PAGE 5
Panel 1:
Note that Rorschach’s comment about his mask killer conspiracy – “…makes
ripples…” – mirrors the ripples in the river created by the submerging of the Owlship,
in the foreground.
Panels 2-3:
The dialogue from Nite Owl in these two panels – specifically his
suggestion to contact Adrian (Ozymandias) and the follow-up commentary on the
mask killer conspiracy: “…we’re
talking somebody major…” – is yet another bit of foreshadowing as to who is
behind all of this – Adrian Veidt, himself.
Panel 4:
The background of this panel is littered with the visual motifs
prevalent throughout this entire story, including the apocalyptic symbols of
“Pale Horse” and “The End is Nigh,” the Nostalgia ad, Nixon political flyers, the
Pink Triangle poster, a poster for the Keene Act that outlawed costumed
vigilantes, and the Ozymandias poster for his southern famine relief benefit,
among other bits of graffiti and refuse.
These thematic
elements, particularly the apocalyptic nature of many of these (which can also
include the reference to famine in the Ozymandias poster and the Nixon and
Nostalgia posters, which both look to the past rather than looking forward),
are emphasized by Nite Owl’s dialogue in this panel: “Future? What
future?”
Panel 5: Moore
& Gibbons once again juxtapose the dialogue with the imagery, as Nite Owl
complains about how “close to the edge…” humanity is, as he climbs over the
edge of the building’s rooftop while Rorschach approaches the opposite edge.
Panel 6:
Rorschach’s response that “Some of us have always lived on the edge…”
and his explanation of how to survive there: “Just hang on by fingernails and never look down…” are
emphasized visually by Rorschach’s example of that, as he hangs on by his
fingernails while standing on the window ledge outside his apartment.
Panel 7:
Note how Rorschach’s body language, as delineated by Dave Gibbons, upon
entering the window of his apartment is exactly the same as what we saw in Chapter I as he entered Eddie Blake’s
apartment on page 6.
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