The New 'Rorschach' Comic Is A Stealth Sequel To The 'Watchmen' Show
For Watchmen completists who already own the original graphic novel, the role-playing game, and of course, Watchmen-brand condoms, there's a brand new comic book series all about everyone's favorite alt-right ginger vigilante: Rorschach. Which isn't a huge surprise, DC has been regularly mining the iconic 1986 work in recent years with titles like Before Watchmen and the recent Doomsday Clock, the series that saw a new Rorschach palling around with Batman, presumably in an attempt to finally kill Alan Moore.
While we might have been tempted to dismiss the new Rorschach-themed comic (as we did those Dr. Manhattan-themed contraceptives), the talent behind the book is promising: writer Tom King and artist Jorge Fornes.
Even more intriguing, judging from the first issue, Rorschach isn't just a sequel to the Watchmen comic but also to the Emmy-winning HBO series -- by which we mean Watchmen, not, like Curb Your Enthusiasm ... Unless ...
First of all, it takes place in an alternate 2020, one in which Robert Redford is president, just like in the TV series. Sure, that was hinted at in the original book's final pages, but Rorschach #1 also depicts a world in which cellphones are seemingly illegal, and people are forced to use beepers like '90s stockbrokers/drug dealers.
Even more conclusively, we learn that Rorschach Halloween costumes are still popular "even after Oklahoma" -- which seems like a pretty direct reference to the finale of TV's Watchmen.
Which comes as a surprise, as the show creator, Damon Lindelof, seemed pretty adamant about not doing a follow-up. Although, Warner Bros. saying, "Nah, screw that," seems pretty standard when dealing with Watchmen creatives at this point. Of course, this is only the first issue; it remains to be seen whether these details are just fun little Easter Eggs or if future issues will include raining squid guts and mysterious men in lubricated spandex.
You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter! And check out the podcast Rewatchability
Top Image: DC Comics
