Watchmen Part 2 of 12.
Writer, Alan Moore.
Illustrator, Dave Gibbons.
Described by Liana Kerr https://twitter.com/lianaleslie
Last modified March 2, 2015.

Chapter 2.

Cover page.
The words "Chapter 2" are printed in orange over black bar on the left of the page. Above them is a small orange clock with a white border that has no numbers or markings. The time is 11:50. Two-thirds of the page is taken up by the head of a stone angel, shown in profile and rendered in cool colors. She has a grave, dignified expression on her face. It is raining, and there are beads of water all over her face and hair, beading up and dripping off her chin. One drop hits her on the top of her head, smashing against the rock into smaller droplets. One drop has hit on the outside corner of her eye, and it wells up and falls over her chin, making it look as if she is crying. In the background, a handful of withered leaves fall off of a tree that is nearly bare of leaves, and the wrought iron cemetery fence and gate can be seen. Over the gate is a sign that reads Cemetery, but from the reader's position it is backwards, and all but the last two letters are cut off. In the background are the buildings and skyscrapers of the city, with one zeppelin docked on top of a skyscraper and one flying high in the sky. The skies and buildings are nearly the same cool colors as the angel.
Page 1.

Panel 1.
The full statue of the angel from the cover is shown. She is standing on a square pedestal, wearing a long dress with long sleeves, holding one hand by her side and the other up by her chest, palm out. She has large, feathery wings that extend behind her. The full cemetery sign, the closed cemetery gates the nearly leafless tree and some other graves can be seen behind her, and far behind her are the buildings of the city and a zeppelin. It is dark and rainy outside. An unknown speaker says "Aw, willya *look* at her? Pretty as a picture an' *still* keepin' her *figure!* So, honey, what brings *you* to the City of the Dead?"

Panel 2.
Laurie is standing in a bright room. She wears a white blouse, long vest with large, pointy shoulders and high-waisted purple pants and carries a large brown purse, and is carrying a bouquet of red, puffy flowers. She looks annoyed as she replies "Mom, being *lazy* isn't a terminal condition, so spare me the quote *city of the dead* unquote crap. Brought you some *flowers.*" Her mom reaches out her arms towards Laurie and says "*Ohhh! Big *spender!* Where's *Jon*?" Her mom's arms and hands are slightly wrinkled. On the bed in front of her are two magazines. One is the Nova Express, and one is turned to the back, where there is an advertisement for Nostalgia perfume.

Panel 3.
The entrance to the cemetery. One man opens up the gates, and a couple of other men mill about outside, one of whom is holding a large wreath of red flowers. Dan stands in front of the open gates, clasping hands with Veidt, whose uniformed chauffeur is standing behind him carrying an umbrella over his head. A black limo has just arrived, splashing through a puddle on the street. There is an American flag attached to its hood. Laurie answers, "Jon's at some *funeral*. I didn't feel like *attending*, so he transported me *here*, to *California.* I just got through throwing up in the *ladies' room.*"

Panel 4.
Laurie looks annoyed as she takes a thin object out of her purse. She continues, "Always gets me the same. One second *New York*, the next, *wham!* California! So long *breakfast.*" Her mom, propped up in bed by large pillows with ruffled edges and unwrapping the blue material wrapped around the flower stems, says "Poor *baby.* So, this *funeral*: anyone I *know?*" Her mom appears to be in her late 60s, with a weary, wrinkled face. She's white, wears a sleeveless pink nightgown, earrings, lipstick and mascara, and has her pure white hair done up in a puffy, 1940s-style hairstyle. She is an attractive, shapely woman with large breasts. All through this sequence, the dreary, rainy day of the funeral is rendered in dark purples and blues, a stark contrast to the bright, unsubtle sunniness of the scenes in California.

Panel 5.
Jon, wearing a black suit, steps out of the limo into the rain, towards the cemetery gates. In the background are two policemen holding back a group of people, one of whom is yelling something and shaking his fist. Among the group is the man holding the sign that reads "The End Is Nigh." Laurie answers, "The *funeral*? Oh, no, that's just, y'know, some little *official* thing. Jon *had* to go. Protocol. They made him put *clothes* on and everything..."

Panel 6.
Laurie's mom, leaning to the side to put the flowers in a tall vase, says "It's *Eddie Blake's* funeral, right?" Laurie gestures with one hand and says "Mom..." Her mom replies, "Laurie, don't treat me like a *kid!* I can still *read*. I saw in the *paper.* He got murdered." Next to Laurie's mom's bed is a dresser with a small green container and some pictures on it. At the foot of her bed is a medical chart. The thin object Laurie was taking out is a long pipe with a ball near the tip.

Panel 7.
Laurie's mom continues, "I guess he finally reached the *punchline*, huh? Poor Eddie." Back in New York, the hearse has arrived. It's a stately vehicle, less rounded than most of the other ones that have been shown, and has two plumes of red ostrich feathers on the top, near the windshield. The four pallbearers, each wearing a long red ribbon tied over their hatbands, carry the coffin, draped with an American flag, towards the sidewalk. Jon is shaking hands with Adrian, whose chauffeur stands behind him with an umbrella, while Dan stands off to the side. Some more mourners with umbrellas have appeared.

Panel 8.
Laurie, opening the ball on her pipe and placing a ball of, presumably, tobacco inside it, replies "Poor *Eddie*? Mom, how can you *say* that? After he almost..." Her mom raises the palms of her hands and says, "Laurie, you're *young.* You don't *know*. Things *change*. What *happened,* happened forty *years* ago..." Framed by their hands is a gold frame that holds the picture of the eight costumed men and women that was in Hollis' apartment and the Comedian's hidden compartment. To its left is a calendar that is mostly covered up, but reads October 16, 1985. Laurie's mom has placed the vase behind the picture.

Panel 9.
Laurie's mom continues, "It's history." The pallbearers carry the coffin past the line of people attending the funeral. Adrian, standing under his attendant's umbrella, looks straight ahead and puts one hand over his heart. Standing next to him is Dan, who holds his hat over his heart and looks down. Jon is beside him, taller than anyone else there, turning his head to the side.

Page 2.

Panel 1.
Laurie, sitting in a chair next to her mom's bed, gestures with the pipe and lighter and says "Yeah, well, so's *Dachau.* I'd *never* forgive somebody who did that..." Her mom, getting out of bed and slipping her feet into pink slippers with puffs on them, puts up one hand as if explaining something and replies "Listen, gettin' *old*, you get a different *perspective.* The *big* stuff looks *smaller* somehow."

Panel 2.
Laurie's mom continues, "In the end, you just wash your hands of it and shut it away." A man in a trenchcoat is standing outside the cemetery gates, looking inside and talking into a walkie-talkie. On the sidewalk in front of him, black paint runs down a wooden post being carried by someone wearing ragged fingerless gloves. The person's fingernails are short and cracked, and the paint and the rain drip off his hands.

Panel 3.
Laurie holds her thin pipe between her teeth and lights the ball part, and a long stream of smoke raises to the ceiling. She grimaces and has her other hand on her hip as she says "Oh, *right.* Just like *that.*" Her mom is putting on a pink robe, trimmed with white ruffles at the collar and wrists, as she replies "So, what, you want I should curl up and *whimper* for forty years? You want I should go be a *nun*?"

Panel 4.
She continues, "Life goes on, honey. Life goes on." Outside the cemetery, the fingerless gloves are shown to belong to the man carrying the "The End Is Nigh" sign. The paint of its black block letters is running in the heavy  rain, down the post and onto his hands. He adjusts his coat collar and draws his arms and the sign nearer to him, looking up and ahead of him. In the background, by the cemetery gates which are now closed, a man lights the cigarette of the man with the walkie-talkie, and a policeman keeps watch.

