The Annotated Watchmen by Doug Atkinson (good books for high schoolers txt) 📖

of the series. The phrase never appears in its entirety

in the series; it is always cut off somehow. The state of the building

says something about Mason's financial situation.

The Keene Act, re-illegalizing vigilantism, was passed in 1977; it

was named after its sponsor, Senator Keene. I don't think Keene was a

real person, and we never learn his (her, for all we know) name or home

state. I'd guess he was from New York, though; NYC was the home of most

costumed heroes, and hence would have been the likeliest site of the police

strike.

(Interestingly, the Keene Act, although used differently, has been

introduced to the DC Universe.)

Panel 8: "Obsolete models a specialty." Mason learned his trade on

internal combustion engines, not electric ones. (It also serves as a

commentary on Mason.) Note the "Gunga Diner" takeout box. It should be clear that

this isn't a very good neighborhood.

Page 10, panel 1: I have been told that this is a song by Iggy Pop,

but have not been supplied a title. More information would be

appreciated.

The male Knot-Top here is Derf, who reappears later. The headline

reads, "Russia Protests US Adventurism in Afghanistan," and the storefront

says "86 Buicks Here!"

The headline is a reversed version of news in our world; the US was

proposing Russian adventurism at this time.

Panel 2: The first appearance of Nostalgia, a Veidt product, which

reappears continually throughout the series. Veidt products seem to

infiltrate every corner of life. Also, Treasure Island, a comics

shop which reappears a few times. (Comics shops in our world often have

superhero, science fiction, or fantasy-oriented names; in this world,

they probably have pirate-related names.)

Panel 3: The plate on the right reads "Floors 1-4 Dreiberg;"

apparently Dan owns the entire building.

Panel 7: The calendar on the right appears later; it has a picture of

an owl. The layout of the calendar is interesting; in our world, the

practice is to put Sunday on the left column, not Monday.

Panel 8: The can refers to "58 Varieties." In our world, it's "Heinz

57."

The slogan was invented in 1892; apparently there are at least

trivial differences between our world and theirs going back a ways.

Page 11, panel 3: The button again.

Panel 5: The first appearance of "Sweet Chariot" sugar cubes. (I

don't know if these are a Veidt product; the "Chariot" reference is his style,

but the name refers to a Gospel song, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," which

isn't.)

Panel 8: This is Dreiberg's workshop. The thing under the tarps is

"Archie," his flying vehicle.

Page 12, panel 1: Dreiberg retired after the Keene act.

Panel 8: On the right is Dreiberg's Nite Owl costume, which we see

clearly on the next page.

Page 13, panel 2: Rorschach and Nite Owl worked together during the

'70's in the dock and warehouse district.

Page 14, panel 1: Another geodesic dome in the background.

Panel 4: The sign in the window reads "Stick with Dick in '84;"

obviously a Nixon campaign sign.

Panel 5: The first appearance of Happy Harry's, a sleazy bar that

Rorschach patronizes for information. The headline on the paper reads,

"Congress Approves Lunar Silos," and the graffiti reads, "Viet Bronx." (Meaning

what, I wonder? That the U.S. should spend more money on domestic affairs,

or is there some sort of VC sympathy gang out there?)

In our world, international treaties prohibit nuclear weapons in

space; evidently here, the US's increased clout due to Dr. Manhattan

stopped such treaties.

Panel 6: On the left is a woman with one of those pipe things; the

man with the eyepatch has another common type of pipe.

Page 15, panel 2: Happy Harry himself.

Page 16, panel 1: "The Apple:" The Big Apple is slang for New York

City.

Panel 4: The man on the upper left has a type of ball-pipe not seen

anywhere else; it has two spheres rather than one.

Page 17, panel 1: The speaker is Adrian Veidt, formerly Ozymandias,

another retired crimefighter. We learn his background in issue 11. Notice

the time on the clock, the geodesic dome, and the dirigible. The pointed

building to the right of the Veidt building is the Chrysler Building,

a real-world landmark.

Panel 4: Dr. Manhattan, about whom we learn more later, is the center

of America's current defensive strategy; he can theoretically destroy

large chunks of Soviet territory and simultaneously 60% of incoming

missiles fired at the US before they impact, thus giving the US an immense

strategic advantage. (See the essay at the end of issue #4.)

Panel 6: The poster reads: "Veidt: OZYMANDIAS Southern Indian Famine

Relief."

Panel 7: This is just what Veidt did.

Panels 7-8: Actually, Veidt is almost the Aryan ideal; if anyone's a

likely candidate for Nazi accusations, it's he. A top physical and mental

specimen, handsome, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, of Germanic descent;

Hitler would have loved him. He would have made a terrible Nazi,

though, because he's too intelligent and self-willed.

In one sound, Veidt manages to convey his opinion of Rorschach's

world-view; a nice touch.

Page 18, panel 1: There is a considerable difference of opinion

between the two; their political beliefs and world-views are radically different.

Panel 2: "Be seeing you" was a common phrase on the British TV show

The Prisoner; the feel of the show fits Rorschach's paranoia well.

Panel 3: Rorschach's exit through the window and Veidt's "Have a nice

day" is either a very subtle hint, or just coincidence.

