Watchmen #6: The Abyss Gazes Also

Watchmen #6

by Alan Moore (Writer), Dave Gibbons (Artist), John Higgins (Colorist)

Watchmen #6: The Abyss Gazes Also.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

35 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.

As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.

Reviews

[Rodrigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capítulo dedicado a Rorschach, tanto su vida sus traumas y su conversion en Rorschach.
Muy buen dibujo, como siempre, y el pesimismo y la crueldad del mundo, siempre presente.

[Sandee is Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was very similar to Mr. Manhattan's issue where you get to see the character's background. This time we get to see Rorschach's past.

It wasn't pretty. I felt so bad for him. He was bullied and insulted because of how he looked like. It was sickening. But the thing is, no matter how much I feel sorry for him, the things he did could never be undone. Another thing is, he felt that what was doing was for the benefit of everyone, which is in a way, true.

There are a lot of evil people in this world. But would it be right for someone to invoke justice to them in this way? I'm conflicted.

[Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me 🤣🤣🤣
رورشاخ عشقه😂

[Amin Matin · Rating 4 out of 5]

زندگی می‌کنیم، چون راه دیگه‌ای نداریم.
Outstanding

[Mustafa M. Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

سوداوية جدا بس جميلة

[A. Raca · Rating 4 out of 5]

✌️

[Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

Friedrich Nietzsche

أحسن عدد فى السلسلة قراتة عجبنى جدا قصة حياة Rorschach من البداية لحد ما بقى شخصية عنيفة و دموية بتحارب المجرمين و تقضى عليهم من غير رحمة و القصة بتاعتة عجبتنى و مكتوبة بشكل ساحر و دسم خلانى احب الشخصية أكثر و الرسومات فى الكوميكس جميلة جدا و مبسوط انى بقرأ الكوميكس دة كل عدد لوحدة ورقى و أنا ماسكة فى أيدى و بلغتة الأصلية على الرغم من صعوبتها بس مستمتع بيها

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be warned: this issue is gruesome, you will see blood, child and animal abuse, kidnapping and death. This piece contains it all.
You will testimony to Rorschach's mental violence too, unless you happen to be victim of it.
It's not pretty.
BUT OH MY
It's a ride.
This issue is an all-Rorschach piece, and I don't regret a single panel. I definitely didn't miss the Laurie-Dan-Jon love triangle, or weird pieces from the newspaper stand or the police interrupting the vigilante investigations. This is a deep and horrific plunge into Rorschach's psychological analysis.
If you can stomach it, you'll love it.

[Isabella Arruda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Porra muito bommmmmmm

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you..."

The best part of the Watchmen and the one that you'll never forget after reading it ... This is where we find out what made Rorschach what he is and what we find out would make us all as sick and cynical as Rorschach is.

Perhaps the best comic book written by Alan Moore ...

[Tawfek · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay the little girl oh god the little girl rorsach breaking point
he is officialy my second favorite character after dr.manhaten so far
and that is not because they are cool but because alan moore really did very well creating these two characters unforgetable issue specially the little girl...

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one.
This is all about Rorschach, one fucked-up little fucker.

Full review HERE.

[Aya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think, this's my favorite so far.

[Erick Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best chapter of Watchmen so far. The story of Rorschach is thrilling, cold, obscure, amazing and... so real.

[Javier Lárraga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal la historia del verdadero origen de Rorshach y toda la secuencia de su psicoanálisis y ni que decir de los dialogos y las escenas de violencia explícitas que siempre acompañan al personaje.

La narrativa regresó a su punto máximo al igual que en el volumen 4 y aunque este número se sintió como una pequeña aventura en solitario a diferencia de dicho comic, aca podemos observar el descenso a la locura de un ser humano explicado fase por fase y eso lo hace igual de interesante.

[Tommaso Beneforti · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Se tu scruterai a lungo in un abisso, anche l'abisso scruterà dentro di te.»

[Jesus Velasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

En el capítulo "The Abyss Gazes Also", Rorschach, cuyo verdadero nombre es Walter Joseph Kovacs, está en prisión y es evaluado por el Dr. Malcolm Long, un psicoanalista que intenta comprender su mente a través de pruebas de manchas de tinta. A medida que la relación entre ambos se desarrolla, se revela que Rorschach oculta la verdad sobre su pasado.

