Watchmen: Chapter VII - page 25

PAGE 25

Panel 1:  The remark from one of the tenement dwellers:  “…why’s she dressed like that?  It’s us who just got woke up at four in the a.m…” is a subtle remark on the sexual nature of heroes, and in particular, the typical uniform of these heroes, which tends to be tight-fitting or, in the case of most female superheroes, “barely there,” as with Laurie’s very short skirt.

Panel 3:  Note the fire in the background – which makes sense as far as the continuity – that can be seen, symbolically, as the rebirth of Dan and Laurie.  Like the phoenix, which is cyclically reborn in fire, Dan and Laurie have returned to active costumed adventuring (their true selves, I would argue) as a result of this tenement fire.  They are being reborn in fire this night.

Panel 7:  The song, “You’re My Thrill,” is from 1933 and represents Dan’s anachronistic nature as well as being emblematic of the way he feels about Laurie, in particular how he feels about Laurie in her guise of the Silk Spectre.

This song can also be seen as a symbol of Dan’s unwillingness to “grow up.”  He wants to return to the “good old days,” from where this song originates, acknowledge his romanticized outlook on those earlier times, and play hero in his Nite Owl costume.