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thepaige_turner's review
2.0
Check out my review here: http://thepaigeturnerblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/before-watchmen-comedianrorschach-by-brian-azzarello-and-j-g-jones/
ansl's review
4.0
Deel van Rorschach is een stuk beter dan dat van de Comedian, vandaar ook 4 sterren ipv 3.
erincataldi's review
5.0
So far I think this may be my favorite Watchmen prequel. I started off skeptical of the Before Watchmen collection, but they have been winning me over, this set specifically. I really enjoyed getting some more back story on the Comedian and Rorschach. The Comedian's is dark and gritty, obviously, and has a neat connection to the Kennedy presidency. Rorschach's story is almost even better, I've always been curious about his origins and some of the scenes in here really humanize him and give him some depth. Reading these just makes me appreciate the series even more.
mmardybum's review against another edition
i just cant help but feel underwhelmed by this fanfiction take on rorschach and the comedian. it was unnecessary and so not what made the original watchmen, watchmen.
i was about to say that the storytelling here is nothing like in the original, but there is no storytelling here whatsoever, so no point in that as well.
read at your own risk.
and also, fuck the comedian.
i was about to say that the storytelling here is nothing like in the original, but there is no storytelling here whatsoever, so no point in that as well.
read at your own risk.
and also, fuck the comedian.
mazer_nickham's review
3.0
I'm a fan of Brian Azzarello's work, 100 Bullets and his study on Lex Luthor in Luthor were fantastic. That said, his plots can get too complex and muddy for me and that was the case with The Comedian's side of this graphic novel. Political intrigue and the Vietnam War are the name of the game for his story, but the events that take six issues to play out could have easily been covered in half of the time. I do commend Azzarello for making a scummy and villainous character like The Comedian enjoyable to follow, though.
Rorschach's chapter had to have been the easiest to write because practically all the dude does is establish his own Batman style of vigilante justice. His story played out predictably, but the glimpse into Rorschach's social misgivings with the waitress and his ultimate victory were a joy to see. Lee Bermejo's art deserves special mention, it's lush, detailed, colorful, and gritty amazingly all at the same time.
Rorschach's chapter had to have been the easiest to write because practically all the dude does is establish his own Batman style of vigilante justice. His story played out predictably, but the glimpse into Rorschach's social misgivings with the waitress and his ultimate victory were a joy to see. Lee Bermejo's art deserves special mention, it's lush, detailed, colorful, and gritty amazingly all at the same time.
mash1138's review
3.0
Two of the most unsympathetic characters in the history of comics are spotlighted here, written by the master of "dark and gritty" himself, Brian Azzarello. Neither of these stories really add anything to the Watchmen mythos, unlike JMS's Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan, but this was an enjoyable read nonetheless. Rorschac's tale was slightly more interesting than The Comedian, mostly due to pacing, characterization, and the amazing artwork of Lee Bermejo. The Comedian's story, while utterly bleak and depressing, tied into history (his friendship with the Kennedy brothers and his time in Vietnam) and maintained the bleak and utterly amoral character Alan Moore gave us in Watchmen. Again, nothing new under the sun here, but I still enjoyed reading more about these characters.
tasharobinson's review
2.0
I get the impression that no one writing these Watchmen prequels can entirely decide who Eddie Blake is β cynical but wise truth-teller to power, or bratty fuck-up channeled into a useful weapon by much smarter people? Patriot or psychopath? In it for the kicks or for the results? I know, porque no los dos and all, but it still feels like of all the characters who pop up multiple times in these prequels, he's the one written most inconsistently, and in ways that are hard to reconcile. Brian Azzarello writes him as bits and pieces of all of these things, in a narrative that never really held together for me, or tried to get go deeper than the Forrest Gump conceit that someone this useful to powerful people would be front and center during a lot of important historical events. The Rorschach story, on the other hand, just feels grossly exploitative, with a lot of glistening naked female bodies turning up with words carved in them, and Rorschach getting himself beaten to a pulp over and over trying to do something about it.
chaoticbeing's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Comedian: 3 stars. They implied he was in love with JFK in the first couple of pages. Fascinated with this implication. Good art, probably one of the characters that would need more backstory considering the plot of Watchmen plays it so vague.
Rorschach: 0 stars. πππ The story is trash, itβs more like the author only liked the bad-ass parts of Rorschach and nothing else. The art looks AI generated.
Rorschach: 0 stars. πππ The story is trash, itβs more like the author only liked the bad-ass parts of Rorschach and nothing else. The art looks AI generated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Cursing, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Drug use, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, War, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Genocide
I think we should hunt Brian Azzarello for sport. (This is a joke)