From: [d--u--a] at [yang.earlham.edu] (Doug Atkinson)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: REPOST: Watchmen Annotation #3
Date: 16 Mar 93 05:22:08 GMT
THE ANNOTATED WATCHMEN
Chapter 3: "The Judge of All the Earth"
Watchmen is a trademark of DC Comics Inc., copyright 1993. These
annotations copyright 1993 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 "radioactive" symbol.
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
Genesis 18:25.
The clock appearing on the covers counts the minutes to midnight,
similar to the clock in the _Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists_, which is
an estimate of the world's closeness to nuclear war. The clock stands at 9
minutes to midnight, and advances by one minute per issue.
Cover: The "Fallout Shelter" sign being put up on the newsstand. Note that
the cropping makes it read "Allout Helter," and the smoke makes it read
"All Hel." Also, the smoke forms the profile of a skull.
Page 1, panel 1: The captions in that style are from the "Tales of the
Black Freighter" comic the teenager is reading. They continue to appear on
and off through the eleventh issue. Some of the panels later are excerpts
from the comic. The story behind the comic itself is told in issue #5.
(Actually, the comic in question is a reprint.)
Pay close attention to the comic captions, and compare them to the ongoing
story.
The speaker is Bernard the newsvendor (we learn his name in #11).
The radiation symbol appears in this and the next three panels.
Panel 3: On the right is an issue of _New Frontiersman_, a right-wing
newspaper, with a headline reading "Missing Writer: Castro to Blame?" and a
photo of Max Shea (writer of "Tales of the Black Freighter." See issue #8.
Panel 4: The kid reading the comic is named Bernie, as we also find out in
#11. The ad on the back of the comic is for "The Veidt Method," Adrian
Veidt's equivalent of the Charles Atlas ads. Veidt honed his body to
"perfection," and here he's offering to do the same for anyone who'll
gamble a stamp.
Across the street are the offices of the Promethean Cab Company ("Bringing
Light to the World").
The _Nova Express_ headline reads, "How Sick Is Dick? After 3rd
Presidential Heart-Op?" The _Nova Express_ is a left-wing newspaper, the
antithesis of the _New Frontiersman._ Other magazines are "Bodyline," "TV
Guide" [real-world], "Home Maker," and "Music," and an unidentified one
that seems to be Japanese with a "Knot Top" headline. (Are knot-tops a
Japanese fashion imported to the US, or vice versa?) On the ground is a
"Gunga Diner" menu.
Bernie is leaning against a public recharge post for the electric vehicles.
Page 2, panel 1: The newsstand is in front of the "Institute for
Extraspatial Studies."
Panel 9: Rorschach in his civilian identity. Behind is a sign for the
Utopia, a revival movie theater.
Page 4, panel 1: Laurie and Jon's bedroom at the Rockefeller Military
Research Center.
Page 5, panel 9: The speaker here is Janey Slater. The reference to JFK
refers to Dr. Manhattan's ability to see the future; he does not attempt to
prevent the things he sees.
Page 6, panels 1, 3, 5: Janey is being interviewed in the _Nova Express_
offices. Her ashtray rests on the current issue. Notice the similarity
between the tape reels and the radiation symbol. The ashtray is the first
appearance of a minor theme (the zig-zag pattern on a round object.)
Panels 4, 6: The cab is from the Promethean, and the driver (who reappears
later) is named Joey.
Page 7, panel 2: We learn here that Nostalgia is produced by Veidt.
Panel 4: The workman is repairing Dreiberg's lock after Rorschach smashed
it in the first issue. He works for Gordian Knot Lock Co., which is
probably owned by Veidt (the Gordian knot was undone by Alexander the
Great, one of Veidt's heroes). The motto on the truck reads, "They'll
Never Undo This Sucker."
Page 8, panel 5: Rorschach ate or took the rest of his sugar in the first
issue. Incidentally, this is "Sweet Chariot" sugar cubes.
Page 9, panel 5: The teakettle is made by Veidt.
Page 10, panel 1: The image of Laurie reflected here foreshadows issue #9's
motif, and the eyes, circle, and slash of hair repeat the smiley-face of
#1.
Page 11, panel 2: The Utopia Cinema, which is showing "This Island Earth,"
reappears later. This scene is seen from another angle on page 18, panel
1.