Panel 4: The Gazette headline reads, "Nuclear Clock Stands at Five

to Twelve, Warn Experts;" below it, "Geneva Talks: U.S. Refuses to

Discuss Dr. Manhattan." (See the beginning of the annotation for an explanation

of the nuclear clock. Five to twelve is fairly close; the closest it's been

in our world is 3 to twelve, during the Cuban Missile Crisis.) The

Egyptian-style pen holder fits into Veidt's Egypt obsession.

Page 19, panel 1: "Rockefeller Military Research Center, Founded

1981." The symbol on the left of the sign bears a striking resemblance to

Superman's chest logo as it originally appeared.

Either Rorschach's watch is wrong, or the Veidt tower clock is wrong

(it was midnight when he visited Veidt, and 8:30 now), or he has the

power to travel through time.

Panel 2: Veidt's sexuality is never revealed.

Panel 4-5: The others referred to were all members of the Minutemen.

More on them later.

Panel 5: The door reads, "Special Talent Quarters: Private."

Panel 9: The speaker is Dr. Manhattan.

Page 20, panel 1: Dr. Manhattan can change his size at will (among

other things). The woman is Laurie Juspeczyk, the second Silk Spectre and

daughter of the original.

Page 21, panel 1: Libya was at odds with the U.S. during the

mid-'80s, but it sounds like they're being scapegoated here. Dr. Manhattan must

have been informed very quickly, since the police investigation was just

beginning on Saturday morning (the 12th).

Panel 6: As we see in the next issue, these "allegations" are true.

The sugar cube is one he got from Dreiberg's apartment.

Page 22, panel 5: Dr. Manhattan can also teleport himself and others.

He has complete control over matter (to put it in superhero terms).

Page 23, panel 7: The bestiary refers to a list of the subatomic

particles whose existence has been confirmed, but The Bestiary is a place from

Dr. Manhattan's past (see issues 3-4).

Page 24: A number of reoccuring themes on this page. A Gunga Diner

box, "Who Watches the Watchmen" graffiti, and a Nixon campaign poster.

The "Krystalnacht" graffiti and the poster refer to Pale Horse's upcoming

Madison Square Garden concert (Krystalnacht is another band appearing

with Pale Horse). The shadows of the embracing lovers in panels 3-4 are a

continuing motif. The curved surface above Rorschach's head is a

geodesic dome. A "Tales of the Black Freighter" appears in the trash in panel

5.

The band name, "Pale Horse," refers to Revelations 6:8: "I looked,

and there was a pale [sometimes pale green] horse. Its rider's name was

Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth

of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild

animals of the earth." Part of the war imagery popular in popular culture.

The band's lead singer is named Red D'Eath (more on this later). The

other band's name, "Krystalnacht," refers to a night of terror against Jews

in Nazi Germany; the name derives from all the broken glass from broken

storefronts.

Page 25, panel 1: Another geodesic dome visible in the lower left.

Panel 2: Laurie is Dr. Manhattan's lover. She's kept around by the

military to have some control over him.

Laurie is right-handed.

Panel 4: The red-headed woman also has the knot-top hairstyle;

presumably she's not a gang member. (Compare the hairstyles and fashions here

to those actually in use in '85, and remember that this is a fancy

restaurant. Also, notice the two men embracing in the lower right-hand corner; is

this an indication of social changes?) The chicken/turkey being served on

the left of the panel has four legs and no wings; apparently genetic

engineering has gone a ways.

Panel 5: The skyscraper just under the moon may be the Empire State

Building, another real-world landmark.

Panel 8: The button yet again.

Page 26: Notice the similarity between this page and page 1.

Panels 4-5: Intriguing that Laurie, so critical of Rorschach earlier,

finds this humorous.

Pages 27-32: Excerpts from "Under the Hood," Hollis Mason's

autobiography, detailing his early life.

Page 5, paragraph 1: Mason was a fan of the pulps, one of the

earliest sources of superheroic literature. Doc Savage and the Shadow seem to

be an influence on him.

Paragraph 4: Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman and

perhaps the most important single work in the development of the superhero.

Paragraph 5: One of those magicians was Zatara, who was a continuing

DC Comics character. He and Superman were the only characters from

ACTION #1 to last (he died in the mid-'80s, but he's still remembered).

Page 6, paragraph 1: "All these old characters are gone and forgotten

now;" superhero comics never caught on in a world with real costumed

adventurers. Lamont Cranston is one of the Shadow's identities. (Interesting that

he mentions the pulps but not radio as an influence; the Shadow is

better-known from radio than the pulps.)

Paragraph 4: The first costumed vigilante, Hooded Justice. More on

him in the next issue.

--

Chapter 2: "Absent Friends"

Watchmen is a trademark of DC Comics Inc., copyright 1995.

These annotations copyright 1995 by Doug Atkinson. They may be freely

copied and distributed, provided the text is not altered.

Certain notes are true for each issue. Each one is written by

Alan Moore, drawn and lettered by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John

Higgins.

Moreover, each issue has a continuing motif, a reoccuring object

or pattern that is seen on the cover, the first and last page (usually),

and throughout the issue. This issue's motif is the graveyard and the

Comedian's funeral, with the other characters' flashbacks.

Another trend is the title, which is always an excerpt from an

apropos quote shown in its entirety in the last panel. This issue's title is

from Elvis Costello's "The Comedians."

The