Panel 5.
Laurie's mom ties a sash around her waist and continues, "Plus, it's a beautiful day! Y'know... *Ahuh-hemm*... Y'know, you and *Jon* oughtta move out here, for the *weather.* Was it this sunny in *New York* today?" In the foreground, Laurie holds the pipe between her index and middle fingers, and the smoke trails from the tip to the ceiling in a wavy white line. In front of Laurie's mom are several framed photographs on the walls. They mostly seem to be pictures of her, some just of her and some with other people. Light streams in from the window on them.

Panel 6.
Laurie replies, "Uh, yeah. Yeah, pretty much..." The priest stands behind the open grave and the tombstone, holding an umbrella in one hand and a Bible pressed to his chest with the other. He is wearing a white cassock and a red stole which hangs around his neck, the ends blowing in the rain and wind. There are other graves and some observers in the background as the pallbearers bring the coffin to the grave.

Panel 7.
Laurie's mom pushes open a window as she says "Hm. Well, that's good. *Ahuh-hemm.* Lots of *sunshine* is like *vitamins*. It's *healthy,* an' being healthy is what *counts.* Never mind all this smart New York living..." The reader is viewing her through the open window from outside. Her building is a one-story yellow building with various plants and shrubs outside and the sign "Nepenthe Gardens Rest Resort" in front of it.

Panel 8.
She continues, "I mean, without your *health* where *are* you?" The pallbearers set the coffin on the ground next to the open grave. Dan, Jon and Veidt stand in a row on the other side of the grave, and behind them stands the man with the red flower wreath. The priest opens his bible and starts to read.

Panel 9.
Laurie's mom is opening a door and coughing. She continues "At *my* age *ahhum* you wanna take *care* of yourself. All your old *buddies* have passed *on,* and..." Laurie looks irritated as she takes apart the two pieces of the pipe, letting the tobacco fall out of the ball. She says, "Mom, it's *okay.* You don't need to open any more *doors* or *windows*. Look, I'm putting it *out*, okay? It's *dead.* *Extinguished.*" 

Page 3.

Panel 1.
A large panel the size of six regular panels. The rain falls, forming large puddles on the ground, and some leaves are scattered by the wind and rain as the funeral starts. The priest is reading from his bible and the pallbearers are carefully folding the flag that was on top of the coffin. A drop of rain splashes on the gold nameplate on top of the coffin. Veidt, Jon and Dan stand on the side of the open grave. Veidt is covered by his chauffeur's umbrella. and he clasps his hands behind his back and looks down gravely. Jon, next to him, clasps his hands in front of him and looks up and to the side. He seems to glow with a subtle blue light. Dan, next to Jon, has his hands in his pockets and is looking down, his brown hair becoming slightly disheveled in the rain and wind. Behind him is the man with the wreath of roses. The title of the chapter, Absent Friends, is written in large type underneath the panel.

Panel 2.
Laurie's mom steps over to her vanity, reaching for her hairbrush with one hand and holding up three fingers of the other hand. She looks thoughtful as she says "Y'know, that makes just *three* of us *Minutemen* left now. Me, *Hollis Mason*, and poor *Byron Lewis,* in the *bughouse* in *Maine.* Funny... *Eddie* was the *youngest.* Always jokin' about how *old* we all were." Laurie looks on, her arms crossed in front of her and a disgruntled look on her face.

Panel 3.
One of the pallbearers places the folded flag gently on top of the coffin, underneath the nameplate, which reads "Edward Morgan Blake, 1924 - 1985." Laurie's mom continues, "He said he'd *bury* us. Y'see, that was *Eddie,* always talkin' like he was on *top* of it, like it was never going to *happen* to him..."

Panel 4.
Her reflection is shown in the mirror of her vanity as she holds the hairbrush and, looking straight ahead, as if she's looking through her reflection without seeing it, continues, "He was *the Comedian*. He always thought he'd get the last laugh." A tube of lipstick, a bottle of perfume with a large N on it and a jewelry box are also on her vanity. Laurie, reflected in the mirror, stands behind her, looking exasperated and her arms still crossed.  
Page 4.

Panel 1.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. Laurie, her arms still crossed and her body language tense, scowls as she looks at the wall in front of her and says "Yeah? Well, Jon told me about some of the stuff Blake did in *'Nam.* Sounds like he had a strange sense of *humor.*" Her mom says "*Oh!* *Speaking* of which, that *reminds* me..." She opens the drawer of her vanity.

Panel 2.
She continues "You remember that *guy* who writes me *letters*? Well, he sent me an item of *memorabilia*... " She takes a small book out of the drawer and hands it to her daughter. In the drawer is also a packet of letters. Without reaching for it, Laurie replies "The one who asked for your old *costume*? *Honestly*, Mom, you *encourage* these guys... What *is* it?"

Panel 3.
Laurie's mom gestures with one hand and places the book in Laurie's hands with the other. She stands up and moves by her bed and says, smiling, "It's a *Tijuana Bible*... A little eight-page *porno comic* they did in the '30s and '40s... They did 'em about *newspaper funnies* characters like *Blondie*, even *real* people like *Mae West.* This one's about *me.*" Laurie takes the book gingerly, looking down at it.   

Panel 4.
Laurie opens the book and starts to read it. She says "About...? Oh, *God!* Mother, this is just *gross!* Somebody *sent* you this?" The book is in black and white and is drawn in the cartoony style of a 1940s newspaper comic. The first panel is almost completely visible, and in it a young woman is sitting on a chair. It is evidently a cartoonish version of Laurie's mom as a young woman, as the hairstyle is exactly the same. She is wearing fishnet stockings and a transparent tunic, which her breasts show through, and is posing with her hands behind her head. There is a knock on the door behind her, and she smiles broadly and says "Oh, the door," and something else which cannot be made out from the small text. Most of the second panel is cut off, but it shows a salesperson opening the door and Laurie's mom turning towards him. The real Laurie's mom answers, "Sure. Listen, those things are *valuable,* like *antiques.* Eighty bucks an' up. I think it's kinda *flattering.*" She is sitting back in her bed, and turns her head towards the dresser, reaching for the framed picture of the costumed people.

Panel 5.
Laurie continues to flip through the book, her eyebrows drawn together and her expression incredulous, as she repeats "Flattering... ?" Laurie's mom replies, "Being reminded that people used to *slobber* over me? Sure. *Flattering.* Why *not*? Laurie, I'm 65. Every day the future looks a little bit *darker*. But the *past,* even the *grimy* parts of it..." She is holding the picture with both hands in front of her.

Panel 6.
She continues, "... Well, it just keeps on getting *brighter* all the *time.*" Light reflects off of the picture. The reader has seen the left half of it before, but now the right part is shown, too. The figure on the far right is Hooded Justice, a white, muscular man in a hood and long cape tied with a noose. His belt is also made of rope, and rope is tied around his wrists. Clinging to his arm next to him is Laurie's mom as a young woman, wearing a sleeveless tunic that is not see through. It comes to a point above her chest and attaches to a choker around her neck, is belted at the waist and has a small skirt that doesn't cover her hips. On one arm is a long blue opera glove, and around the other is a black bracelet. She wears black briefs, blue stockings overlaid with a fishnet pattern and high heels.

Panel 7.
The light reflecting on the picture turns into the blinding flash of an old-fashioned camera. The photographer stoops behind it, entirely covered in cloth.

Panel 8.
The photographer says "Okay, that's *it*! Nice *picture*, folks!" The Comedian, who was kneeling in the front, straightens his back and says "We can *move*? I can finally scratch my *armpit*?" as he does so." Laurie's mom rubs her eyes and says "*Oooh!* I got *spots* in my eyes..."
Page 5.

