WATCHMEN: Chapter 7; "Why, Mr. Dreiberg, you're dashing!"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! Dedicated to watchdom @ LJ 

CONTENT: 

01 Introduction 

02 Visual Examination 

03 Plot and Narrative 

04 Characterization 

05 Dialogue 

06 Quote Reference 

07 Fan Reaction 

08 Closing 

SONGS USED: 

"Fukisusabu Kaze no Naka de" for Introduction 

"HT" and "Ningyo Hime" for music while reviewing 

"Rebirthing" by Skillet between breaks and for Closing

• This chapter runs 32:02 including instrumental tracks. It's hardly festive but the mood is just right. I considered this a nice break from the mindfuck and the morbidity of the previous chapters.
• The Visual Examination was an easy-breezy one. There aren't a lot of layers in this chapter and it was surprisingly humane and relatable. Gibbons maintained the nine-grid panel layout but made use of expanding ones in a few pages. I also like the change from dull to vibrant colors as the scenes escalated. The prevailing metaphor is intact.
• I combined Plot and Narrative because this chapter is sort of a personal one while still a part of the major plot. The story revolved around Dan and Laurie's flaws and magnificence as people who eventually form a deeper bond. Moore knows the right temperature for romance. Nothing cheesy about the interactions at all. The prose is humanistic and meaningful.
• Oh, I think Dan and Laurie may not be as complex but they are very much relevant. They have problems and insecurities a great majority of readers undergo in their own lives. That's why the Characterization spoke to me. It was unexpectedly sweet in all the right places.
• Dan and Laurie's conversations made up the Dialogue aspect. I enjoyed getting to know them as they get to know each other; especially their masked vigilante personas.
• Quote Reference amused me to no end.
• I shared the views fandom has for Dan and Laurie, individually and as a couple in the Fan Reaction segment, as well as my opinions for their movie counterparts.
• I chose a pretty hard rock song but the lyrics are just so them :p

This chapter is one of my favorites. It's such an amazing feat for Moore and Gibbons to include a chapter so full of hope and optimism when Watchmen is an ugly world of moral ambiguity and potential nuclear disasters. Dan and Laurie re-define themselves in this chapter and are therefore more able to embrace who they are when they wear their costumes. In a way, being behind the mask actually unveils them as human beings. It's wonderfully bittersweet and their character dynamics are a perfect fit.

WATCHMEN: Chapter 6; "A face to look at in the mirror"

Dedicated to Mei Dollesin

CONTENT: 

01 Introduction 

02 Visual Examination 

03 Characterization 

04 A Scrutiny of the Narrative 

05 Quote Reference 

06 Fan Reaction 

07 Closing 

SONGS USED: 

"Ningyo Hime" for Introduction & Fan Reaction 

"Jigoku Nagashi" and "Ake ni Somaru" for music while reviewing 

"Shackled" by Vertical Horizon between breaks & for Closing 

*audio clips courtesy of Watchmen Motion Comics 

• This chapter review runs 37:15 including instrumental tracks. Just like in the fourth chapter, this one is a personal look at the character of Rorschach. The standard format is indicated above.
• I abused the Motion Comics audio clips :p
• There was nothing special about the visual look of this chapter, except that it feels claustrophobic. There is darkness in the panels that are contrasted by brightly-lit oranges, reds and yellows. Gibbons and Higgins' choice of color palette in this chapter is certainly interesting.
• I've always had a degree of dislike for Rorschach which developed into a fondness at this point. In this segment, I discussed the difference between Walter Kovacs and Rorschach, as well as what they represented. I also deconstructed his psyche while examining the psychiatrist Malcolm Long and his role in understanding Rorschach both as a concept and as a vigilante. I also contrasted Rorschach with Dr. Manhattan. There are fascinating differences.
• The narrative has overwhelmed me with its power and strength. While Dr. Manhattan's chapter made me sad, Rorschach's stirred dormant righteous anger that I believe is in all of us. His perception of the world might be morbid but it was real and it pulls you in because we all are born in darkness and this seems to attract us to his character (and what he stands for) even more.
• Yes, everyone loves Rorschach, right, fandom?
• I chose the perfect song for Rorschach, I think.

Holy shit. This is the most depressing chapter so far. The painful thing is Rorschach's distorted perception of how the world works actually makes sense. And that's what hurts us.