WATCHMEN - Full Comic Review

[@schizoolander]

I like Rorschach just wish his face didn’t look like my parents fighting

[@FanGirl9463]

Need more comic reviews! 2:01 Ryan you know what to do…

[@montparnasse97]

Moore's run on Swamp Thing is my favorite too ❤️

[@dws0828]

Fascinating backstory to how this story got published that is only dwarfed by how good the actual book is. I wish more people actually delved into it but at least Snyder’s film exposed this to a lot of people who wouldn’t have checked it out otherwise Great video as always, Ryan 👍🏼

[@maskedsaiyan1738]

I love the Watchmen comic. I love how Alan Moore makes the “super heroes” incredibly flawed, yet compelling characters.

[@wolfstatus]

Thanks!

[@RealLifeRyan]

Thank you!! 🙏

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

"Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."

[@Firguy_the_Foot_Fetishist]

Doesn't Rorschach do precisely that at the end of his life?

[@dr.calibrations7984]

@@Firguy_the_Foot_Fetishist He legitimately dies for his beliefs. He knows he can't beat Manhattan, so he chooses to die instead. Manhattan will not let him tell the world what happened, and he just saw Manhattan reconstitute himself after getting obliterated. Instead of going along with it, or even lying and then telling the truth later. He states his intent and lets Manhattan kill him. Because he is aware that he is an ant and Manhattan is a Tyranosuar

[@coreyano]

​@@dr.calibrations7984he also beats Manhattan cuz he sends his notebook to the newspaper

[@dr.calibrations7984]

@@coreyano Yes, and no, it's a phyrric victory at best. People might see it as the rambling of a madman or doubt the credibility of a conspiracy rag.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

Forschach is the best character in the story, he might be brutal to criminals but he’s actually got morals. I really love him, especially how he dies for his beliefs.

[@soulsboyrne]

Never watched a watchmen recap even though I know the story from other media, but I really appreciate this rundown! Excellent vid as always amigo

[@TheAlanRaptor]

Actually, the characters in Watchmen are inspired by Charleton Comics characters like The Question for Roarshach, Blue Beedle for Nite Owl, and Captain Atom for Doctor Manhattan and so on. While I know that Blue Beedle and The Question are DC characters now, but they were bought by DC after their creation.

[@theblocksays]

Gotta say, it was most certainly not on my checklist of things happening to see of all original Charleton superheros, Peacemaker becoming a break out hit in recent times. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6KQpKiBha6LbpIsi=dr47sSDyNjtRJJv6

[@coreyano]

One of the best storytelling of all time. Across all media: movies, series, books and comics. V for vendetta is another Alan Moore masterpiece

[@Martin-jm3jf]

please PLEEEAAASE do a Constantine overview on top of that swamp thing one.

[@alephthetheropod6210]

I'm glad you did this, Ryan. I always avoided this comic because of all the commentary about it. A looot of people get really weird around it, I guess it touches their deepest convictions, but you did it in a really enjoyable way. Thanks!

[@walkerofthewasteland]

I will never forget the first time I read Watchmen, especially when I got to chapter 6. After learning Rorshach's backstory, I had to close the book and sit back and process what I had just read. I was floored.

[@calebwyels1021]

I'm a massive Watchmen fan since highschool freshman year. Great video thank you. I feel like The HBO show was a perfect sequel and understood the material way better than Zack Snyders movie (which I do also still like)

[@AVTerror]

Glad to see you make a video about this! I did a similar video breaking down the comic and the movie and telling why the movie was so wrong. We had a lot of similar points, which is great! Glad I found someone who truly understands this comic!

[@frezhunter]

Ryan you gotta do The Crow comic next

[@woodsgump]

I like Rorschach because he’s Rorschach. Just wish he wasn’t Rorschach.

[@Mr2dmonkey]

I think you did a great job Ryan. I love this story.

[@dr.calibrations7984]

Fun fact: Moore was both surprised and pissed about how popular Rorschach became. He hated Rorschach and didn't like that people liked the character.

