I should probably start this with a confession. Watchmen and V for Vendetta were the first two graphic novels/comics I ever read and I loved them instantly. The superhero comics from the golden era never resonated with me... possibly because I was weaned on depressing self-reflection and existential violence. This may be a source of bias for me, as this has always been my preferred genre and style of comic.
That being said, I believe one of the great strengths of Watchmen (and it's genre) is the internal monologue and unreliable narrators. Although much of the story is told in the dialogue driven, third-person image narrative style indicative of comic books, there are long portions of it which break from this model. Many times we see (or hear) the internal monologue and thoughts of the characters in the story. Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan and Nite Owl all take turns monologuing in their own way. Rorschach uses his diary, Dr. Manhattan runs through memories out of sequence and Nite Owl writes down his experiences in a memoir. Each, however, provide the reader with an experience previously not available. A view into the thought process of a superhero. The golden age comics, by and large, feature mostly intense action, snappy one liners and plot development. The only real thought exposure we have seen previously was in small doses, mostly in order to inform the reader of events and situations. In this, most of the comic is devoted to the development of the inner monologue.
Watchmen might still have had the same impact without the deep introspection. I mean, the actions of the characters are despicable enough, the events of the story are already harrowing. However, there's something about seeing it through someone's eyes, thinking their thoughts, that I think drives the comic into new territory. It's not dark like a noir crime film, it's dark like a psych test gone wrong. It's disturbing because it forces the reader to live through the thoughts of despicable heroes. In any other format, we would not experience Dr. Manhattans whirlwind of lost time, Rorschach's quiet desperation or Nite Owl's deep regret. The reader would not feel their emotions as keenly.
In many ways it goes back to The Comedian (as all things in Watchmen must eventually). The story of Pagliacci comes back to mind. If we were a townsperson, we would go watch Pagliacci's show and never think twice about it. To understand the irony, the sadness and loneliness of the clown figure, we have to hear it spoken aloud. Without Pagliacci taking to the doctor, there is no irony in Pagliacci's story.
For the Watchmen, we are the doctor. Only through their narration we are allowed to understand the irony.
I completely agree. I also really enjoy the narration in the story. It gives the story more "color," especially in the memories. While Dr. Manhattan was sitting on Mars going back and forth through the future and past, I can feel his analytic yet somewhat remorseful tone. I thought that that was really interesting and perfectly achieved.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that I think is so effective about the narration in Watchmen is that it makes the reader associate with the characters. We start to feel like we understand the characters and this leads us to understand their emotions, thoughts, and feelings, even in the sequences in which there is no text for multiple pages. For example, as Rorschach is telling the story about burning the man alive, there is a section on pages 198 and 199 in which there is no text, yet we can still feel the psychological impact of these pages because we have begun to understand Rorschach on a deeper level.
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