PAGE 13
Panel 1: where we return to the
present, and to the newsstand, where Bernie says, “…I didn’t expect all this to
take so long.” The horses are mirrored
in the latest example of two riders
approaching, as two men wearing suits and hats and riding bicycles approach
this very familiar newsstand.
The
news vendor’s continued dialogue – “…everybody’s scared [the bomb]’ll
drop…gatherin’ on corners, looking for trouble…” – is mirrored by the
continuation of the pirate comic’s caption: “At death’s approach, all creatures
discover an aptitude for violence.” This
aptitude for violence is also
emphasized by the “Veidt Method” ad we see on the back of the Black Freighter comic, which professes
to offer one an opportunity to become a physical specimen of strength and
power, which could be used for violence against those who may have ridiculed
you when you weren’t as strong or physically impressive.
Panel 2: Moore juxtaposes the commingling texts (from
the Black Freighter and the main
narrative) with the lines “…horses watched, understanding only a little,” and
“…it’s too big to take in, but people know something bad’s happening…”
emphasizing the gravity of the situations and the reality of how little people
(and animals) know of each.
Panel 3: We
get more mirroring texts as the newsvendor talks about the fact that people
“know something’s coming…it’s doomsday,” while in the Black Freighter we get a caption describing how the woman looked in
the narrator’s hands “when death was assured.”
And, in the background, the two bicycle riders approaching the newsstand
subtly emphasize this assertion that something terrible is approaching.
Panel 4: The Black
Freighter caption talks of “two worlds ended,” in reference to these two
deaths, while in the main narrative, we have Bernie continuing to profess that
“maybe today, maybe tomorrow” the end of the world will arrive.
Panel 5: We get more mirroring texts as Bernie tells
the bicyclist who asks for a Gazette that that’s what he’s there for (and by
his initial stuttering, we can assume Bernie was momentarily surprised at the
request and may be looking at the two men with a confused [or stupid] look on his face), while the Black Freighter caption states: “My purpose almost forgotten…I gazed stupidly
at the horses.”
Panel 6: This panel is more subtle, but Moore mirrors
the texts once again as both the Black
Freighter story and the main narrative discuss, or show characters, trying
to take advantage of a situation – the pirate narrator wonders how to turn
these murders to his advantage while the man purchasing the Gazette uses that
transaction as an opening to offer one of his own pamphlets to Bernie.
Panel 7: The juxtaposition of the Black Freighter and main narrative text here is interesting, in
that the caption box for the Black Freighter
actually answers the question posed to Bernie, even if it isn’t Bernie’s actual
answer.
Also of note, the magazine
offered by these Jehovah’s Witnesses is entitled “Watch Tower,” tying into the two
riders approaching, motif, as this chapter’s title
comes from the Bob Dylan song, “All Along the Watchtower.”
The Watch Tower also plays
into the main narrative, as these pamphlets often include articles on the
coming apocalypse and how one’s soul could be saved. The mushroom cloud on the cover emphasizes
this sense of impending doom.
Panel 8:
We get more mirroring texts,
as the Jehovah’s Witnesses tell Bernie they are leaving now, while in the Black Freighter comic the narrator has
tied the deceased woman to her horse so they too might leave and head back to
Davidstown.
Panel 9: In this panel, it’s the imagery from the main
narrative that is juxtaposed against the caption of the Black Freighter, as we watch the Jehovah’s Witnesses ride off on
their bicycles while the narrator of the pirate comic thinks, “…two figures…rode
back.”
This panel is also littered
with the apocalyptic symbolism that has been seen throughout Watchmen,
as we see the newspaper headline proclaiming the escalation of the conflict in
eastern Europe, the “Utopia” theater with the poster for “The Day the Earth
Stood Still,” and the Jehovah’s Witnesses who were proclaiming the end of days
by God.
The “conflict escalates”
headline transition directly into
No comments:
Post a Comment