[@dws0828]

The jaded way Alan Moore talks about comics now is very different than the guy who wrote the story in 1985. Alan and Dave Gibbons were both big fans of Steve Ditko (creator of Spider-man) and his character ‘the Question’ who Rorschach was originally supposed to be in the story. But since DC didn’t let them uses those Charleston characters AKA Peacemaker as the Comedian, Captain Atom as Dr Manhattan; they warped and twisted those characters to a degree that I think surprised him that people still resonated with them. But I think the irony that a lot of people miss is Rorschach, the sociopathic creep who thinks the world is beyond saving and views everyone as under him, possibly dooms the peace that so many people were sacrificed to create. Meaning all those people died for nothing. Which might even be worst than the actual crime that Ozymandias committed

[@dr.calibrations7984]

@@dws0828 Rorschach telling the truth isn't even close to what Ozymanias did. Ozymandias straigh up murdered thousands, and Rorschach "invalidating" their "sacrifice" is a joke. These people weren't asked, nor did they consent to being a sacrifice. The truth might put the world back on the brink, but at least the victims and their families could get justice for the crime done. Not compromising on morality is the right thing to do anyway. As for Rorschach being a Sociopath, no, not really, sure he has emotional outbursts and lacks empathy towards criminals. But the reason he started being so violent was due to the (probably pedophillic) man killing, chopping up, and feeding that little girl to dogs, at least in the movie. That isn't a sociopathic trait. Is Rorschach deeply mentally disturbed? Absolutely. But he has empathy, particularly to the innocent. Rorschach isn't a good person. He does see himself as better than most people, he is incredibly violent, and he's not someone I'd want to be around, and I personally disagree with anyone playing Judge, Jury, and Exicutioner, but out of the cast, he seems to be the only one who actually seeks justice. Specter and Owlman just want to feel young and alive, Manhattan isn't even human, Comedian is closer to the Joker than the Punisher, and Ozymandias is a man believing himself to be God, and murdering thousands because that's the only solution he thought of. Ozymandias is closer to a psychopath than Rorschach is to being a sociopath. Ozymandias saw people as pawns to be sacrificed and manipulated to reach his end goal. By the confines of the story, Rorschach is the only hero in the sense of selflessness and seeking justice. He's probably not being entirely honest with himself. A part of him definitely just wants to fight. But his self-delusion keeps him focused on the right targets. The rest are fully aware that they aren't seeking justice they are just doing what they do for personal reasons.

[@coreyano]

​@@dr.calibrations7984good breakdown

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

The irony is that Moore intended Watchmen to be all morally gray and "realistic", and wrote Rorschach as a parody of Steve Ditko's Objectivist heroes, and yet readers identified so strongly with the character because at the end of the day people tend to respect people who stand firm in their convictions. And so ironically Watchmen, although meant to be a deconstruction of superheroes, ended up reminding people why they like them in the first place.

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

​@dws0828 No, Alan Moore intentionally wrote Rorschach to be as unlikable as he thought he could. The problem is that people don't care about the things that Alan Moore thinks make a character unlikable, like being unhygienic or a "conspiracy theorist"/doomsday preacher. Rorschach is absolutely not a sociopath, that idea is patently absurd since a lot of his motivation comes from his empathy for children who are abused and neglected like he was. The reason people like Rorschach is because he puts his life on the line to fight for truth and justice, for a world that he despises, even in the face of impossible odds which will lead him to certain death. As for your Ozymandias/Dr. Manhattan apologism, that's a sunk cost fallacy. Just because people died doesn't mean that Rorschach is wrong to oppose Ozymandias's plan.

[@Wally_stad]

One of my favorite series. Not much into super hero’s but I love a good deconstruction story.

[@mindful4125]

Bro I am in the last chapter right now and you uploaded this! Perfect timing! I definitely needed this!

[@666slateran666]

Loved the snyder movie growing up, but readin the comic as an adult....it hits different. Rorshach is such a compelling character amongst the scum of this world.

[@mrsticky005]

Have you read "From Hell" it's also by Alan Moore and it's about Jack the Ripper so as a fan of horror movies you might like it. There's a movie but I don't think it's very accurate to the comic.

[@aarondemiri486]

Read it multiple times and is one of my favourite stories.

