Warning: The following post contains spoilers for the 1986 comic series Watchmen and its 2009 movie adaptation, but not so much about the HBO miniseries sequel from last year.
Alan Moore’s seminal comic Watchmen stormed back into the culture last year, thanks to Damon Lindelhof’s acclaimed HBO miniseries, which imagined what its alternate universe would look like 35 years after the source’s shocking events. Lindelhof even managed to do it without bringing back most of the original characters, largely relying on new ones to further the narrative. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, one MIA anti-hero will be returning, at least in comics form.
That would be Rorschach, the vigilante of the group — a deeply damaged loner with an unwavering, albeit deeply questionable, moral code, as well as a cool mask. He’s one of the most troubling and fascinating characters in comics, and he’ll be the subject of a 12-issue comic book series, courtesy of creators Tom King and Jorge Fornés, which will be released starting this fall.
“Like the HBO Watchmen show and very much like the original ‘86 Watchmen, this is a very political work.” King said. “It’s an angry work. We’re so angry all the time now. We have to do something with that anger. It’s called Rorschach not because of the character Rorschach, but because what you see in these characters tells you more about yourself than about them.”
In the 2009 film version, made by Zack Snyder, Rorschach was portrayed semi-sympathetically, even getting a teary farewell. In Lindelhof’s miniseries, he’s nowhere to be found, except in the hearts of a band of white supremacists called the Seventh Kavalry, who were inspired by his journal writings and, as such, rage violent war against minorities. No doubt the forthcoming comic spin-off will delve deeper into his fascinating and disturbing psyche. The series will begin publishing on Oct. 13.
(Via THR)