Panels 4 & 6: More ongoing themes. "Who Watches the Watchmen" graffiti, a
Pale Horse poster, an anarchy symbol, and the militant feminist symbol with
"Castrate Rapists" underneath it. The Japanese-looking characters on the
jackets [do they mean anything?] suggest that the knot-top style does
indeed come from Japan.
Page 12, panel 3: The host is Benny Anger; he reappears in issue #7.
Page 13, panel 3: First appearance of Doug Roth (unless he was the one
interviewing Janey, which is possible).
Panel 5: We see a flashback to one of these battles in issue #4.
Page 15, panel 2: Another "Ozymandias Southern India Famine Relief" poster,
first seen in issue #1.
Page 17, panel 2: The sign is for the _New Frontiersman_ and reads "In your
hearts, you know it's right" to which someone has added "wing." This is a
reference to 1964's conservative Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater,
who used this phrase, minus the addition, as a slogan. He was perceived as
being partial to nuclear war; his slogan was modified by LBJ supporters to
"In Your Heart You Know He Might" (particularly appropriate to this
series).
Panel 3: Hollis Mason's business, last seen in #1.
Page 18, panel 1: _Nova Express_: "Dr. Manhattan Cancer Link New Evidence;
Inside: Janey Slater Speaks." The new issue. This is page 11, panel 2
from another angle.
Panels 7-9: The radiation symbol again.
Page 19, panel 1: The symbol, this time being painted on their bedroom
door. The singer's rendition of "Walking on the Moon" by the Police
foreshadows Dr. Manhattan's trip to Mars.
Page 20, panel 1: The sign reads, "Gila Flats Test Base: Per Dolorem Ad
Astra: Government Property: Keep Out." This is where Dr. Manhattan worked
when he had the accident that changed him (see next issue). The Latin
phrase means something like "Through Sadness/Pain/Anguish To The Stars."
"Ad Astra Per Aspera" is a more commonly known phrase, meaning "Through
adversities to the stars". (The change may reflect Doc's reasons for
leaving Earth.)
Panel 3: The Bestiary, the on-base bar.
Panel 5: The writing in the case reads "At play amidst the strangeness and
charm." "Strangeness" and "charm" are properties of quarks.
Panel 6: The picture is of Janey and Jon. See next issue.
Page 22, panel 1: The _Frontiersman_ headline reads, "Our Country's
Protector Smeared by the Kremlin."
Panel 3: The _Gazette_ headline: "Dr Manhattan Leaves Earth." Page 23,
panel 2: More radiation symbols.
Page 24, panels 7-8: That's Nostalgia cologne Rorschach is swiping.
Page 25, panels 1-3: As has been said before, superhero comics never caught
on in a world with real superheroes. They seem to have died out during the
early '40's. (In our world it's "Flash," not "Flash-Man;" either the
newsvendor has a faulty memory, or the worlds had diverged enough by 1940
to produce a minor change like this.) Pirate comics have been the most
popular type of comic for a long time.
Page 8: "Russians Invade Afghanistan." In our world this happened in 1979.
Here, of course, the Russians held off due to Dr. Manhattan; but with him
gone they went ahead and invaded.
Page 26, panel 1: The second speaker is President Nixon. Panel 6:
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Page 27, panel 2: The bald man with the cigarette holder is G. Gordon
Liddy, seen again in #10.
Panel 4: Lots more radiation symbols.
Page 28, panel 2: The last radiation symbol of the issue.
Pages 29-32: The last _Under the Hood_ reprint, chronicling the days after
the fall of the Minutemen.
Page 12, paragraph 3: Hooded Justice was likely killed by the Comedian.
(If Muller was Hooded Justice. There is no evidence for this anywhere in
the comic; but the Mayfair Games DC Heroes Module, "Taking Out the Trash,"
agrees with this assessment, in the section co-written by Moore.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Thanks to:
[t w hite] at [advorak.amd.com] (Tom White)
[d--i] at [netcom.com] (Dani Zweig) for all sorts of notes.
[a--rr--l] at [maths.tcd.ie] (Andrew Farrell) for pointing out the 11:2/18:1
correllation.
[k--i--h] at [shell.portal.com] (Keith Jeffrey Kushner) for translating "Dolorem."
[aw 1 s] at [andrew.cmu.edu] (Andrew David Weiland) for IDing Goldwater.
[d--u--a] at [yang.earlham.edu] Doug Atkinson