[@petitgegant9979]

The Badies: The Comedian is so devastated when he discovers the truth of it all that he gives up hope and ends up being evil (rapes a woman who loves him, shots a woman who is pregnant of his baby, etc.). Curioulsy he is the first to die. Ozymandias is an evil person because he kills innocent people to achieve his individual dream: Unite Humanity through violence and become like his childhood hero Alexander the Great who, following the worst ideology ever created (end justifies means) tried to unite humanity through violence the same way he cutted with his sword the knot which no sage could undo. More over, he kills innocent people to torture both emotionally and psychologically Dr. Manhatan to take him out of the way. Curiously his plan ends up failing thanks to Rorsarch notes. Sooner or later the truth is always known because thruth is reality and reality always wins over ficition/lies (in fact all fiction/lie is inspired by something real). I'm pretty sure the owner of the newspaper would not lose the opportunity to talk badly about a celebrity like Ozymandias (newspaper + gossip = money + success = shit = people love shit). The Neutral: Dr. Manhattan is not good nor evil. He has the moral principles of a rock or a tree and not being able to distinguish between them he makes some evil and good choices without even being aware of it. He doesn't stop the Comedian from shooting the mother of his child. He aids U.S.A. army to conquer a free peaceful country like Vietnam (even U.S.A. citizens ended up realizing what they were doing was evil and that's why they surrendered and lost a war for the first time in their lifes against a country which paradoxically was much weaker than them). He leaves the earth instead of helping Humanity. He kills Rorsarch for trying to expose Ozymandias. On the other hand he stops collaborating with imperialists devoting himself to Science and he finally realizes one of the most unstopplable "miracle" (walking over the water with ships, resurrecting people with disfibrillators, loving an evil man and wanting to bear his daughter inside oneself, etc.) machines in universe is Humankind and thus, he must do something to save us. In overall, being no human no more he is just neutral and that's why he finally doesn't die but he is "punished" by exile. He doesn't deserve to be with us. He is too powerful and dangerous. Better for everyone if he just roams the cosmos waiting for Helium to become Gold without realizing that this will never happen unless humans (or some other life form) make it happen so (we already know how to produce diamonds out of carbon for example or how to "transmute" a sticky balck liquid like petroleum into thousands different materials). The Mix: Rorsarch is a good, brave, traumatized person who tries to make the world better through what he thinks are good deeds. Sadly for him, due to his traumas combined with his braveness, he often acts too fast without thinking about the consequences of his actions. He only kills in self defense which is legal and legitimate but sometimes he also does it when he thinks a person is guilty of some horrible crime (like killing a child) without waiting for the police to investigate if that person is truly the real culprit or not and that's absolutely wrong. More over, due to his traumas, he often thinks almost everyone is evil and he doesn't think it twice about making them suffer to get what he wants from them. This only makes him a minor version of Ozymandias. He doesn't kill thousands of innocent people but he is rather happy to break some of their fingers. That's why he is "punished" by death but his good, noble, just cause/soul (sharing the truth and punish evil persons like Ozymandias) prevails in the end outliving him. The Goodies: Daniel and Laurie are good, sensible coward people like most of us who try to do what they think it's better for the people they care avoiding as much as possible hurting others or themselves. Unfortunately, being coward is pretty usual because we all are the coward children of our coward parents (in the past most of the ones who were the bravest were the first ones to die in the front line either being shot or pierced by arrows, swords or lances). Being cowards makes both of them unable to expose neither Dr. Manhatan nor Ozymandias because they fear the consequences of doing so. That's why we must cooperate with brave good persons like Rorsarch (getting him out of jail) but we must not allow hateful persons like him to take control because if we let them, hell and madness