Rorschach #7
The investigator finds the source of Myerson and Laura’s letters in Rorschach #7, by writer Tom King, artist Jorge Fornes, colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clayton Cowles. There’s a decent amount of things to unpack in this issue, as it serves as a critique of one of the comic industry’s biggest names and also has something to say about the ways people can be radicalized.
The issue opens with the investigator being greeted by Rorschach. He invites the investigator in, and they begin talking about how he first met Wil Myerson at Otto Binder’s house, where they were trying to speak to their dead through electronic voice phenomena. Myerson and the man hear nothing in the tape. Years later, the man is visited by Myerson as Rorschach and Laura, and it’s revealed it’s none other than Frank Miller. From there, Miller tells the investigator what Myerson’s work meant to him and how it informed his own comic, The Dark Fife Returns, and how his life changed after the Squid attack on Manhattan. Eventually, it’s revealed what happened the night they visited Miller- they played him the tape from the Otto Binder EVP, and it reveals why Miller is now wearing Rorschach’s costume and what they heard on the tape- “Kill Turley.”
Most of this comic feels like a study on what has happened to Frank Miller over the years. It’s impossible to know whether Miller ever met Ditko at Otto Binder’s house. However, there’s a definite that Miller, like many of his generation, was inspired by Ditko’s work on Spider-Man. From there, the comic finds more parallels, with Miller going into comics and creating The Dark Fife Returns, a play on The Dark Knight Returns. The issue then draws a parallel between the Squid attack changing Miller’s outlook on his art and the real-life moment of 9/11 that did the same thing to Miller in the real world. This is where the issue gets interesting.
Throughout this book so far, it’s seemed like King has been saying something about radicalization and how it happens. In the world of Watchmen, the Squid attack was a watershed incident that changed everything. Because of it, Laura’s father taught her what he taught her and radicalized her. That’s one way of being radicalized- by family. Myerson’s bitterness at his life, being a shut-in, and the various failures of it made him more prone to it. That’s another way- the bitter incel becoming more and more detached from reality and reading events through their own bitterness. Miller was radicalized by the terrible event and fantasy, which also snared Laura and Myerson. The EVP could represent the way Flat Earthers, anti-vaxxers, and various other people are pulled in by the fantasies of conspiracies, be it Q or whatever else.
Fornes’ art is really pretty perfect for this sort of story. It’s not about action but the action of the characters. He sets a scene perfectly- everything is detailed and rather realistic. His character acting sells what’s going on in the panel. There’s something about his art and King’s words together- it works perfectly. King sets the scene, and Fornes brings it to life.
Rorschach #7 is a very intriguing look into the psyches of those who are susceptible to radicalization and highlights how it can happen, the things that set people down the path to things that no normal person would ever consider. King and Fornes are doing an amazing job in this book, using the characters and events of Watchmen to tell a story that has a lot of real-world relevance. It works on multiple levels, and anyone who isn’t reading it should. Rorschach has a lot to say about our world, and it needs to be heard.
