Watchmen #7: A Brother To Dragons

Watchmen #7

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

Watchmen, Chapter VII: A Brother To Dragons.

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

35 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1987

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 3 out of 5]

Capítulo mas tranquilo que habla mas sobre Nite Owl, su añoranza de los tiempos pasados.

[Sandee is Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... What was the point of all that? To give these two characters a little bit more background? Hmmm... I didn't get it. I would have preferred reading more about Rorschach or Mr. Manhattan; at least those two characters have more depth to them than Dan and Laurie.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could have done just fine without seeing this much of Laurie and Dan, you know exaclty what I mean.
I guess it's fair that they too would get an issue to themselves, to give them a little background and depth, but seeing that there really isn't much there and that it's mostly sexual tension and nostalgia, I could have lived without it.
Give me more Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan, please and thank you.

[Rachel MacNaught · Rating 2 out of 5]

The humans being human with the most exciting bit being erectile dysfunction.

I suppose the insanity needs a waypoint. And I assume they exist to show their contrast to the deranged counterparts in what I think will probably wind up being a morally grey event.

But they are boring. And worse for their lack of chemistry, no matter what was awkwardly forced in this volume.

[Jesus Velasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

En el séptimo número de Watchmen, Alan Moore y Dave Gibbons profundizan en la psicología de Dan Dreiberg, el segundo Nite Owl, y Laurie Juspeczyk, la nueva Silk Spectre. Este episodio explora el vacío y la impotencia que siente Dan tras la prohibición de la vigilancia, reflejando su anhelo de pertenecer a algo más grande, como los Caballeros de la Mesa Redonda.

La relación entre Dan y Laurie muestra contrastes: mientras Dan lucha con su timidez y deseo de acción, Laurie parece más cómoda con su identidad heredada. La secuencia de sueños de Dan, donde se despoja de su cuerpo, simboliza su miedo a la vulnerabilidad en un mundo amenazado por la guerra.

El acto de rescatar a los inquilinos de un edificio en llamas permite a Dan experimentar una breve redención. Sin embargo, la transición a la intimidad con Laurie destaca su lucha entre el poder y la impotencia. La cita final del libro de Job encapsula su soledad y anhelo de conexión, reflejando el costo emocional de ser un vigilante en un mundo caótico. Este número profundiza en la complejidad de sus personajes, dejando al lector reflexionando sobre sus identidades y deseos.

[Sunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my head, I'm still hearing Barry White singing Let's Get It On. Or, I guess more precisely, it was Billie Holliday's You're My Thrill. But, the end result is the same.

Because I just read an entire comic book devoted to the sexual tension and subsequent boinking between the second Nite Owl and the second Silk Spectre. Sloppy seconds, apparently.

Full review HERE.

[Aleksandar Janjic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ова епизода у потпуности је посвећена смувавању бивше женске др Менхетна и оног лика што га је у филму глумио Патрик Вилсон. И успјели су да се смувају, уз одређене потешкоће о којима овде нећемо говорити, а о истом трошку су се са носталгијом присјетили СТАРИХ ВРЕМЕНА кад су ходали около као суперхероји и ИСПРАВЉАЛИ НЕПРАВДУ и онда су одлучили да извуку гомилу неких људи из некаквог пожара и онда су сконтали да би требало да извуку РОРШАХА из затвора да би спријечили АПОКАЛИПСУ. Ово је до сада можда и најмање занимљива епизода, али мислим да је то само затишје пред буру (сунце ти, какво оригинално и поетично изражавање!) и да ће свашта да се издешава већ у осмој епизоди.

[Shibin k · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dave Gibbons is a genius, he has done things in the 80's that are still rare drawing technique.
This story is taking a great spin with this issue.

[Tommaso Beneforti · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Sono divenuto fratello dei draghi e compagno dei gufi.»

[Gabriela · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 7th issue is focused on Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre and Daniel Dreiberg/second Nite Owl.
So far, my impression is that Laurie’s entire existence is based on her two male love interests, and this is even admitted by Alan Moore in one of the character studies, where he points out that he hasn't thought much about her as a character outside of her relationships. Disappointing...