overcomes it all. Being sensible, Daniel and Laurie use ultrasonic waves to reduce as much as possible the damage done and recieved during the jail assault. Daniel wants to get Rorsarch out because he cares for his friend and because he wants to make a safer society (he suspects Rorsarch knows something that can prove useful to stop the murderer). Laurie helps Daniel because she cares for him because she is in love with him. Laurie asks Dr. Manhatan to stay and help them because she also wants to get the murderer and furthermore she thinks Dr. Manhatan can be a great ally to build a better world. They are the only ones who are saved from any punishment because it's people like them/us (cooperating with brave good persons like Rorsarch) who really sustain all the system nice and clean and keep at bay disgusting megalomaniacs guys like Ozymandias, hateful avengers like Rorsarch or nihilistic good for nothing guys like the Comedian. Thanks Mother Nature or God or whatever we don't need to deal with guys like Dr. Manhatan because they only exist in our real imagination. If someone like him really existed, something tells me that no resolute, strong willed girlfriend could ever convince him of anything (I think that one was more the reflection of the personal life of the writer of the novel than an accurate description of women/men relationships but who knows, who cares, not I). I also think that no convincing would be necessary because he would either travel throughout space to find some quarks to play with or he would aid us willingly to make a better world realizing Humanity is by far more interesting than quarks (to this day no quark has ever made a grafic novel so amazing as Watchmen is after all). I loved Watchmen when I readed it because during my life and even now I think almost the same way of all its characters and thus I empatized a lot with them. Sometimes I think all is a complete shit and the best way to deal with it is feeling and acting like a pig who enjoys being covered by it (Comedian). Sometimes I think some people are so wicked they shouldn't be treated like the rest by our legal systems beause they only deserve the hardest of punishments (Rorsarch). Sometimes I think everyone in society is so mean and selfish (myself included) we deserve bad things happen to us (Rorsarch). Sometimes I feel even the entire Earth and all within is so insignificant compared to universe that I don't care one bit about anything nor anyone (Dr. Manhattan). Sometimes I feel everyone (myself included) is so weak, fragile and vulnerable that our only hope to survive and even thrive is by all of us taking care of one another (Dan and Laurie). Sometimes I would love someone was smart enough to elaborate a plan to solve all the problems in the world but I admit that I never thought this plan could involve killing thousands of innocent people. I suppose that's why I hated so much Adrian Veidt and I suppose that's why he is the archvillain, the "final boss" of the tale. It's impossible to cure an ill person by taking away from him/her the healthy "parts". The only way to do it is by curing the ill "parts" or if this can't be done they must be taken away. The only way to build a better world is by making the evil persons become good or if this can't be done they must be judged and put in jail away from the rest. So horrible and sad some organizations in the past (Nazis) and unfortunately maybe in the present too, mistook ill by evil and healthy by good and thus they tried to build a better world by killing the ill or disabled. Being ill or healthy doesn't make anyone good nor evil. How curious the beauty ideal of some of those organizations was very similiar to the one which Adrian impersonates. No curious at all because though having good intentions, Adrian ended up acting like an authentic nazi. (that being said, being blond or not doesn't make anyone evil/good nor nazi/democrat I don't want any misunderstanding). I know the consciousness of Allan Moore says all the the characters have to be respected but I am more interested by far in his unconscious (soul). It's so pure and true. In some way he even redeemed the Comedian by allowing him to have a good strong willed daughter like Laurie because before he surrendered his soul (ideology) to evil (the hopelessness the Cold War and its atomic bombs instilled) to become a selfish bastard, he was just a good man fighting injustice to make the world a better place to live. One day the physical body of Alan Moore will be no more but his soul will live forever within Watchmen.

