Robot Panic Book Club: Watchmen, Week 4
It’s week 4 of our six-week series, the first ever Robot Panic Book Club. This week, as we cross over the halfway mark, we’ll be discussing chapters 7 and 8 of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, all leading up to the March 6th release of the Zack Snyder film. Keep in mind that the comments below will contain spoilers for the first eight issues, but please use spoiler tags when discussing anything beyond chapter eight.
Below are chapter synopses for chapters 7 and 8.
Chapter 7: A Brother to Dragons
Dan finds Laurie touring his basement hideout. He explains his collection of crime fighting gadgets and mementos, often downplaying them. Laurie, who is captivated by these forgotten objects, tries to cheer Dan up by praising him for his ingenuity.
Later in Dan’s apartment, Dan and Laurie are watching television when passion sparks between them. Laurie initiates making love, but Dan just can’t seem to get going.
They fall asleep and Dan, awakened by a nightmare, heads naked into his basement hideout to sulk. Laurie discovers him and while she is trying to console him, they decide to suit up in their old costumes and take Dan’s airship “Archie” out for spin to help clear Dan’s head.
While they’re cruising over New York City, they notice that a nearby tenement is on fire. After leading the trapped residents to safety, Dan’s passion and confidence is reborn and the pair consummate their relationship inside the airship. Afterwards, Dan, feeling a new sense of obligation to his old costumed partners, decides that they have to break Rorschach out of prison.
Closing Quotation: “I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.” JOB, Chapter 30, verses 29-30
Chapter 8: Old Ghosts
When Hollis Mason sees reports of the tenement rescue on the news, he calls his old partner in crime fighting Sally Jupiter to relay the story.
Back at the basement hideout, Dan and Laurie investigate the possibility that Dr. Manhattan’s choice to exile himself was carefully orchestrated as part of a bigger conspiracy. Dan realizes more then ever, breaking Rorschach out of prison is imperative, since he might have information that could help them uncover what has been going on.
Later, a police detective stops by Dan’s apartment. He drops hints that he knows Dan is the Nite-Owl and has been in contact with Rorschach and Laurie. Dan understands now that they have to act quickly to get Rorschach free.
Somewhere on an island, missing comic book writer Max Shea and painter Hira Manish discuss an odd squid-like creature Manish is sketching that appears under a tarp, being prepped to be transported, on the beach in the distance.
Dan and Laurie head off in “Archie” to go spring Rorschach from prison where a riot has broken out. Rorschach calmly dispatches some old enemies who have broken into his cell to kill him. The three heroes are reunited and hurry off in Dan’s Owl-ship.
While regrouping back at Dan’s apartment, Dr. Manhattan appears out of nowhere and asks Laurie to come with him to Mars for an important conversation. The two teleport away, as Dan and Rorschach flee the apartment with the police on their heels.
The news of Rorschach’s escape angers and frightens a gang of “knot-tops” who decide to go take their frustrations out on Hollis Mason, thinking that he is the Nite-Owl the news reported that helped break Rorschach out. The gang forces their way into Mason’s apartment and beats him to death.
Closing Quotation: “On Hallowe’en the old ghosts come about us, and they speak to some; to others they are dumb.” – Hallowe’en by Eleanor Farjeon
Table of contents for Robot Panic Book Club: Watchmen
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Tags: alan moore, Book Club, Watchmen
February 17th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
The thing that strikes me the most here is just how big a throwback Dan is. He took his personna from the old Night Owl, even asking him for permission to do so. Being a costumed hero was HIS thing and the Keen Act took that away. In essence, Night Owl is like a Knight of Old, desperately seeking his dragon to fight again. Being a hero defines him, and gives him not only a sense of who he is, but provides his manhood as well.
We see glimpses of this back when he and Laurie fought the thugs in the alleyway. (Oh and where were the Smokers hiding in THAT alley hmmmmm?) That was not so much a back alley brawl as it was foreplay for Dan. We see this overweight nobody kick ass again, and it feels good.
I also get a sense that Dan created all of the Owl garb, not out of a sense of “I might actually need this shit,” but rather, “I’m bored and this might be cool.” I suspect that after he could no longer be Night Owl, lots of would-be cool gadets were created just in case he was ever needed again. I find this most evident when Dan reveals that he has alternate identities set up just in case he got caught. Again, being a hero, or even the dream of being a hero again defines his existence.
Sadly, Dan’s quest for a renaissance of greatness ultimately destroys that which got him into being a hero in the first place; as Hollis Mason, the original NIght Owl is beaten to death. More sad irony that I for one truly love!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
That’s interesting, I had always read Hollis’ death as a strange random occurrence. It kind of makes sense now, except for how they connected Dan to Hollis. Was Dan’s alternate identity even mentioned during the fight?
February 18th, 2009 at 6:38 am
@Mitch remember the crowd was all riled up because some costumed heroes broke Rorschach out of jail. One member in the crowd says they heard that Night Owl did it. To the crowd it didn’t matter which Night Owl it was, only that Night Owl deserved Justice.
So they run to Hollis’ house and kill him. I also find this ironic that it happened on Halloween night. in Detroit it’s called “Devils Night” and large crowds randomly burn buildings, beat people up, and cause violent mayhem.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
This segment to me proved how much of a bad ass Rorshach is. The way he calmly kicked the shit out of those guys in the prison was pretty rad.
In contrast, it also illustrated just how much of a pussy Night Owl had become. I mean, he seemed pretty timid in the beginning, but yeesh…he’s a sad sack. And not just because of the “can’t get it up” thing either. He seems to really need this whole vigilante thing in order to keep him from being an inaffectual pansy. It’s what changes him from a Walter Mitty into a hard ass.
Incidentally, it also makes me laugh to think about people fighting over who has to play as Night Owl in the new Watchmen game. There are going to be some disappointed coin toss losers.
And that whole bit with Hollis Mason was incredibly sad.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Two of the best lines in the series happen when Rorscach is in Jail…
“You got it all wrong, I’m not locked in here with all of them….they are all locked in here with ME!”
“Gee guess the only thing standing between us right now is this crummy lock.”
@John, I agree with you on how big a pussy Dan had become, but what is MORE interesting here is Laurie and her effect on not just Dan, but the other characters in the series. But. we’ll have to wait until Issue 9 to discuss that one
February 18th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
John, I agree – I didn’t think much about Rorschach until this section of the series. I knew he was pretty much a private eye type character, but his attempted escape from the police (great scene with the jumping out of a window – he had a whole plan to get out of there that he seemed to just throw together) and his time in jail cemented him as one of my favorite characters. He’s smart… and DEADLY!