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A review by shimonah
Before Watchmen: Comedian/Rorschach by Brian Azzarello
4.0
4.5/5
As a fan of the Watchmen, it is very interesting to get back-story on the various members of the Watchmen and minutemen. This particular volume is easily the most disturbing of the set, which should be of no surprise to anyone who read [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327866860s/472331.jpg|4358649].
The Comedian's proclivities for violence are well spelled out, while his background as a government agentraise nearly as many questions as they answer, mostly about how anyone would trust a man like him. Similarly with Rorschach, there are many unanswered questions left after his story has been told. He is the definition of unreliable narrator, giving only glimpses as to what occurred to cause him to don his mask, or what he does when he is not wearing it. (A little more is revealed during his partnership with Night Owl, but still not much).
This is a worthwhile addition to the Watchmen cannon, and definitely plays on emotions in the same ways as the original - disbelief and disgust being as prevalent as hope and admiration. There were points where the narrative was hard for me to follow, especially in the Comedian's story, hence the loss of half a point. It would often take a few pages for me to figure out what was going on, or where/when things were happening. I would also have liked more insight on how both characters had gotten to be the way they were and, especially in Edward's case, how they felt about their actions.
As a fan of the Watchmen, it is very interesting to get back-story on the various members of the Watchmen and minutemen. This particular volume is easily the most disturbing of the set, which should be of no surprise to anyone who read [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327866860s/472331.jpg|4358649].
The Comedian's proclivities for violence are well spelled out, while his background as a government agent
Spoiler
and assassin of even those closest to himThis is a worthwhile addition to the Watchmen cannon, and definitely plays on emotions in the same ways as the original - disbelief and disgust being as prevalent as hope and admiration. There were points where the narrative was hard for me to follow, especially in the Comedian's story, hence the loss of half a point. It would often take a few pages for me to figure out what was going on, or where/when things were happening. I would also have liked more insight on how both characters had gotten to be the way they were and, especially in Edward's case, how they felt about their actions.