[@ScottWengel]

I wish I could give you 10 thumbs up

[@josealvarado276]

I could never stop thinking about that story with the old night owl in which his old boss killed himself because his wife cheated on him and there was a theory that guy was The Comedian’s dad (he also looks exactly like him) and that’s why he was such a misogynist since his mother was the cause his dad killed himself

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

It’s so strange but I’ve never read Watchmen, I kept meaning to buy it but never got around to it. But I have read Doomsday Clock, the follow up story. But I absolutely love the movie, I know some people don’t like it, but I really love it.

[@turtleanton6539]

Get the absolute 😮😮😮😮

[@GutsTheStoner]

Batman learned his voice from rorschach hah

[@StrayKev]

I was not expecting a video on watchmen.

[@apollorampage]

Thanks for the banger video ryan 🫀

[@filmrook6606]

Commenting to help the video grow

[@666slateran666]

This definitely holds up. Watchmen walked so Invincible and the boys could run!

[@hab0272]

Human creativity is the gift that keeps on giving

[@lachlank.8270]

The nuclear armageddon clock is a real life thing managed by some scientists I'm pretty sure they even have a big novelty physical clock they adjust the hands of

[@ryno_8848]

There is a prequel series called Before watchmen and a sequel series called Doomsday clock. I don’t think either are written by Alan more

[@Brightest_day727]

You should do more vertigo imprint reviews,they had so many good story's to do videos on.

[@SpikeJet2736]

I know this is an overused analogy but Watchmen is the Citizen Kane of comics. Is it the best? No but the medium owes so much to it that it deserves respect for that alone

[@KujoPainting]

One for the algo!

[@ScottWengel]

can someone explain Alan Moore's choice of coloring for the Watchmen which I would describe as a muted neon

[@GunkKing]

Have you seen the sequel show?

[@Yoodom]

you should read the Fables comic series

[@jynniferspencer861]

Did you ever review the movie?

[@kotorandcorvid4968]

I love the movie and the music they used for it. Haven't read the comic but I prefer Dr. Manhatten's powers being used as nukes over the alien squid thing

[@dws0828]

The reason the squid threat works is because it is an unknown alien threat that can’t be explained. Dr Manhattan is an American entity and while short term peace is possible it is very clear that eventually the USSR and even people in our own country would view the whole attack as a deep state operation (look at some people still talk about 9/11 conspiracies) and war tensions would resume at some point. The inexplicable alien threat that could “return” at any point makes much more sense for counties to continue a joint effort while awaiting that threat. Plus, Alan Moore was referencing old 50’s comics villains like Starro the Conquerer with the squids that’s why it’s fun

[@youarealwayscorrect]

I agree. There are multiple reasons as for why I personally prefer the way how the movie handled the Ozymandias' plan from a logical perspective, but my personal favorite point is more of a metaphorical one - how a literal all-powerful god was still used as a mere puppet in favor of a humanity's interests. It looks like a very clever satire at how humans have always been cunning enough to turn things in their favor, even the founding rules of various religions, which were supposedly created by the gods or their messiahs. People always used gods' authority to serve their interests, even if that "given authority" was actually a lie. Ozymandias did the same thing humanity has always been doing, but with an actual god.

[@Poonzy7]

Mr Ryan you diden't really talk about the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock? It was a very good comic and sequel to the original. Wish you had covered it sir neverthless good review.

[@ryno_8848]

If you like Alan moore I would recommend some of the other things he’s written like Batman the killing joke. V for vendetta and From hell.

[@biropgrules]

Rorschach is the best character because he's a mess of contradictions, hypocrocies, virtues and vices, who is introduced as looking down on the vast majority of New York city as degenrates beyond saving, and yet at the end of the tale, he, and he alone is the only one who cares about justice for all of them. Its a great, thematic arc for a incredibly flawed yet somehow likeable character, even if it didnt involve too much direct character development to get there. Sometimes characters dont need to change, you just need to put them into a situation where they have to actually stand up for what is right and wrong when the going gets tough and you have to sacrifice for it. Also the fact that the invasion of afghanistan is ultimately what destroyed the ussr in real life tells us that Ozy entire scheme was unessesary. There wasnt gonna be a nuclear war, cause the soviets didnt want armageddon any more than the americans did. Ironically enough, real life validated Rorschach. The fact the americans didnt compromise and funded the afghans against the soviets ultimately led to their destruction despite how such an action could have provoked a nuclear response.

[@notKevinFeige]

Loved the video

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes indeed🎉🎉🎉🎉😮

[@ScottWengel]

I just watched this video of Ryan's take on the Watchmen right after his take on Aliens franchise and it makes me understand why and how much i dislike Star Wars fandom/Universe.

[@ctmuang]

For the love of god! Rayn why haven’t I see you make videos on Kingdom manga

[@Red_Keeper]

Nice

[@flaviamartinez3292]

You should review Brat Pack.

[@unholymayhem]

I really enjoyed the movie I still have to buy the comic

[@gatorama666]

bom demais

[@Page_max]

As a hunter x Hunter fan would i like it?

[@Deforestater]

Nice video. Shit comic though.