Previous to the story, there is a study by Alan Moore, in which he describes some of the main characters of Watchmen, and what he hopes to achieve with them. He goes way deeper into all the male characters backstory and characteristics and when he gets into -in his words- the only female main character, he writes that he hasn't thought much about her outside of her involvement with Dr. Manhatan and being a plot device to provoke and compare his sexuality and how he sees the world.

I was annoyed by this and it hindered my enjoyment. I cal also see that this will impact how I view the overall series.

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 2 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: 2 STARS]

[OFFICIAL RATING: 3.5 STARS]

[Jacob Helberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't really see the point to this issue. I actually liked both of these characters prior to this issue but now I don't really care for either. Dan pines over this woman even while she's with Jon for soooo long and then gets his chance and he is too sad about not being a hero anymore so he blows it. Meanwhile Laurie likes Dan now? Less than a week after Jon? I felt bad for her since Jon wasn't really emotionally capable but now she just randomly wants Dan so bad. This was just a big miss for me.

[Index Purga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watchmen 7 of 12, Collector's Edition
pág. 0:
créditos #7
pág. 1:
A BROTHER TO DRAGONS
Pág. 29:
BLOOD FROM THE SHOULDER OF PALLAS by Daniel Dreiberg
Pág. 33:
créditos editoriales

[flaams · Rating 3 out of 5]

still don't understand the meaning of this issue.
was it supposed to bring a little bit of a background to two characters? or was it a lousy attempt to a lousy plot twist?

[Alex Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite issue. Some reasons are quite obvious (and are displayed quite... obviously), but I'm also not too fond of the awkwardly constructed and often lengthy conversations.

[Isra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cada tomo, una obra de arte

[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]

I found this to be a sincerely earnest effort and, frankly, as someone who just got out of the year 2020 alive, I can kinda understand why someone would feel impotent in the face of chaotic world events.

I personally don't think I really grasp how close we as a race were to nuclear destruction during the Cold War- works like this give a grave sense of dread that tends to permeate the culture. And I can't imagine what it must have been like.

It must have been a haunting feeling that interrupted all the new wave music from time to time. A feeling none of us should have ever had to think about...

...so Dan and Laurie bang in this chapter...
For your sake, it's surprisingly easier to digest than it was in the film. (Despite the flamethrower gag somehow not being a singular invention of the film adaptation).

I think it's interesting to point out how long it takes to read a comic. For me, it's about 15 minutes at most.
But because of these 9 panel grids in Watchmen, I find each chapter takes about 50-65 minutes.
I don't have anything inspiring to add to that. But if you're looking for a girthy tale with some weight, look no further. This bitch be densely packin. There's no fat, just muscle. Nothing feels wasted either.

That's all I really got to say.
I won't call this a filler issue. Because character development, contrary to popular belief, isn't filler.
I will call it a breather issue tho.
It feels like a calm before a storm chapter. Our characters grapple with the grave realities of their world and basically fuck in the face of Armageddon. (Literally).

I find I'm extra critical of scenes depicting intimacy, just cause it's weirdly easy for a writer to accidentally make it feel strange. Like, remember POUND CAKE from 11/22/63? I love that book, but yikes. I still can't look at POUND CAKE anymore without thinking of time traveling school teachers having sex.

I am gonna land on the brighter side of the equation when it comes to whether or not the sex scene in Watchmen works. Mostly because it fits in with the rest of the book's brazen nihilism fart-farts.

That, and Dan and Laurie seem like the loneliest of the Watchmen, with unique problems few can relate to. It makes sense circumstance would bring them together during such dire times. Images like them making out in front of a nuclear bomb feel so awfully iconic, you forget it uses a bunch of thin panels to tell the story rather than giant splash pages. I admire the restraint, because it somehow works.

Perhaps I'm soft. Seeing broken people find momentary relief from a universe that doesn't make sense is cathartic to... most people?

[Simbasible Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Brother to Dragons is the seventh issue in the twelve-issue series Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons.