Kovacs creció en un entorno traumático, siendo hijo de una madre soltera que ejercía la prostitución. Su infancia estuvo marcada por la violencia y el abuso, lo que lo llevó a convertirse en un vigilante. Un punto crucial en su vida fue el asesinato de Kitty Genovese, cuya muerte lo llevó a la convicción de que la humanidad era inherentemente egoísta. Este evento fue el catalizador que transformó a Kovacs en Rorschach, quien lucha contra el crimen sin piedad.

La historia también muestra la evolución del Dr. Long, quien inicialmente se siente optimista pero, a medida que se sumerge en la oscuridad de la vida de Rorschach, su propia visión del mundo se vuelve sombría. El capítulo concluye con la cita de Nietzsche, advirtiendo sobre el peligro de dejarse consumir por la oscuridad.

[Gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the reveal of Rorschach's identity in the previous issue, the 6th volume presents more information about his life and character, as he is interviewed by the prison psychologist Dr. Malcolm Long.
Rorschach's childhood is violent and traumatic as expected, but he is a very compelling and interesting character, even if sadistic (and I would say quite mad).

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 4 out of 5]

[REVIEW FOR THE SERIES...]

Watchmen (Vol. 1-12)

"Who watches the Watchmen?"

Watchmen was a very interesting read and I’m glad to have finally gotten around to it. While I really appreciated some aspected such as the gritty world and symbolic, satirical plot line, there were times when it really didn’t live up to the hype surrounding it, at least not in my opinion. When compared to V For Vendetta, one of Moore’s best in my opinion, it just didn’t cut it for me, nor strike me with anything really meaningful afterwards. This is going to be a really hard one to rate and review for me— but here it goes.

P.s. If haters wanna hate, please go hate elsewhere. ;)



"This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.

One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial best-seller, Watchmen has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V for Vendetta, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and The Sandman series." -Book Blurb



Because I’m reviewing the entire series, and want to avoid an overly long review as well as story spoilers, in this review I’m just going to cover a few things, some things that stood out, things I liked, things I didn’t etc.



In the beginning of Watchmen the readers are introduced to this dark world, an alternate history, and are initiated into the story through the mysterious and grim character of Rorschach, whom I instantly liked albeit his strange attitude and growingly apparent fact that he was lacking some amount of sanity. He operates outside the law, as superhero’s are outlawed by the government. The mystery was compelling enough, the world is very dark and interesting.



As the story goes on we are introduced to other ex-heroes like Nite Owl II, (who seemed ironically a parody of Batman), and Ozymandias, as well as heroes contracted by the government such as Doctor Manhattan (the only actually superhuman in the series), The Comedian and Silk Spectre II. While the characters were interesting at times, most notably Doctor Manhhattan and Rorschack, many of the others felt dull to me, like bland caricatures.



One aspect I disliked was the weird, and seemingly pointless romance between Silk Spectre II and Nite Owl II. It felt creepy and out of place, boring me and ultimately jarring me from the otherwise interesting plot. Why was it necessary to bog the plot down with their awkward affair, (including facts about his erectile dysfunction)? What was perhaps meant to flesh out the side characters, just ended up feeling like a lot of filler material. Bleh. It slowed the overall momentum for me.



Another irritant was the issue concerning the backstory of Silk Spectre I and The Comedian, and the flippant way her sexual assault/rape was dealt with. It felt only a cheap tactic used to give the readers a twist later on, which was obvious to me miles away, and ultimately felt an easy way to manipulate the reader and story. It did not have that effect on me. The matter was not handled very tastefully, in my opinion. Silk Spectre I’s response— or lack thereof—to the crime against her made the writing and overall story have a very misogynistic undertone, which continuously reared its head throughout the following issues.



That continuous feeling was highlighted and accentuated by the apparent uselessness of most of the female characters, who rarely if ever, contribute to the story in any meaningful way. Not to mention the fact that so few women were present at all, the story tiresome by their lack of contribution. One obvious exception being Silk Spectre II’s pleading with Doctor Manhattan on Earth’s behalf later on, even then he probably would have come to the decision on his own, given how his mind worked. So perhaps I’m reading between the lines here, but that’s how it struck me. It didn’t sit well, and I’m overly used to comics using women in the usual ways, to titillate as eye candy and fan service, serving no real purpose. I guess I expected more, too much, from something hailed as an innovative masterpiece.