Panel 1.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. The Comedian walks over to Laurie's mom and, reaching towards her, says "*Really?* Lemme take a *look* an' see if I can fish'em *out* for ya..." She puts a hand on his chest and pushes him away, holding her other hand out palm up and saying "Oh, *Eddie!* Give me a *break!*" It's unclear if she's smiling or grimacing. Hooded Justice is standing near her, but seems aloof from the rest of the group. Hollis is counting out bills for the photographer, a balding white man in glasses, a green suit and a bowtie, who says "Okay, Mr. Owl, that's *eight prints*. They'll be ready in a *week.*" To the side, Mothman, Dollar Bill and Captain Metropolis are chatting, and the Silhouette is leaving the room, taking out a long, thin cigarette holder as she walks. The room they're in seems spacious and pricey, with a reflective floor and large windows. There is a wooden table in the foreground, surrounded by chairs and with a newspaper and a calendar on top of it. The calendar reads "October, 1940" and part of it is cut off, so it's unclear if it's October 2, 12 or 22. The headline of the newspaper is "Scientists Make First Artificial Wonder Element: Plutonium."

Panel 2.

The other superheroes leave the room. Hooded Justice leads the way, with Laurie's mom clinging to his arm. She looks at him and smiles as she says "*Boy!* Real *photo sessions!* Do you think my *hair* will come out looking okay, H.J.?" He answers, "Frankly, Sally, I don't go in for all this *razzle dazzle.* I'd rather be on the *streets*, doing my *job.*" The Silhouette is standing to the side, her back to the others, lighting her cigarette. In front of them is a large table, circled by expensive looking chairs with the Minutemen logo emblazoned on the back. A name card in front of the nearest chair says "Mothman." There is a large, glass object to the left of the door, and in the foreground is an object, under glass, that looks like an animal's head.

Panel 3.
The Comedian interjects, "Streets *nothing!* Why don't Uncle Sammy get us into *Europe,* where the *action* is?" Hooded Justice looks back towards him and points a finger in the air as he answers, "Well, firstly, we aren't at *war.* Secondly, we should *avoid* political situations..." The Silhouette takes her cigarette holder from her lips and looks sneeringly towards Sally as she says "Perhaps the *Poles* thought so too, eh? You *agree,* Sally?"

Panel 4.
Sally crosses her arms and looks annoyed as she turns away and replies "Well, I'm sure *I* wouldn't know anything about what the *Polish* people think!" The Silhouette smiles nastily, taking a drag on her cigarette. Mothman's antennae quiver as he puts a finger to his mouth and says "Me, I hope we keep out of it. Just *thinking* about *war*, it *scares* me..." The wings on his costume bump the Comedian in the back, and the Comedian looks back towards Mothman and, making a fist, says "*Hey!* Watch with the *wings!*"

Panel 5.
Hollis, who has just left the room, puts one hand on the Comedian's shoulder and the other on Hooded Justice's shoulder, and says "*C'mon*... What's all this *discord* I hear? Meeting's *over!* Listen, everyone meet in the *lobby* in five minutes. We'll go back to the *Owl's Nest* for a *beer.*" Sally reaches towards a pile of folded clothes on the table and says, looking behind her, "*Fine,* you guys go *ahead.* I gotta *change.*" Mothman and Dollar Bill walk in front of Hollis, the Comedian and Hooded Justice, and the Silhouette hangs back towards the back of the room. Captain Metropolis is the last to leave the room.

Panel 6.

Sally has removed her glove and high heels, and is unhooking the choker at the back of her neck as she places the glove on the table. A pink dress is hung over the back of one of the chairs. The room is dark, the curtains closed, and everyone else has left. 

Panel 7.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. Sally is in her pink bra and panties, leaning over to take off the garter on her thigh. She looks to the side as a voice says "Hi." She's in front of the large, round glass object which is labeled "Moloch's Solar Arrow Weapon."
Page 6.

Panel 1.
Sally looks angrily behind her, covering herself up with her costume with both hands. She says "*Eddie?* What the *hell* are *you* doing here? You *knew* I was *changing*..." The Comedian gestures with one hand and answers, "*Sure* I did. You *announced* it loud enough." His pose is relaxed, with one arm resting on the glass box covering the animal head.

Panel 2.

The Comedian embraces her with one arm, snatching her costume away with his other hand. He continues, "*C'mon,* baby. I know what you *need.* You gotta have *some* reason for wearin' an outfit like this, huh?" She tries to push him away as she says "E-Eddie, no..." He answers, "Sure. No. Spelled *y, e*..."

Panel 3.
Sally rakes his face with her fingernails as she yells "Spelled *enn oh!*" He moves backwards involuntarily and lets go of her, screaming "*Aak* as trails of blood stream down the right side of his face.  

Panel 4.
She steps backwards and, holding her arm out to the side, says "Eddie?" He covers the bleeding side of his face with his left arm and stares at her with cold fury in his eyes.

Panel 5.
He punches her in the gut, and the force of the blow knocks her off her feet and folds her in two. She screams, "Ahhhuughh!"

Panel 6.
He slams the back of his fist into her mouth. Blood spurts from her lip, and her eyes roll back into her head as she makes a "Guhh" sound.

Panel 7.
He looms over her, a savage look on her face, as he kicks her ribs, knocking her back and onto the floor. Their fight is reflected on the surface of Moloch's Solar Mirror Weapon.

Panel 8.
Sally is lying on the floor, both arms out to the side. She is crying and blood is pouring from her mouth into a pool on the floor. The Comedian is straddling her back, pushing her head down with one hand and undoing his belt buckle with another hand. The triumphant sneer on his face is like a parody of the smiling comedy mask-shaped belt buckle he wears. Sally begs, "Oh, *no*. Oh, no, Eddie, don't... Oh, *Goddd...*

Panel 9.
The reader only sees Sally's arm, pressed against the floor by the Comedian's gloved hand. Behind them is the table, and to the right is the animal head under glass, which a card shows to be "King Mob's Ape Mask." Sally makes a "Ghuuchh" noise as a voice from outside the panel calls "*Sally*? What's *keeping* you?"  
Page 7.

Panel 1.
Hooded Justice appears at the door, saying "The others are all waiting to..." The reader sees the Comedian and Sally from between his legs. Sally is lying on the ground, her arms bent behind her, while the Comedian straddles her, his pants slipping down his back and his belt undone. The Comedian looks behind him at Hooded Justice, his face scared and dismayed.

Panel 2.
Hooded Justice stands behind the Comedian, looming over him. The Comedian looks to the side, adjusting his belt.

Panel 3.
With both hands, Hooded Justice grabs the Comedian by the front of his shirt and says "You vicious little son of a bitch..." The Comedian looks up at him, putting his hands out pleadingly, and says "Hey, *wait!* She *wanted* me to do it! She..."

Panel 4.
Hooded Justice, still holding the Comedian up by his shirt, punches him on the side of the head. The Comedian squeezes his eyes shut and blood erupts from both nostrils, and he makes a "Nnnah" noise.

Panel 5.
Hooded Justice, holding the Comedian under his armpits, knees him in the abdomen. The Comedian's belt is still unbuckled, and his pants slip down his back. Hooded Justice says "You sick little bastard, I'm going to break your *neck*... " The Comedian makes an "Uuugggh" noise, one arm flying out behind him and the other raised to protect his face.

Panel 6.
Hooded Justice holds the Comedian in front of him by the shirt collar, looking down at his bloodied face. The Comedian grimaces, almost smiling, and his eyes are defiant. He breathes heavily and says "This is what you *like*, huh? This is what gets you *hot*..." A spatter of blood on his chest stains his yellow shirt, echoing the blood on the smiley face pin.

Panel 7.
Hooded Justice stares down at the Comedian. The only part of his face that is exposed are his eyes, and his expression cannot be read.

