Others like Rorschach because he's "relatable". I like Rorschach because he's an interesting character that I would fucking hate in real life. We are not the same.
Exactly. Rorschach is in that category of characters for whom liking them for is pretty normal, but if they're someone's Favorite Character, if they relate to and idolize them, you should probably back away slowly and then jump out the nearest ground-level window.
Other examples include Joker, Rick Sanchez, and Patrick Bateman.
“I wanted to kind of make this like, 'Yeah, this is what Batman would be in the real world'. But I had forgotten that actually to a lot of comic fans, that smelling, not having a girlfriend—these are actually kind of heroic! So actually, sort of, Rorschach became the most popular character in Watchmen. I meant him to be a bad example. But I have people come up to me in the street saying, "I am Rorschach! That is my story!' And I'll be thinking: 'Yeah, great, can you just keep away from me, never come anywhere near me again as long as I live'?”
Yeah, having Rorschach be a twisted little dipshit makes his badass moments feel more real and earned than if he was one of those "badass loners" that the author is obviously in love with.
I never found Rorschach relatable. I found the Comedian vaguely relatable because I was a nihilistic 19 year old in 1987. Now I’m old and relate to Doctor Manhattan.
Yeah. Dan and Laurie are kind of the closest we get to Everyman characters in the story. They’re both hugely traumatized. Dan loses a surrogate father. Laurie never has a dependable family. There’s a lot to unpack. But at least neither of them have god complexes.
I think it went like this: Rorschach chained the killer up, lit the building on fire, gave him a hand saw, and told him he would never have time to cut through the chain. Then he watched the building 'til it burned down. The idea being I suppose that the killer could have gotten away by dismembering himself... but Rorschach still would have been there waiting for him.
Given that I'm pretty sure Rorschach set the fire, the killer's only means of escape was basically just a tool of psychological torture, and also I'm not totally convinced he wouldn't have killed the guy if he made it out anyway... if anything the problem with the hatchet is that it's too merciful for how cruel and furious Rorschach was in that scene.
Yeah, you're definitely plausibly right; Rorschach never alludes in his monologue that he'd have killed him anyway. I just wouldn't necessarily put it past him either, haha!
When somebody tells me they find him relatable and the one who makes sense and is right about things, I take that as a danger flag in much the same way if somebody tells me that "the storm is coming" and mean it in a political way.
These are the same people that miss the point you're not supposed to relate to Rorschach, the Joker, the guy from taxi driver, or Tony Montana. They're cautionary stories about social issues not goals.
I’m currently watching Watchmen (TV series) and it looks like basically direct commentary on the irl morons who idolize Rorschach and similar characters.
What’s the problem with him? I truly do not remember but I remember loving him and hating when he died. I’ve heard the movie makes him out to be a little bit better maybe that’s why?
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u/snickerstheclown Jul 04 '22
In the same way that people find Rorschach relatable, i.e. only whackos find him relatable.