachment to humanity (*Regarding Blake's outright murder of a pregnant woman, "You WATCHED me. You coulda changed the gun into steam or the bullets into mercury or the bottle into SNOWFLAKES! You coulda teleported either of us to Goddamn Australia... But you didn't lift a finger!") and The Comedian even has himself figured out in his flashback with Daniel, which is epitomized by the thought provoking exchange between the two: "What happened to the American Dream?" to which the Comedian responds, "It came true. You're looking at it."
These exchanges serve as a very grim reminder to us as we read through Watchmen: These are not typical, straightforward heroes; none of them are, in any fashion. These characters are all deeply flawed, and we've only begun to see them wholly.
You make a lot of interesting points, however, I disagree with the idea that the Comedian's smiley face pin represents a happier time. The Comedian isn't seen wearing the pin until war scene with Dr. Manhattan, it is in this scene where the Comedian explains that 'everything is a joke'. I believe the pin was the Comedian's way of expressing that he was in on that joke, that he understood that his efforts to effect change were futile, but that he goes on in spite of that. I believe that sentiment is also what galvanizes the other heroes to action, as they give off the impression of being wholly dissatisfied with their current lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteAlso I believe the Comedian's interactions in the three flashbacks aren't so much about exposing the flaws in the other heroes but more about exposing the flaws in their reasoning. If we look at the first flashback, there's a board with various 'problems' outlined on it, yet they all seem very minor compared to the headline in the paper the Comedian is reading. His outburst of frustration is over the fact that they are focusing on the wrong things. In the second flashback he remarks on the worthlessness of victory in a meaningless war, and tries to get Dr. Manhattan to see that he is drifting away from humanity and that is dangerous for world. And in the last he explains to Niteowl what the watchmen should really be doing, protecting people from themselves, not fighting people in halloween costumes.