Guest Piece - Masks of Watchmen by Jon Bryant

Here is the first guest piece! Jumping off from the discussion of masks earlier, Jon Bryant takes a closer look at three masks in Watchmen.

Warning! Contains content intended for mature audiences and spoilers!

Hello all! Welcome to the very first guest post here on No Wasted Words. I’m here to talk about an interesting subject regarding the literary world. Symbolism. Yes, I know, English classes throughout the world have crushed the desire to analyze symbolism in pretty much everybody. But today I’m talking about comics!

That’s right. Comics. Or for those of you that prefer this small dignity, Graphic Novels. My favorite graphic novel is Watchmen. Yes, I am aware of the atrocious movie but Marygail will be talking about that one later. Probably the most important symbol in the serial is the mask. I know it seems obvious that a comic book about superheroes would have masks be an important symbol, but trust me. It goes deeper than you think.

Hooded Justice

What basic purpose of a mask it to hide one’s true identity. That is where our first mask comes to play, with Hooded Justice, the first costumed hero in the Watchmen universe. All the basic rules of superheroing apply to good ol’ HJ. But did you know that the mask serves as a barrier between him and his sexuality? That’s right, HJ is not only the first superhero, he’s the first gay superhero as well. The mask is his method of staying within the metaphorical closet. He, along with Silhouette and Captain Metropolis, were homosexual and sought to keep this information secret due to the inevitable backlash that would arise if they were found out. In the sad case of Silhouette, her orientation was exposed and she was murdered because of it. Interestingly enough, Silhouette never wore a mask. Perhaps this is because she felt she shouldn't have to hide who she was, unlike her masculine compatriots.

The Comedian

Our second mask belongs to The Comedian. He has three masks throughout the course of the serial: his domino mask, his full face mask, and the mask of human society. The first two are basic superhero necessity, his domino mask concealed his identity and his full face mask offered more protection during his more violent escapades later in life. His third mask is purely metaphorical. His is a reflection of the society in which he lives- a society obsessed with violence and sex, that seeks to claw its way to the top, no matter who it has to crush underfoot to do so. Some would say he is a sociopath that simply enjoys inflicting pain on others and has the good sense to inflict it on people that the law says deserves it. Others would say that he is a cosmic joke. I tend to agree with the latter. He is a parody of the American way, pulling himself up by his bootstraps and trampling any and all that get in the way of his manifest destiny. Underneath it all, he is a broken human being that needs intensive psychiatric help. Though his name is The Comedian there is no one laughing, and that is the joke.

Rorschach

Our third and final mask belongs to Rorschach. His mask is not the swirling motes of black contained within that white cloth, it is what lies beneath that. Rorschach’s flesh and blood face is, in fact, his mask. It is what keeps his identity secret. You see, Rorschach lost all touch with his previous identity when he found the absolute lowest nature of humanity, a woman being raped and murdered while people watched and did nothing. He made the mask as a replacement for his face, in order to have something he could stand looking at in the mirror. He outright tells the police to give him back his face at one point while being arrested when the police remove it. Clearly he suffers from several mental disorders, but that is not what forms his new face. His new face is formed by his absolute disgust with humanity and the various lows to which they sink. His belief as a boy was that the ends justified the means. This is shown by his former admiration for president Truman dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Later when Veigt’s plan is uncovered and put into action, he cannot abide by this mindset. He knows that the needs of the many do not, in fact, outweigh the needs of the few. Despite his various psychoses and disdain for the majority of human life, he ends up being the best human being in the serial.

There you have it: a mask that hides homosexuality from a homophobic world, a mask of cosmic parody, and a mask that serves as a true face. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Watchmen. We also have symbolism with clock faces, smiley faces, and pirate ships. What do you think of these masks? Was I off the mark? Are there more important masks? Answers to these questions and more can be found in the comments.

Note on images: Please follow the links in the captions for more information.