Panel 8.
Hooded Justice releases the Comedian and turns away from him, looking sidelong at him and saying "Get out." The Comedian stands up, pulling up his pants and wiping his face. He's stooped over and breathing heavily, but smiling. He replies, "*Ahuuhh,* *huhhh*. Oh, *sure*. Sure. I'm *going*. But I got your *number*, see? And *one* of these days, the *joke's* gonna be on *you*..." Hooded Justice repeats, "Get *out!*"

Panel 9.
The Comedian leaves, still stooped over and adjusting his pants. The clock above the door reads 11:55. Hooded Justice stands behind Sally, his body rigid and his hands balled up into fists. He's turned away from her, and he's looking straight ahead. Sally has propped her upper body up with her arms, and she sobs on the floor, a bloody mess.
Page 8.

Panel 1.
Hooded Justice walks over to Sally, facing her and looking down on her. She pushes herself up to her knees and looks up at him pathetically, tears and mascara running from her eyes and blood still dripping from her mouth. He says "Get up... And for God's sake, *cover* yourself."

Panel 2.
Laurie's red-painted fingernail covers up part of the Tijuana bible as she reads it. She says "Mother, this is *vile!* In the panel she's reading, the cartoon version of Sally is sitting in bed, propped up by pillows, embracing a puffy-faced, frumpy traveling salesman, whose bag in the background reads 'Acme Brush Co.' She is smiling and saying "Oh! Treat me rough, sugar." His hat flies off of his head and he says "Oh say, baby, this is tops!"

Panel 3.
Laurie tosses the book onto the bed with a look of disgust. Standing in front of her mother, who is sitting on the bed holding the picture of the Minutemen in both hands and looking at it, she says "I just, jeez, I just don't know how you can stand being *degraded* like this. I mean, don't you *care* how people *see* you? Mother?"

Panel 4.
Sally looks up from the picture at her daughter. Her eyes seem weary and distant, and she says "Hm?"

Panel 5.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. Laurie, crossing her arms tightly across her belly, says "I *said*, doesn't this sleazeball image *bother* you? *Honestly,* Mother, you..." Sally leans across the bed to put the picture back on the dresser, and interrupts with an annoyed look on her face, "Why do you only call me '*Mother*' when you're *mad*? Anyway, what about *your* image? At least *I* don't sleep with an *H-bomb*..." A newspaper lying on her bed has the headline, "How Sick Is Dick? After 3rd Presidential Heart Op?"

Panel 6.
An indignant Laurie replies "*Jon* is *not* an *H-bomb!*" Her mom looks at her and retorts "Honey, the only *difference* is that they didn't have to get the H-bomb *laid* every once in a while." The picture on the wall behind her is a cheesecake drawing of her as a young woman in her costume. She's posed resting her weight on one elbow, her knees crossed, and she's smiling brightly. The inscription reads "To Sally Jupiter, best wishes, Varga."

Panel 7.
Laurie curls one hand into a fist and says "Uh-*huh*. Right. I see. Of course, you *realize* you're being totally *unfair*?" Her mom moves towards the window, looking outside at the bright, sunny landscape. She replies "Yeah? Well, things are tough all *over*, cupcake, an' it rains on the *just* an' the *unjust* alike... Except in *California.*"

Panel 8.
Back in New York, the heavy rain continues, and some leaves fall from the nearly bare tree. A zeppelin is docked at a far-away skyscraper. In the foreground, a black umbrella protects a blond head of hair from the rain. 
Page 9.

Panel 1.
Adrian is standing beside the grave, a solemn look on his face as he watches the priest reading from the bible. Beside him is his attendant, holding the umbrella over his head, and behind him is the man with the wreath of roses. The priest reads, "Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of miseries."

Panel 2.
Adrian is shown closer up. We only see the bible of the priest, and only the hand of his attendant behind him. His expression remains unchanged as the priest continues, "He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower. He fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay."

Panel 3.
An even closer view of Adrian's handsome face. His brow is lined, his eyes thoughtful, with a distant look to them, and his hair is slightly tousled by the wind and rain. He frowns slightly as he continues to look ahead of him. The priest continues, "In the midst of life, we are in death. Of whom may we seek succor but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased."

Panel 4.
A close-up of Adrian's face. He is still looking straight forward dispassionately, but he is slightly younger in this panel, and he wears a purple mask over his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Not a single hair is out of place, and there is a thin gold band encircling his forehead. Around his neck he wears a golden collar that fans out over his shoulders, decorated with an Egyptian-style design. The background is now completely black. A voice from off the panel says "Well, *firstly,* let me say I'm pleased to see so *many* of you *here.* *Very* pleased."

Panel 5.
A large panel the size of six regular panels. Adrian is sitting on a chair, wearing his Ozymandias costume. He leans forward slightly, a look of intense attention on his face. In front of him is Captain Metropolis, a solidly-built, handsome man wearing a blue cape, a mask and a red and orange costume. He gestures welcomingly with one hand and holds a handful of labels in the other. He continues, "Secondly, for those who only know me as *Captain Metropolis,* the name's *Nelson Gardner.* Call me *Nelson.* Third, uh, I guess I should *welcome* everybody to the *first ever* meeting of the *Crimebusters!*" He is standing next to a map of the United States, divided into grids and mounted on an easel. Circled around him are seven people, including Adrian. On the far left are Jon, wearing a black jumpsuit that leaves his blue arms and legs bare, and a black-haired white woman wearing a blue dress who is holding his arm. Her hair is cut short and flipped at the ends, and she seems to be in her late thirties. She has her other hand on her hip and is looking attentively at Captain Metropolis. Jon, however, is looking to his right, where a teenaged Laurie is sitting on a large machine that might be a computer of some sort. Laurie sits casually, both knees together and her hands out behind her, propping her up, and she is looking back at Jon. Her thick, dark brown hair falls between her shoulder blades, and she is wearing her costume, which is a black swimsuit-like garment with a neckline that goes all the way to her navel, covered with a nearly transparent yellow dress. The dress has long sleeves and a short skirt, and is fitted at her waist. Standing to Laurie's right is Dan, in his Nite Owl costume. He looks at Captain Metropolis and has his arms crossed. Beside him is Rorschach, who has his hands in his pants pockets and is also paying attention to Captain Metropolis. To Rorschach's right is a table, on which some beakers and a flask have been placed. The Comedian is sitting at a chair and has his feet propped up on that table. He is not wearing the yellow outfit that we saw in him last, but rather the black, leather outfit that Rorschach found in his closet. He is facing away from Captain Metropolis and reading a newspaper, which hides his whole face. On the front page is the headline "French Withdraw Military Commitment From Nato." Another, smaller headline reads "Heart Transplant Patient Stabilized." A thin stream of smoke drifts up from behind the newspaper. Behind him, across from Jon, is Adrian. As Captain Metropolis welcomes them to the Crimebusters meeting, the Comedian belches loudly.

Page 10.
Panel 1.
Captain Metropolis continues, "Why quote *The Crimebusters* unquote? Well, as you know, this country hasn't had an organization of *masked adventurers* since the *Minutemen* disbanded in '49." Nite Owl and Rorschach look straight ahead, while Laurie looks down demurely. The clock behind her reads 11:55. In the foreground are the soles of the Comedian's boots.

Panel 2.
He continues, "Specialized law enforcement is *standing still.* Crime *isn't.* New social evils emerge every day: *promiscuity, drugs, campus subversion*, you *name* it!" He is placing several labels, each with a different issue, on the map of America. He continues, "Now, by banding together as the *Crimebusters,* we..." The Comedian cuts in, saying "Bullshit." Jon is looking straight ahead of him now, a dispassionate look on his face, while the woman with him holds on to his arm with both hands and looks annoyed. The Comedian has lowered his newspaper into his lap, although he's still looking at it. The headline on the other side of the paper says "Dr. Manhattan an imperialistic weapon, say Russians." 