This issue is once again a character study, but unfortunately the only one that I did not love. In a rare departure for the series, it focuses on two hardly all that interesting members of the team – Silk Spectre and Nite Owl. Laurie and Daniel have never been riveting characters, especially not Dan himself, so this issue focusing on just the two of them was not the greatest idea from Alan Moore.

There is this sexual energy and tension between these two that is ridiculously pronounced. It’s a whole thing. But why did we need to see them have sex multiple times? Needless to say, this is where this graphic novel reached its campiest and most overly indulgent moments.

That is not to say that it’s without its strengths. The illustrations by Gibbons are still stellar and his use of color is particularly fantastic here. The two characters are definitely well developed, but hardly all that interesting, though their relationship is well explored. Laurie is the deeper and more interesting of the two while Dan’s obsession with owls was explored in the literary supplement at the end of the issue, the weakest one so far. The dialogue is definitely very good, but overwhelming as the issue suffers from having too many bubbles throughout.

A Brother to Dragons is definitely well developed in its characters and their relationship, but Dan and Laurie were not worthy of having an entire issue for themselves, which resulted in the most unnecessary entry in the series.

[Roshnara Mohamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a deep dive into Silk Spectre and Nite Owl, two of the gang that I was least interested in. Admittedly, yes, the whole thing about Nite Owl linking his "manhood" to the whole superhero thing is interesting from a psychology point of view, but after the backstories on Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach, these characters just seem weak. Again, is that by design? Could it be that, to temper the high stakes of such volatile characters, Moore created more human characters? Who knows. Still, I'm hoping that in the grand scheme of things, this adds up, but yeah, not that psyched for this as much as I was for the last couple of instalments of the series.

[Lilamedusa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not precisely that I don't like these two together, but it feels... rushed maybe?

I just can't get into it knowing that less than a week ago she was with Jon and loved him and now suddenly... I question how much they really thought about what it meant for them to now suddenly to be together out of the blue.

Well, I guess time will tell.

Also, Night owl just got like 20% less interesting, tbh.

And it's not that this number was bad at all, it's just that after 6, anything that came after was going to me a huge miss. Number 6 was just too good, I think.

[Javier Lárraga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin mucho que decir por ahora. Me parece bien que esten explotando más las relaciones entre los protagonistas y los esten humanizando y tambien me encantó el cliff hanger del final.

Como siempre el guionista y el ilustrador hacen amena una situación que en otras circunstancias sería tediosa de leer pero que aquí supieron representar muy bien y hacerla dinámica e interesante.

Estoy impaciente por iniciar el próximo número.

[tlacoyo bandicoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, este me gustó porque supe algo más de nite owl y su retiro, pero no me termina de convencer. está fuerte la crisis y nos lo hace ver desde su comodidad
me da tristeza laurie y cómo ha manejado la soledad desde niña y lo reconoce, sabe que debe trabajar en ello. muy calmado pero de alguna forma triste

[Pierina Rivas]

Muy disfrutable. Dan es demasiado nerd y nostálgico a morirrrrrr.

Esta serie de cómics tiene muchísimas capas y abarca numerosos debates políticos, morales y hasta religiosos.

Es ese tipo de historias que suelen ser releidas por su gran cantidad de lecturas. Por mí parte, quiero seguir analizando y aprendiendo sobre los matices de esta obra y toda su filosofía.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review on The Watchmen #1-12.

Dan and Laurie's turn. I thought it was intriguing but slightly awkward.

[Pedro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, está bien no dejar afuera a Laurie y Dan, pero pienso que no era necesario darles un tomo completo si el contenido en realidad no aporta mucho al conflicto principal.

2.5/5 ⭐️

[Eslem Ouederni · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay whatever... sometimes I feel like I am not interested in some stuff but at the same time I think that maybe its existence in the books is going to lead to something...

[Atikaa Rhmwt · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wish i had fast-forward option

[Joseph Knecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the world falls apart,

Lend a helping hand to the people in need,

Only in trouble, you show your true face.

[adrianO C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aquí me parece que están intentando retomar su camino de héroes.