Aceves 1

Sergio G Aceves
Professor Jackie
English 114B
1/30/15
Word count:
The Ultimate Watchmen
Heroes are everywhere in the world. Some do justice constantly while others do it when it
seems necessary to. Then there are people who think theyre doing justice while others think
their doings are pure chaos. In the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons,
its takes place in a somewhat fictional version of New York City where vigilantes roam the
streets and maintain order. While most of them keep their identity a secret, some of them let the
world decided if theyre really heroes or causes of destruction. These vigilantes are in a group
called the Crimebusters and is comprised of Walter Kovacs (Rorschach), Dan Dreiberg (2nd Nite
Owl), Laurie Juspeczyk (Silk Spectre), Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias), Jon (Dr. Manhattan), and
Eddie Blake (The Comedian). Out of all these vigilantes, I believe the two that appear to be real
heroes are Rorschach and Nite Owl.
The first vigilante out of the Crimbusters who I believe is a true hero would have to be
Walter Kovacs and his alter ego aka Rorschach. Rorschach although he keeps to himself most of
the time, has to be one of the most talented out of the entire Crimebusters, both combat wise and
thinking wise and he also appears to have done more work than anyone in the group as shown
when all the prison inmate hes put away start threatening him. Rorschach being the most reliable
member of the Crimbusters is often quiet about his work. People that are mostly quiet often have
a sense of loyalty and selflessness and are usually cut out to be real heroes (Hill, Paragraph 1).

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Soon after the Keene Act of 77 and all other heroes were demanded to retire, Rorschach was the
only one who didnt and continued to patrol the city. So to speak, he plays by his own rules. Not
only that, but right after Eddie Blakes death, he takes time to investigate and to warn all his
former companions about a supposed mask murderer. An ordinary burglar? Killed The
Comedian? RidiculousMaybe someones picking off costumed heroes (Moore and Gibbons
Chapter 1, Pg. 12). Rorschach is one of the few heroes in the book who actually strives for social
justice and at the same time, cares for people who are important to him. We do not do this thing
because it is permitted. We do it because we have to. We do it because we are compelled
(Moore and Gibbons Chapter 6, Pg. 15). At that moment, Rorschach is the only one that wants to
keep the his friends and the world at piece.
The second vigilante out of the Crimebusters who I believe is a true hero would have to
be Dan Dreiberg and his superhero alias, The Nite Owl. To be honest, I believe Dan is almost the
same as Rorschach. They both have the same intentions but each executes their own very
differently. After the Keene Act, Dan did retire as a vigilante but didnt reveal his identity, so that
means he can go back to crime fighting whenever he thinks its necessary. While Rorschach is
most the talented vigilante in a tight situation, Dan is the most talented in a planned scenario.
Swift in combat just like Rorschach, Dan is also the only one who uses gadgets he made to assist
him. Not only being the smartest hero of the Crimebusters, he is also the one with the biggest
heart. He visits his superior, Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl on a weekly basis, he let Laurie
stay with him after she left Jon, he didnt hurt anybody during the riots unlike The Comedian
when he had to work with him, heck both him and Laurie even decided to help people out of a
burning building because they wanted to. What really shows his true feeling was when him and
Laurie decide to bust Rorschach out of prison. Mmmmm. Insatiable. Huh? Well, Im open to
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suggestions. What shall we do next? Ive been thinking about that, and I feel we have certain
obligations to our fraternity. I think we should spring Rorschach. What? (Moore and
Gibbons Chapter 7, Pg. 28). After that moment I like to believe Dan and Rorschach were the real
superhero duo before Dan retired as said by Rorschach. In 1965, worked with Nite Owl
bringing street gangs under control. Tackled the Big Figure together. Brought down Underboss
together. Good teamUntil he got soft, like the rest. Until he quit (Moore and Gibbons Chapter
6, Pg. 15). Dan Dreiberg, one of the only people to disobey his retirement to help an old friend.
Now its time to prove who in the Crimebusters are not real heroes. To start off I would
have to probably say Jon Osterman aka the atomic superhuman, Dr. Manhattan. He may be
portrayed like a god-like figure and have incredible powers, but to be honest hes pretty much a
walking nuclear hazard. As a superhuman, his atomic structure allows him to levitate, construct
and deconstruct machinery, change sizes, clone himself, vaporize anything, teleport himself and
others, survive in space, and more importantly than anything, see into the past, present, and
future. As he was growing up he was striving for a normal future until the accident happened and
his entire view point of the world and others changed. Sure hes helped control the war in
Vietnam and made other amazing strides, but the reason why I say hes not that much of a hero
goes back to the point of him seeing into the future. Back in 1963, Jon knew that JFK was going
to be assassinated and he doesnt warn anybody and decides to play it off, and again in 1971 after
the war in Vietnam, he knew Eddie was going to get his face sliced before he shot that pregnant
woman and again he chooses not to intervene as said by Eddie. Yeah. Yeah, thats right.
Pregnant woman. Gunned her down. Bang. And yknow what? You watched me. You coulda
changed the gun into steam or the bullets into mercury or the bottle into snowflakes! You coulda
teleported either of us to Australiabut you didnt lift a finger! You dont really give a damn
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about human beings (Moore and Gibbons Chapter 2, Pg. 15). Jon truly has given up all hope on
the human race. Hes able to see the future but doesnt care of what the outcome would be.
The second vigilante I would say was never really a hero would easily be Eddie Blake,
aka The Comedian. Throughout the novel, everyone who met Eddie or had to work with him
always thought he was just a straight up problem. Back when he was in a previous vigilante
group called the Minutemen, he raped a woman named Sally, Lauries mother. If anything he was
pretty much a villain, not to his comrades in the Minutemen or the Crimebusters but to society
itself. Eddie Black fits the definition of a man who for a selfish end willfully and deliberately
violates standards of morality (Woodbridge, Paragraph 1). He first didnt give a damn about the
Crimbusters, You people are a jokeIt dont matter squat because inside thirty years the nukes
are gonna be flyin like maybugs and then Ozzy here is gonna be the smartest man on the cinder.
Now Pardon me, but I got an appointment. See you in the funny papers (Moore & Gibbons
Chapter. 2 Pg. 11), didnt give a damn about that pregnant Vietnamese woman he shot, and he
didnt care about the peoples safety during the riots in New York. In general, Eddie Blake was an
all-around lowlife bastard. Some might say it was good that he died right in the beginning of the
book.
Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them know theyre doing the right thing
while others only believe theyre method is the superior. In my honest opinion, out of the entire
cast of Watchmen, only 2 of them really show what it means to be a real hero, Walter Kovacs, the
man with two faces and two different personalities and Dan Dreiberg, the high tech, kind hearted
badass, gentleman. Sadly, Jon Osterman, the man almost like God, didnt convince me that he
was a real hero, instead hes forgotten the loyalty and honesty of one. Same with Eddie Blake,

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the man whose name didnt make as much sense as the reason why he decided to become a
vigilante in the first place.

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Work Cited
Moore, Alan, and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen. New York: Warner Books, 1987. Print.
Hill, Michael. "What Makes a Hero: ; Loyalty to Unit Counts as Much Or More than Someone's
Bravery." Sunday Gazette - Mail: 6A. Nov 11 2007. ProQuest. Mon. 2 Feb. 2015 .
Woodbridge, Homer E. "HEROIC VILLAINS." The Dial; a Semi - monthly Journal of Literary
Criticism, Discussion, and Information (1880-1929) Aug 16 1914: 103. ProQuest. Mon. 2 Feb.
2015 .