Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen is a graphic novel about a masked vigilante named Rorschach who reconnects with fellow retired vigilante in a lengthy pursuit to find out who was responsible for the murder of one of his former colleagues, “The Comedian”. In his quest for the truth Rorschach uses some violent methods, such as torture, to gather information that will assist him in solving the mystery surrounding the murder. The way that Rorschach tortures his victims represents pain as a tool that can be used to gather information and achieve results. Rorschach is well-versed in the art of torture, and knows exactly how to manipulate his victims to achieve the outcome he desires. In one interaction in his quest for answers concerning The Comedian’s murder, Rorschach results to …show more content…
In the first row of panels we see Rorschach grab Steve’s hand and proceed to break his pinkie finger, causing him to scream out in intense pain. The wide-eyed, fearful look on Steve’s face also emphasizes the extreme pain he is experiencing. The next two panels in the scene highlight the rest of the crowd’s reactions to Steve’s pained cries. The first panel places the crowd’s heads in the foreground, facing attentively towards Rorschach’s figure in the background towering over his victim. The positioning of characters allows us to infer that Rorschach has captured the bar’s attention with his act of violence. The next panel zooms in closer on a few of the concerned facial expressions in the crowd, showing readers that the customers are fearful of Rorschach and his actions. Rorschach has taken the steps necessary to successfully manipulate his crowd into fearing him because of the pain he has just caused. Because of their newfound fear and respect for him, Rorschach is now free to question the newly obedient customers without further