Panel 3.
Captain Metropolis, looking chagrined and holding a label marked "Drugs" in midair, glances at the Comedian and says "What?" Adrian, sitting behind the Comedian, also turns his head towards him. The Comedian keeps looking at the paper and smoking his cigar as he says "I said *bullshit.* This whole idea, this *Crimebusters* shtick, it *stinks.* What it *is*, Nelly, is that you're gettin' *old* and you wanna go on playin' *cowboys* and *Indians!*"

Panel 4.
Captain Metropolis looks stricken. Turning towards the Comedian, he stammers "Th-that isn't *true...*" Nite Owl comes up behind him and putting up one hand, says "Uh, listen, let's not throw the idea out right away. Me and *Rorschach* have made headway into the *gang* problem by pooling our efforts..." The white line of smoke from the Comedian's cigar drifts up between the two men.

Panel 5.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. Rorschach, gesturing with one hand, says "Obviously I agree -- but a group *this* size seems more like a *publicity exercise* somehow. It's too *big* and *unwieldy*..." His speech bubbles are normal, just like everyone else's.  Adrian points his finger at Rorschach and says "Surely, that's just an *organizational* problem? With the right person *coordinating* the group, I think..." Night Owl is standing to the side, looking serious, and Captain Metropolis is still looking cowed and rather helpless. In the background, the woman with black hair is looking angrily up at Jon, who looks down at her. In the foreground, the Comedian stands up, clamping his cigar between his index and middle fingers.

Panel 6.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. The Comedian stands right in front of Adrian, leaning towards him and gesturing intimidatingly. He replies, "*Oh,* an' I *wonder* who *that* would be? Got any *ideas*, Ozzy? I mean, you *are* the smartest guy in the *world*, right?" Adrian continues sitting in his chair, apparently unflustered by the other man. He says "It doesn't require *genius* to see that America has *problems* that need *tackling*..." The others look on during this exchange.

Panel 7.
The Comedian sneers as he looks down on Adrian, chomping his cigar. He says "Damn *straight.* An' it takes a *moron* to think they're *small* enough for clowns like *you* guys to handle. What's going *down* in this world, you got *no idea.* *Believe me.*" 
Page 11.

Panel 1.
Adrian, looking evenly at the Comedian through his mask, says "I think I'm as well-informed as *anyone*. Given correct handling, *none* of the world's problems are *insurmountable.* All it takes is a little *intelligence.*" The Comedian, his hand on his hips, retorts "Which you got in *spades*, right?"

Panel 2.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. The Comedian steps back and addresses the group, his cigar in one hand and his lighter in the other. He says, "You people are a *joke.* You hear *Moloch's* back in town, you think 'Oh, *boy!* Let's *gang up* and *bust* him!" You think that *matters?* You think that *solves* anything?" Rorschach puts out one hand in a gesture of explanation and says "Well, of *course* it matters. If..."

Panel 3.
The Comedian interrupts him, saying "It don't matter *squat.* *Here* -- lemme show ya *why* it don't matter..." He pushes Captain Metropolis aside and pulls the base of the map away from the easel, lighting it on fire. Captain Metropolis says "*Hey!* Wh-what are you *doing?*"

Panel 4.
The Comedian lights the base of the map on fire with his lighter at several points, and it burns up from the bottom, along with Captain Metropolis' labels of promiscuity, anti-war demos, drugs and black unrest. He continues, "It don't matter squat because inside *thirty years* the *nukes* are gonna be flyin' like *maybugs*..." Captain Metropolis says "My *display*..."

Panel 5.
The Comedian takes a drag from his cigar and waves as he walks out the door. He says "... And then *Ozzy* here is gonna be the smartest man on the *cinder.* Now, pardon *me,* but I got an *appointment.* See you in the *funny papers.*" Adrian stands, watching him leave, while Captain Metropolis frantically tries to put out the fire on the map with his gloved hands.

Panel 6.
The woman with Jon, a bitter snarl on her face, says "Jon, I think I'd like to go *home* now, please." Jon looks down at her. Behind them, Laurie is smiling at him and watching them go. Rorschach is turning away, towards the door. Nite Owl has one hand on Captain Metropolis' shoulder, saying "Listen, uh, Nelson... This isn't working out. Maybe..." Captain Metropolis has both hands out in a pleading gesture, and says "Please! Don't all *leave*..."    

Panel 7.
As Laurie and Nite Owl head out the door, Captain Metropolis stands behind them. With both hands raised in despair, he says "*Somebody* has to do it, don't you *see*? *Somebody* has to save the *world*..." In the foreground, Adrian is examining the remains of the burnt map, his face in profile, a grave look in his eyes.

Panel 8.
The priest is continuing to read from the bible, saying "O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful savior, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death." Adrian's face is in profile, and his mouth and eyes are set in the same grave expression as they were in the previous panel.
Page 12.

Panel 1.
A large panel the size of six regular panels. The reader sees the grave, the coffin and the people surrounding the grave as if we're hovering above the scene, looking straight down into the ground. The rain falls down in harsh, straight lines, pooling into puddles which drip into the grave. The priest continues, "Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears to our prayers, but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and merciful savior..." Beside the open grave stand Adrian, Jon and Dan, with other men, including the one with the wreath, behind and around them.

Panel 2.
Jon, a fuzzy white shimmer of light surrounding his whole body, looks ahead of him, his white eyes and solemn face seemingly void of emotion. Behind him is the man with the wreath of roses. The priest continues, "...Thou most worthy judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour..."

Panel 3.
A close-up of Jon. Only half of his face is in the panel. The man with the wreath of roses is behind him, wearing a fedora, a suit and tie. He seems to be very old.

Panel 4.
Jon's face wears the same expression and is in the same position as it was in the previous panel, but he is no longer wearing his suit, and behind him is a burst of fireworks.

Panel 5.
Jon is standing in a doorway, green and gold fireworks going off in the night sky behind him. He is wearing black briefs which leave his top half and his legs bare, and is looking ahead of him at a man who is pouring a drink from a bottle into a glass. The man is wearing thick gloves with buckles at the wrists. On the bar next to his hand is a newspaper with the headline "Victory! Says Dick" and a picture of Richard Nixon. He says "Goddamn *fireworks!* You'da thought this country'd had *enough* goddamn fireworks."
Page 13.

Panel 1.
A large panel the size of three regular panels. Jon is standing in the doorway of what looks like a bar built from bamboo and rattan. A sign on the side, flanked by signs for Miller beer and Coca-Cola, says it's the U.S. Embassy Saigon Officers' Club. Behind him is the Comedian, resting one elbow on the bar and pouring a drink. The bar is empty save for them and a bartender drying glasses at the far corner of the bar. Jon looks out at the fireworks and says "I suppose *V.V.N. Night* must *mean* something to them." The Comedian, looking down at his drink, says "*Nah.* Average *Vietnamese* don't give a damn *who* won. It means something to the *dinks* an' it means plenty to *us*..."

Panel 2. 
The Comedian continues, "I mean, if we'd *lost* this war... I dunno. I think it might have driven us a little *crazy*, y'know? As a *country.* But thanks to *you,* we *didn't,* right? Downa *hatch.*" He's in his leather armor, but not wearing a mask, and the hair around his temples and the back of his head is going grey, although the hair on the top of his head is still shiny and dark brown. Jon turns to look at him.

Panel 3.
As the two of them walk onto the porch, Jon answers, "You sound *bitter.* You're a strange *man*, Blake. You have strange *attitudes* to *life* and *war.*" The Comedian gestures with one hand and answers "Strange? Listen... Once you figure out what a *joke* everything is, being the *Comedian's* the only thing makes *sense*." There's litter on the streets, and in front of the bar a serviceman is laughing. He's holding a Coke in one hand and has each arm around a young Vietnamese woman, both of whom are wearing low-cut dresses and laughing along with him.

Panel 4.
Jon looks at the Comedian and asks, his brows knit together, "The charred *villages*, the *boys* with necklaces of human *ears*... These are *part* of the joke?" The Comedian, still looking out in front of him, answers "*Hey*... I never said it was a *good* joke! I'm just playin' along with the *gag*..." He smiles broadly as he points out in front of him and says *Ha!* Lookithat!"