Moving on.



There were things I did really like, though the story was bogged down with politics, propaganda and misogyny. I really like the satirical take of the golden age superhero story, the way the story makes you think about things in a different light, albeit a very pessimistic—dare I say—nihilistic light. I like the jaded hero perspective. The art was very fitting and did a good job setting the overall tone, even though it wasn’t as pleasing on the eye. It conveyed the general vibe of the plot really well.



I loved the fact that the series read more like a mystery noir novel that a traditional action comic book. I really enjoyed the characterizations of Rorschach and Doctor Manhattan the most. I LOVED Doctor Manhattan’s backstory. It was so epic and philosophical; those chapters really made me think. While Rorschach’s background was very sad, it was also a bit underwhelming, considering how much I loved his character. He made an excellent anti-hero.



Overall, I really enjoyed it, but could not say I loved it by any means. I appreciate what it means to the world and legacy of comic books and graphic novels, I think it changed the industry in many ways, not all for the better, but in many ways it was good. I liked how original it was. I like the philosophical mindset it gets you in. Some of the characters were so memorable, but the bad somewhat equals the good for me. There was a lot of filler material that felt tedious to read through, dragging the story out. As much as I enjoyed it, I also felt annoyed by it. I felt it was lacking in some pivotal areas, where it could have done more. Many of the characters were so unlikeable and dull, like cardboard cutouts. Seeing how much depth Rorschach and Doctor Manhattan had, I think all of the characters had that potential as well.



So I guess I’m in a love-hate thing with Watchmen, no matter which way I slice it, I can’t seem to pick a definite stance. I was pretty disappointed with the ending. I would recommend reading it, to appreciate the leaps Watchmen gave the genre of graphic novels, and for the interesting plot and setting, but in my opinion V for Vendetta was better in most regards.

[VOLUMN RATING: 4 STARS]

[OFFICIAL RATING: 3.5 STARS]

[Rachel MacNaught · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love the way characters are pulled apart, from the perspective of others, from their own memories in the moment and from the perspective of the future, and then altered whatever colour the author decided to cast over the whole story in the final pages using excerpts of various found media.
the drawback here, for me, is simply that i don't know if there is a plot being woven but, if so, i don't much care for it. i just want the case studies.

[Index Purga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watchmen 6 of 12, Collector's Edition
pág. 0:
créditos #6
pág. 1:
THE ABYSS GAZES ALSO
Pág. 29:
Excerpts from the police and psychiatric records of Walter Joseph Kovacs as compiled by Dr. Malcolm Long
Pág. 33:
créditos editoriales

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in an alternate history where costumed heroes have helped shape society since the beginning of time, the controversial yet prolific costumed hero Edward Blake (more commonly known by his alias The Comedian) is found dead and the perpetrator is nowhere to be found. Unable to solve such a bizarre murder by conventional means, the masked vigilante Rorschach who once served as a costumed hero alongside Comedian and four others takes matters into his own bloodstained hands to track down a mysterious assassin that's taking out costumed heroes one by one. Conspiracies abound, political tensions are through the roof, the threat of WWIII is lurking just around the corner and the gritty and depressive atmosphere of a rotting New York City during the 1980's sets the scene for a grim dissection and criticism of classic superhero archetypes.

Watchmen redefines the term superhero. With the exception of Dr. Manhattan, none of them have any notable powers. The Comedian is merely a grotesque reflection of American society and all its shameless faults, as well as how misguided patriotism can be used to justify mindless violence and prejudice. Rorschach is a vigilante who throws around the words good and evil to justify his brute force and questionable methods of solving problems. Silk Spectre is a normal woman struggling between following her own path in life and forever remaining trapped in the shadow of her mother's legacy. Nite Owl almost feels like a comedic parody of Batman, poking fun at the fact that he's an awkward old nerd that loves owl-themed gadgets and dressing up in what is essentially a big Halloween costume. Dr. Manhattan is the embodiment of how power, knowledge, wealth and limitless freedom to do anything imaginable can alienate and dehumanize a person from the rest of the world. All of the superheroes are extremely flawed everyday people with everyday issues and imperfections who hide behind masked personas to cope with the questionable acts they're performing and the faulty morals behind them.

