Watchmen: Chapter VII - page 13

PAGE 13

Panel 2:  The news account of investigators concluding the search for missing writer Max Shea is another piece of the verisimilitude introduced by Moore & Gibbons in Watchmen.  For people not paying close attention, this news story would seem unimportant, only there to keep the scene moving forward.  But, in reality, Max Shea is part of the grand plan of Ozymandias, which we will discover later in the series.  Shea was the comic book writer profiled in the back matter of CHAPTER V, as the man who elevated the pirate comic, Tales of the Black Freighter to a place of commercial and critical acclaim.  And one of those stories happens to be the one being read by Bernie, the kid at the newsstand – which we have been reading throughout the main narrative of Watchmen. 

Panel 4:  The Institute for Extraspatial Studies is yet another piece of the puzzle that Ozymandias is putting together in order to see his dream to fruition.

Panel 6:  Starting with this panel and over the next couple of pages, Moore will be commenting – through the television dialogue – on the actions of Dan and Laurie as they finally allow the sexual tension that has built up between them to be released.

In this panel, the scientist’s proclamation that “we’re very excited,” is an obvious remark on the feelings of Dan and Laurie as they finally give in to their desires for one another.

Panel 7:  The news anchor’s remark that, “our activities are entering space we thought impossible,” is a perfect description of the reality Dan and Laurie believed in only moments before, as neither one, particularly Dan, believed they would be sleeping together tonight.

Panels 8-9:  The Nostalgia ad, remarking on one person discovering that another person they love and find unforgettable finds them unforgettable too, is a perfect soundtrack for Dan and Laurie’s romantic initiation on the couch.