Panel 5.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. Richard Nixon is standing on a platform next to a helicopter, greeting a crowd carrying signs and flags. His arms are raised, and both hands are giving the victory sign. Some aides and soldiers stand next to him, and the staircase leading down from the platform is guarded by soldiers in full uniform. On the platform is an American flag, the words 'V.V.N. A 1971' and a picture of Nixon. The rest of the word starting with A is covered by a sign someone in the crowd is holding, so it is unclear if it is April or August. Flashbulbs go off as people take pictures, while the fireworks continue to go off in the sky behind Nixon. The Comedian says, "There he is. First press helicopter into *Saigon* since the *ceasefire.* He's got the next *election* in the bag for *sure.* Me, I'm takin' the first chopper *out!*"

Panel 6.
Jon gestures and says "You're anxious to leave?" The Comedian, still holding his drink, turns to head back inside the bar. He says "Doc, are you *kidding*? I *hate* this place. I hate the *temperature.* I hate the *smell,* I hate this rotten cheap *bourbon.* First chopper *out*, man, I'm *gone*." A voice from outside the panel says "Mr. Eddie?"
Page 14.
Panel 1.
The Comedian grimaces, smacking his hand against the side of his head, as a young Vietnamese woman who is several months pregnant appears in front of the bar. She has high cheekbones and glossy hair pulled back into a ponytail. He says "Oh, *great*. Oh, *thank you,* God. That's *just* what I *needed*..." The woman touches her belly with both hands and says "Now war is *over*, Mr. Eddie. Now I must *talk* with you." Jon, standing to the side, looks at her.

Panel 2.
Without turning back to face her, the Comedian walks back into the bar. He says, "Listen, we got nothin' to *talk* about. I'm *leavin.'* Saigon number *ten*, New York number *one*, okay?" She gestures with one hand and says "You... walk *away*... from *this*?" He replies, "Sure."

Panel 3.
She follows him into the bar, gesturing with one hand and placing the other on her belly, and says "But *me*, *I* cannot walk away from what grows in my *belly.* *I* cannot forget!" He walks back to the bar, still not facing her, and replies "Well, that's *unfortunate*, because that's just what *I'm* gonna do... Forget *you*, forget your cruddy little *country*, *all* of it." Jon is still standing outside on the porch, watching them.

Panel 4.
The Comedian pours himself another drink. Behind him, the woman points at him, her face full of anger and determination. Tears stream from her eyes as she says, "I do not *think* so. I think you *remember* me and my *country.* I think you remember us as long as you *live.*" With her other hand, she takes an empty bottle from a nearby table.

Panel 5.
She holds the bottle by the stem and breaks it against the side of the table. Shards of glass fly, and the Comedian looks behind him, his drink in his hand, and asks "Huh? What's..." The large mirror behind the bar has the words "Gordon's Gin" etched on it.

Panel 6.
The woman, crying but unwavering, slices the side of the Comedian's face open with the broken bottle. His head turns to the side, and blood spills from his cheek and drips from the jagged edge of the bottle. The reader sees this action as if it was reflected in the mirror behind the bar.

Panel 7.
The Comedian looks at the woman furiously, clamping both hands over the wound on the right side of his face. Blood drips from between his fingers and spills onto his wrists and arms. Some blood drips down his chin and onto the yellow smiley-face button he wears, covering up one eye. He cries, "My *face*..." and makes a "Ghuuhuhh" sound. He continues, "What did you do, you *bitch*, you hurt my *face*, you *whore*, you..." She stands in front of him, still holding the bloody bottle.

Panel 8.
The Comedian continues, "... Filthy, stinking, worthless..." as he reaches for his gun. Jon, still standing in the doorway of the bar, raises one hand and looks at him, saying "Blake?"

Panel 9.
The Comedian continues, "... Lousy piece of..." and raises his gun quickly, holding it with both hands and pointing it at the woman. Jon says "Blake, don't..." The woman stands there, staring at the gun, her shoulders slumped and tears streaming down her face.      
Page 15.

Panel 1.
The Comedian fires the gun. A flash of light comes from the muzzle, and the bullet casing flies in the air. Jon, still standing in the doorway, continues "... do it."

Panel 2.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. The Comedian, still holding the smoking gun, staggers out of the bar, mumbling "Medic. Gotta find the goddamn *medic.* *Owww.* That *bitch*..." Jon is standing beside the bar, looking down at the woman's body. She lies on her back, one arm propped up on a table which she knocked down as she fell, her eyes open. She has been shot through the heart. The fireworks continue to go off in the distance.

Panel 3.
Jon, looking unusually angry, follows the Comedian and says "Blake, she was *pregnant.* You gunned her *down.*" Blake, grimacing and holding one hand over his wound, answers without looking back, "Yeah. Yeah, that's *right.* Pregnant *woman*. Gunned her *down.* *Bang.* And y'know *what*?"

Panel 4.
The Comedian, standing on the porch outside the bar, turns to face Jon, his face still partially hidden by his hand. He continues, "You *watched* me. You coulda changed the *gun* into *steam* or the *bullets* into *mercury* or the *bottle* into *snowflakes!* You could teleported *either* of us to goddamn *Australia*..." He balls his other hand into a fist and sticks out his thumb, and continues, "... But you didn't lift a *finger*!"

Panel 5.
The Comedian walks down the stairs and away from the bar, continuing "You don't *really* give a *damn* about *human beings*. I've *watched* you. You never cared about whatsername, *Janey Slater*, even *before* you *ditched* her. Soon you won't be interested in *Sally Jupiter's* little gal, either." Jon stands on the porch, watching him leave.

Panel 6.
As the Comedian walks away, he looks down and grimaces. He continues, "You're driftin' outta *touch*, Doc. You're turning into a *flake.* God help us *all.*" Jon has not moved from where he was standing.

Panel 7.
Jon steps back inside and stands over the woman's body, a thoughtful look on his face. He is holding one elbow with his hand, and his other hand is touching his chin. His legs are going through the table which had been knocked over. Behind him, the fireworks continue.

Panel 8.
Jon is standing over the Comedian's coffin, a thoughtful look on his face. He is holding one elbow with his hand, and his other hand is touching his chin. The rain strikes the Comedian's coffin and drips off the side as the priest continues, "... For as much as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground..." 
Page 16.
Panel 1.
Adrian, his head covered by the umbrella his attendant holds, listens to the priest, who is intoning "Earth to earth..." His expression is sad and distant.

Panel 2.
Jon is standing next to Adrian, his hand still touching his chin, his expression thoughtful. The priest continues, "Ashes to ashes..." 

Panel 3.
Dan is standing next to Jon, frowning slightly with a troubled look in his eyes. The priest continues, "... Dust to dust."

Panel 4. 
A large panel the size of six regular panels. Dan is sitting at the controls of his vehicle, the Owlship, while the Comedian is riding on the outside of the ship, standing near the base of one of the windows and holding on to a part that juts out near the top. The ship is oval shaped and has two round eye-like glass windows, and from the front it resembles the face of an owl. It is hovering around eight feet over the ground, over a street packed with a surly, restless crowd of people, both men and women. Some of them are carrying signs, some are pumping their fists in the air and many seem to be yelling. One aims a rotten tomato right between the two windows of the Owlship, hitting a light shining from the middle of the ship, and another bounces a can off its side. They are outside the Treasure Island comic book shop, and the windows in the building on the second and third floor are broken. Smoke is rising from one of the windows, and from other places far in the background, a hellish red cloud against the night sky. Dan uses a radio device to say "Please... If everybody will just clear the streets..." The Comedian, who is wearing a mask that covers his entire head, leaving only his eyes and mouth exposed, and carrying a large gun, yells "Lissen, you little punks, you better get back in ya *rat holes!* I got *riot gas*, I got *rubber bullets*..."
Page 17.

