50 pages • 1 hour read
Alan Moore, Illustr. Dave GibbonsWatchmen
Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | YA | Published in 1986A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What is the significance of societal tension and anxiety regarding nuclear war in Watchmen? How do Moore and Gibbons highlight this tension through both text and visual elements?
Comics are a visual medium, where art matters just as much—if not more than—the text. How does the layout of the panels, along with the appendices at the end of each chapter, shape Watchmen?
Is Rorschach an antihero—someone who is fundamentally good despite using unconventional means—or is he a villain who happens to regard himself as good? Is there a meaningful difference, according to Moore? Support your response with evidence from the text.
Laurie tries, but never quite succeeds, to define her character outside of her mother, or the men in her life, namely Manhattan and Dan. Are Moore and Gibbons engaging in a comic trope in this regard, or are they satirizing this tendency? Support your response with evidence from the text.
What role does the newsvendor play in the story? How do his random observations reflect on the story as it evolves?
How does “Tales of the Black Freighter” parallel the themes of the story? Which character does it offer the strongest connection to?
What is the significance of art in Watchmen? Consider elements such as street graffiti, “Tales of the Black Freighter,” and the fates of Hira Manish and Max Shea.
Why doesn’t Watchmen include a traditional supervillain character? What commentary on superhero or comic tropes does the absence of such a villain offer?
Why does Sally Jupiter/Juspeczyk kiss the picture of Eddie Blake? Is there an indication that she should love him despite his crimes against her and against so many others?
Consider the final scene, in which the editor of New Frontiersman says, “Who wants a cowboy actor in the White House?” (414) to an assistant who wears a smiley face t-shirt and has Rorschach’s journal in front of him. What commentary are the authors offering regarding the media and 1980s American politics via this scene?
