Chapter 5: Fearful symmetery

I always liked William Blake's poem which is also quoted at the end. Reflection will be a major topic showed in e.g. (5-12-8, 5-14-4, 5-15-1 (which is some a variation on 5-14-4 and part of the same panel), and even page 0). 

Notice the dots in the images of The Black Freighter story. Dots symbolize the comic book. Historically because the images were reprinted badly, but why did it move to symbolize it so? E.g. Roy Lichtenstein’s paintings:



There is a very nice metaphor about comic books (Graphic novels) with the Black Freighter story. It is a parallel story, but notice the words, the images. It is also a reflection on how books, specifically comic books, relate to reality. How everything is dramatized. This is one reason people look down at comic books, as things are not “real.” Of course here we see how they are very close to reality, only told in a more dramatic, flamboyant, fashion. Like through a magnifying glass.
The self reflection of creating characters as in 4-12 is more clichéd, but this one is more original I think.


Ozymandias seems closer and closer to Dr. Manhattan. Already in 4-14-1, but now in 5-13-6 we notice that they also have a similar dual relation to death. Death is not the end for them as it is for most people.

Note a difference from the movie (if you haven’t seen the movie, skip this small paragraph). Here the person who dies from the attack on Ozymandias is his nice secretary we just got to know. In the movie it was some bad oil guys. Small ways the movie, and movies in general, try to make things nicer.

5-22-7 A relation between the tipster and the hero of the black freighter. Or, perhaps just a funny connection the author wanted to do between the stories.

In 5-11-1 Rorschach mentions his mask as his skin.
The Rorschach image is portrayed, in 5-11-(7-9) as two squished, inversed, question marks! Notice here both the fearful symmetry, as in R, inverted R which is his symbol and that of the restaurant we constantly see reflected (hence inverted) in the water. Which is also the last image 5-28-9
I like Rorschach snappy suit. As he says in 5-18-6 putting them on he abandons his disguise.
And in 5-27-9 it’s the first time he accentuates anything, as he also does in 5-28-(2-3).
It’s surprising how different his character is in the book and in the movie.

End of painted part.