The heroes of this tale defy the image of flawless paragons of justice that can do no wrong. They are just as capable of being selfish, abusing their powers and doing evil things out of spite and unchecked negative emotions as everyone else. This critiques the very idea of putting idols on a pedestal in the first place. This can be compared to the famous actors, pop stars and politicians of today. It's easy for people to treat the words and actions of their idols like the words of God himself, forgetting that they're ordinary people with many imperfections just like everyone else. Again, most of the Watchmen have selfish reasons for hiding behind their costumed personas, because they feel powerless, guilty and ordinary without them. What does it say about who you are when you can't even show yourself in public without hiding behind a carefully crafted disguise? Why wear a mask if you're in the right and have nothing to hide?

All of this deception and abuse of authority is where the popular slogan (Who watches the Watchmen?) comes from. The people in power are constantly watching and judging the actions of the average person, but who are watching and judging the actions of the people in power? The people in power punish us for our wrongdoings but who punishes the people in power for theirs? Dismantling the infallible images that figures of authority try to maintain, dissecting issues of confused morals and identities hiding behind literal and figurative masks, tearing the veil from the one-dimensional definition of superheroes, all of these things are masterfully challenged in the shape of a dark psychological crime-thriller with many timeless themes that go harsh on politics and society.

Our heroes and leaders are never the flawless, perfect beings we romanticize them to be.

***

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[Evelyn Blackwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why do we argue? Life's so fragile, a successful virus clinging to a spec of mud, suspended in endless nothing."

Having been so involved with Watchmen related things, i thought I'd pick the original back up and continue on my journey- and it didn't disappoint.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say it reminded me how far and away it is compared to its successors. The Tom King comic is fine and the HBO show was amazing- but this comic by Alan Moore still packs such a visceral and moving punch.

I'm starting to wish the Zach Snyder film had employed cinematography that mimicked the John Higgins coloring style. The film adaptation is so grim looking. This comic has as much if not more color than Thor Ragnorok and Psycho III combined.

Even for the 80's, this art all looked so pristine, clean and unmatched. Am I the only one who finds 9 panel grids to be so satisfying to look at? They're like 9 miniature paintings per page. Dave Gibbons is a god. And Alan Moore is the God before him. Because, with so much more room to tell a story, this might be my favorite use of his narrative.

For example, there are 2 pages in this that have no dialogue, that are both clever and beyond haunting. I do not exaggerate when I say this is an issue I will be studying extensively.

Rorschach as a character is still one who, while clearly not a role model by any stretch of the imagination, can't help but be pitied. His life sucks. Period. I feel like I got second hand trauma just by reading about it. Woof.

The thing I took most away from this issue was the story of Dr Malcom Long. The movie doesn't really bother with him. But I found his home life rather fascinating, loved the design of his office (even his coffee looks like some neon deco dream). There's a lot of nuance to be felt as said arc goes along.
The dinner table scene at the end is the perfect ending, with its pitch black humor blended with nihilistic acknowledgment.

I found while reading that, if you forget everything you already knew about Watchmen while reading it, it feels like a wholly new and even different experience. This time around I read really, really, slow and added some music for ambience. Made everything awesome.

When you read comics like this you can just instantly feel the quality. It's bursting with humanity rather than typically understood formulas and tropes.

Not trying to put anyone else's work down. But I'm honestly starting to get the impression Watchmen isn't as overrated as i occasionally felt it was. If anything, in spite of its legacy and all the praise it has deserved, it somehow doesn't feel like enough, it feels undersold.

In a 100 years, this is gonna be like Moby Dick or something. And Alan Moore will (likely) sit amoung the other academically propped up greatest writers like Woolf, Vonngeut and Twain and so on.
Call it a hunch. But this book really feels more special than it is usually referred to as.
That it has endured this long doesn't surprise me.

[Aleksandar Janjic · Rating 4 out of 5]