Panel 1.
Dan, from inside the Owlship, continues "There's no need for panic. The police strike is being negotiated right now..." The Comedian's head snaps back as someone hits him squarely on the temple with an empty can. He makes an "Aak!" noise and says "*Okay*. That *does* it." A man in the background is spraypainting the "H" of "Who Watches The Watchmen?" Another can, this one full, is thrown against the Owlship, and its contents splatter on the side of the ship.

Panel 2.
A large panel the size of two regular panels. A young woman in the crowd, wearing a T-shirt with the symbol for "woman" on it, the circle part modified to have a jagged edge on the inside, puts her hands around her mouth to create a microphone effect. She yells, "You *pig!* You call yourself a *comedian*? You're a *pig* anna *rapist!*" A scowling man next to her scowls as he yells "We *don'want* vigilantes! We want *reg'lar cops!*" A fat older woman in a flowered dress yells "My *son* is a *police officer*, you *faggots!*" The other people in the crowd are all carrying makeshift weapons like bricks, hammers and baseball bats. They're washed out by the bright lights of the Owlship. The Comedian pulls the pin of a gas grenade and holds it above his head, holding the pin in his teeth and saying "...Two potato, three potato..."

Panel 3.
The Comedian hurls the grenade into the crowd, and the people start to run away. He yells "...*Four* potato. Heads *up!* From inside, Dan radios "God, look, I'm sorry. You haven't left us any choice. This stuff is dangerous. Please clear the streets..."

Panel 4.
Dan climbs down a ladder underneath the Owlship, saying "*Comedian*, this is a *nightmare!* The whole *city* is erupting. How long can we keep this *up*?" The Comedian is standing on the ground, watching the crowd disperse. He smiles as he pushes an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, saying "*Ha*! *Look* at'em. *Run*, you *suckers!*"

Panel 5.
Dan, his own mask now covering his nose and mouth, repeats, "Comedian? I said..." The Comedian turns back to look at him, saying "I *heard* what you said. My *government contacts* tell me some new *act* is being herded through. Until then, we're society's only *protection.* We keep it up as long as we *have* to." Waves of gas from the grenade waft into the air in front of him.

Panel 6.
A large panel the size of three regular panels. Dan looks on the empty street, littered with trash and covered with clouds of gas, and putting out both hands to his sides, says "Protection? Who are we *protecting* them from?" The spark hydrant on the sidewalk is dented, and a car has crashed into the comic shop window. The Owlship is dotted with the remains of things that had been thrown at it, the shape of one splatter the same as that of the blood on the Comedian's pin. A newspaper blows by the ship. Its headline reads "Cops Say Let Them Do It" and the subheading is "Senator Keene Proposes Emergency Bill."
Page 18.
Panel 1.
The Comedian, holding his gun in both hands, smiles and says "From *themselves.* *Whatsamatter*? Don't you feel *comfortable* unless you're up against some schmuck in a *Halloween suit*? *Speakin'* o'which, where the hell are *Rorschach* an' the others?" Dan, wearing his goggles and oxygen mask, looks to the side.

Panel 2.
Dan replies, "*Jon* and *Laurie* are handling the riots in *Washington*. *Rorschach's* across *town*, trying to hold the *lower east side.* He, uh, he works mostly on his *own* these days...* The Comedian turns to look at him. Behind him the cloud of yellowish-orange gas rises to the sky.

Panel 3.
The Comedian says, "Rorschach's *nuts*. He's been nuts ever since that *kidnapping* he handled three *years* back. Him, Byron *Lewis*, Jon goddamn walking H-bomb *Osterman*... All *nuts.*" Dan answers, "But not *you*?" As the two of them walk along the empty street in front of the Owlship, their shadows stretch out in front of them. A woman nearby is holding a bandana over her face and spraypainting the second "C" in "Who Watches The Watchmen."

Panel 4.
The Comedian answers, "No, not me. I keep things in *proportion*, an' try ta see the *funny side*..." He aims his gun and shouts "*Drop that can, you little freak!*," shooting at the graffiti writer, who was in the middle of the "e" in "Watchmen."

Panel 5.
The woman is hustled away by two of her friends, both wearing bandanas tied over their faces. The Comedian and Dan stand in front of the unfinished graffiti, smoke billowing around their feet, and the Comedian says "*Ha!* You see *this*? I seen that written up all *over* durin' this last two weeks! They don't *like* us an' they don't *trust* us." Dan answers "This whole *situation*... It's *horrible*..." 

Panel 6.
The Comedian reloads his gun, saying, "Well, *me*, I kinda *like* it when things get *weird*, y'know? I like it when all the *cards* are on the table." Dan, still looking at the graffiti, replies "But the country's *disintegrating.* What's *happened* to America? What's happened to the American *dream*?"

Panel 7.
The Comedian, smiling and holding his gun, jabs his thumb at the smoke and gas rising behind him. He says "It came *true.* You're *lookin'* at it. Now *c'mon*... Let's *really* put these jokers through some changes."

Panel 8.
The Comedian walks away. Dan stands and watches him go, his hand curled into a loose fist. The priest continues, "... Who shall change our vile body that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working..."

Panel 9.
Dan is watching the priest, his hand curled around the Comedian's smiley-face button. The priest continues, "...Whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." The pallbearers are preparing to lower the coffin into the grave.
Page 19.
Panel 1.
The angel statue and the pallbearers look on as the mourners throw dirt on the coffin, which has been lowered into the grave. Dan looks at the pin in his hand. Behind him, Jon stands bolt upright. The priest continues, "I heard a voice from Heaven, saying unto me, write..." 

Panel 2.
A close-up of the smiley face pin in Dan's hand. The blood has been cleaned off. Behind it is the coffin and the tombstone. The priest continues, "From henceforth, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, even so saith the spirit, for they rest from their labors."

Panel 3.
Dan tosses the pin into the open grave. As it falls, the priest continues, "Lord have mercy upon us. *Christ have mercy upon us.* Lord have mercy upon us."

Panel 4.
Dan turns and walks away from the grave, a gloomy look on his face. Behind him, the man who has been carrying the wreath of roses places it next to the tombstone. The priest continues, "Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."

Panel 5.
As the man who had been carrying the wreath adjusts his coat collar around his neck and starts to leave, Jon turns his head to watch him go. In the background, Adrian and Dan are talking and shaking hands, Adrian clapping his other hand on Dan's shoulder. The priest continues, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses..."

Panel 6.
Adrian and Jon shake hands. Jon's cuff link is the hydrogen atom symbol, while Adrian's is a golden V. In the background, the man who brought the wreath is slipping out the cemetery gate. The priest continues, "As we forgive those that trespass against us..."

Panel 7.
As the man who had brought the wreath clothes the cemetery door behind him, the man with the "The End Is Nigh" sign is walking on the sidewalk past the cemetery. The priest continues, "And lead us not into temptation..."

Panel 8.
The man who had brought the wreath walks along the sidewalk, away from the man with the sign, who has not moved from his position in the previous panel. The priest continues, "But deliver us from evil."

Panel 9.
The man who had brought the wreath continues walking along the sidewalk, both hands in his pockets. The man with the sign stays where he is as the rain pelts down on him. The priest continues, "Amen."
Page 20.

Panel 1.
The man who had brought the wreath continues walking past other people on the sidewalk. A scowling man with a small mustache carrying a copy of the New Frontiersman under his arm hails a taxi. Zeppelins fly above the heads of the passers-by.

Panel 2.
The man goes up a small flight of stairs and unlocks the door to a modest-looking apartment building. A newspaper blows onto the street in front of the building. Its headline reads "Soviets Will Not Tolerate U.S. Adventurism in Afghanistan."

Panel 3.
The man hangs up his hat and coat just inside the door. 