У овој епизоди одлучили су да потпуно демаскирају Роршаха, не само буквално (и.е., проводи комплетну епизоду без маске), већ и да прикажу његову детаљну биографију од најранијег дјетињства па надаље, све са правим именом (које је врло неимпресивно). Српрајзингли, Роршах никад није познавао свог оца, мајка му се одавала проституцији и малтретирала га, онда су га послали у некакав дом и онда је премлатио неку двојицу кретена и онда је прогањао неког лика што је отео неку дјевојчицу и елиминисао га у стилу Јигсања из филма Сањ (у ствари, Јигсањ је овај трик сигурно покупио од Роршаха) и побио његове керове који су појели ту дјевојчицу и онда је почео на најсуровији могући начин да се обрачунава са криминалцима и то нам јасно показује да кад имате НЕСРЕЋНО ДЈЕТИЊСТВО ПУНО ПАТЊЕ, онда израстете у НЕ БАШ САСВИМ СТАБИЛНУ ЛИЧНОСТ. Иако Роршах, попут Декстера (тј. прије ће бити Декстер попут Роршаха), своју агресију ограничава углавном само на људе који то дебело заслужују, као нпр. на врло насилне криминалце или пајкане, морам признати да ми ова прволопташка психоанализа не сједа баш у потпуности, али шта да се ради. Већи дио ове епизоде Роршах проводи у разговору с неким црнцем психијатром (психологом? психоаналитичарем? психопатом?) који с друге стране има својих проблема, наиме брак му се распада, вјероватно зато што његова жена не одобрава толику посвећеност најгорим психо случајевима због којих им пати (црнцу и жени, не психо случајевима) љубавни живот. Скоро сам сигуран да ће овај црнац врло брзо да рикне. Иначе, у овој епизоди налази се она легендарна изјава "Нисам ја затворен с вама, ви сте затворени са мном!", с тим да је тај дио некако боље урађен у филму.

[Simbasible Comics · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Abyss Gazes Also is the sixth issue in the twelve-issue series Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons.

This issue is another character study in the vein of ‘Watchmaker’. That issue was about Dr. Manhattan while this one finally gives us a glimpse into Rorschach’s past. He got a terrific backstory, though it has its familiar elements, but it was so well told and so emotionally engaging that it worked nonetheless.

The psychiatric hospital elements were also quite interesting here and so was the emphasis on his troubled family life as well as how he was bullied by the other kids. The literary supplement section was also very intriguing as it offered us a glimpse inside the character’s own writings as a kid, which are both silly and touching at the same time.

This issue is once again beautifully drawn by Dave Gibbons with particularly memorable close-ups on the face of the protagonist. There is also some great writing to be had here with his line that they are locked in with him being instantly iconic. It’s a terrific issue that still begs the question of why those issues that progress the plot are never as riveting as these character studies are.

The Abyss Gazes Also is another strong issue in the Watchmen series that offers an important look into the troubled past of Rorschach, making for a layered character study.

[Lilamedusa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually added this to my favourite books list. It's quite gruesome and it has all the trigger warnings, rape, violence, infanticide, trauma.

There are many caveats as well, such as the fact that it's now quite widely known that there weren't 40 actionless bystanders and that there were, in fact, at least two calls by the police. Not everyone heard Genevieve scream and ignored it. But that's hardly the point, is it? It was a very interesting look into Rorschach. It was also horrifying.

The only thing I would question is the decision to make the psychologist black. But I'm used to those details by now.

[Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otro muy buen número. En la misma linea del issue del Dr. Manhattan, donde si bien podemos considerar que no avanza el conflicto principal, se profundiza en el personaje para conocer sus orígenes y las razones de su comportamiento; en este caso de Kovacs antes de convertirse en Rorschach.

“No luches
contra monstruos,
conviértete
en monstruo,

si miras
al abismo,
el abismo
te devuelve
la mirada.”

- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche

[Alejandra MP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow pues fue bastante perturbador y muy entretenido. Una vez que empecé ya no pude parar. Es interesante como los locos son los que tienen las mejores líneas, la interesante ilación de las cosas. Entiendo la fascinación del doctor por este caso de Kovacs. Algo que me llama la atención es que al parecer debería leer primero las notas, pero a veces esta bien leerlas al final. La experiencia me ha resultado refrescante

[Hasibul Shanto · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD! I love Rorschach!! He is TOTALLY my most favorite character right now. I was shocked and sat quietly for a while just after finishing this chapter! What an emotional ride it was! This whole novel is growing so artistically with such a brilliant story-telling way! Although I'm only halfway I can surely sense how much attachment am gonna get to this book. I am truely amazed by now with this chapter.

[Isra · Rating 5 out of 5]

no sé por qué, pero siempre al finalizar cada tomo termino fascinado con tantas cosas tan bien logradas. En este caso se ve la historia, y me animaría a decir, la filosofía de un icónico personaje Rorschach. Totalmente emocionante.