Panel 4.
He is in the kitchen, rinsing off a mug while a tea kettle is whistling behind him. He is an old white man with cropped white hair, a stern, angular face and sunken eyes. His ears are pointed at the top, and he has age spots on his face and hands. His clothes are old-fashioned and dapper. He wears a shirt and tie and a vest, and his sleeves are tucked back with sleeve garters above his elbows. 

Panel 4.
He puts a tea bag into the mug and pours the boiling water over it, steam rising from the mug. Behind him is a rack of drying dishes, and to the side of the counter are a couple of kitchen towels on a towel rack and the garbage can. The garbage can is filled with boxes for frozen food, ice cream and pizza, and there are so many that they have been placed outside the garbage can, leaning up against it and piled on the floor.

Panel 5.
As his tea steeps on the corner of the table, the man turns toward his refrigerator and starts to open it.

Panel 6.
A large panel the size of three regular panels. Rorschach jumps out of the refrigerator, tackling the man and knocking him backwards. The man screams "Aaaaaaaaa!" The cap comes off of a bottle of milk and the milk gushes out as it drops to the floor, along with a couple of eggs.
Page 21.
Panel 1.
Rorschach straddles the man, who is laying on his front, and pins one of his arms behind him. The man tries to look behind him and cries "Oh *God*, please... *Please*, this *must* be a *mistake!* You have the *wrong person*..." The refrigerator door is still open, and the spilt milk pools around the broken milk bottle.

Panel 2.
Rorschach grasps the man's wrist with one hand and holds his head down to the floor with his other hand. He replies, "No. Edgar William Jacobi, also known as Edgar William Vaughn, also known as William Edgar Bright... Also known as Moloch."

Panel 3.
The man replies "I... I don't know what you're *talking* about. I'm a *businessman,* a retired businessm--" Rorschach pulls the man's arm up at an unnatural angle, his other hand on his neck, and the man yells "Aaah!" Rorschach replies "Lying. Do it again, broken arm. Not joking."

Panel 4.
Moloch looks up at Rorschach, his face haunted and his eyes wild with fear. Shaking all over, he says "Oh God, please... I spent the seventies in *jail*. I'm not *Moloch* anymore. I just want to be left *alone*. What do you *want* with me?" Rorschach is holding on to one side of Moloch's vest, his other hand curled into a fist. He answers "Heard you attended funeral today. Why?"

Panel 5.
Still shaking, Moloch looks to the side and says "The *funeral*? I... I don't *know*. I don't know *why* I went. I just felt I *should.* I'd been *thinking* about the *Comedian* since he *visited* me, and..."

Panel 6.
Rorschach pushes Moloch roughly against the wall, knocking him off his feet. Moloch cries, "*Auhhh!* Oh, *God!* What did I *say*?" Rorschach replies, "How? How do you know Edward Blake was the Comedian?"

Panel 7.
Moloch, his feet lifted off the floor, replies "Wh-When he *broke in*, to *see* me! He was *drunk*. Had his *mask* off. The guy was *scared* of something, crying..." Rorschach, his feet planted firmly on the floor, replies "Enemies for forty years. Why should he visit you?" The two men are wearing the same style of boots, although Rorschach's are considerably dirtier.

Panel 8.
As Rorschach presses Moloch up against the wall, holding him by the sides of his vest, the terrified man replies "I don't *know*. I woke *up*, he was *there*, in my *room*, drunk, babbling, not making *sense*... I sat in bed, scared stiff. He sounded *crazy.* I thought he was gonna *kill* me."

Panel 9. 
Moloch narrates, "This was, like, a week before I heard he'd *died*. I guess it was his last *performance.*" Moloch is lying in bed, his body covered with the blanket and his fists clenched. The reader sees the scene as if it's from his point of view. Sitting at the foot of the bed, hiding his face in one of his hands, is the Comedian, wearing his black leather suit. Across from Moloch's bed is an open window, and on the wall next to it are a couple of pictures of saints and a cross. There is a short dresser by the window, and on top of it is a statue of an angel with its hands clasped and a Bible.
Page 22.

Panel 1.
The Comedian, still sitting on the foot of the bed with one hand covering his face, mumbles "It's a *joke*. S'all a *joke.*" In the last panel of the previous page, the room was dark, but now the open window is letting in light from the blinking neon sign outside the window, turning everything yellow and orange.

Panel 2.
The Comedian turns towards Moloch, curling one hand into a fist and sticking out his thumb, and says "I mean, lemme *tellya*, when I started *out*, when I was a *kid*, cleanin' up the *waterfronts*, it was, like, real *easy.* The world was *tough*, you just hadda be *tougher*, right? Not anymore." The room is dark again. As the Comedian turns toward him, Moloch uncurls his fingers, starting to raise his palms towards the man.

Panel 3.
As the room fills with warm light again, the Comedian stands up and, pointing at Moloch, says "I mean, I thought I knew how it *was*, how the *world* was. But then I found out about this *gag*, this *joke*... *You're* part of it, Moloch ol' pal. Y'know that?" Moloch's hands are out in front of him, as if to shield himself from an incoming blow.

Panel 4.
The Comedian gets right in Moloch's face, holding him by the collar of his pajamas. The room is dark, and the Comedian's face is mostly in shadow, but his eyes are bright and wild and sweat runs down his forehead. He says "If I thought you *did* know... I saw your name on the *list*, you and *Janey Slater*, but if I *thought* you were *in* on this... I'd kill you. You understand? Kill you."

Panel 5.
The Comedian steps away from Moloch, walking towards the other side of the room as Moloch starts to curl his hands up again. The sign outside lights up as the Comedian continues, "I mean, you *fought* that big blue *geek!* *You* know what his *head's* like! I tellya, who *knows* which way he'll jump if anybody *messes* with him... He might... He might just..."

Panel 6.
The room goes dark again as the Comedian, still standing at the other side of the room, his back to Moloch, puts both hands to his head and says "*Nah.* I don'wanna *think*. I don'wanna *think* about it. Dont'cha got any *booze* in this place?"

Panel 7.
As the room lights up again, the Comedian opens the top dresser drawer, pulling out a flask. Moloch raises one finger as if to say something, but keeps quiet. The Comedian continues, "I mean, what gets *me*, right? What gets *me*, I need never have *looked* outta the airship window at that moment, never seen the goddamn *island*, never got *involved*... *Hah!* *There* y'are, ya sumbitch..." 

Panel 8.
The room goes dark, and the Comedian throws back his head and downs the liquor, making "nk, nk, nk" noises as he gulps. Moloch clutches the blanket.

Panel 9.
The Comedian stands in front of the window, wiping his mouth and saying "*Pahh.* It *stinks.* It all *stinks.*" The room is lit up again.
Page 23.

Panel 1.
The Comedian sits at the foot of the bed, gesturing with one hand, facing away from Moloch, who is still clutching the blanket. He continues as the room goes dark, "I mean, this *joke*, I mean, I thought *I* was the *Comedian,* y'know? Oh, God, I can't *believe* it. I can't believe anybody would *do* that..."

Panel 2.
The room floods with light, and the Comedian, putting his arms out as if asking a question, continues "I can't... I can't believe..."

Panel 3.
The Comedian drops the bottle on the bed, and its contents pour out on the blanket. He hunches over, his face in his hands, and starts to sob. His body shakes, and he makes "Ahuhh. Ahuh huh ahhuhhh" noises. The room goes dark.

Panel 4.
The Comedian stands up, still facing away from Moloch. As the room lights up, he hangs his head and says "Oh, Jesus, *look* at me. I'm *cryin'*. You don't *know*. You don't know what's *happening.* On that island they got *writers*, *scientists*, *artists*, and what they're *doing*..."

Panel 5.
The Comedian, still facing away from Moloch, gestures and says "I mean, I done some bad things. I did bad things to *women.* I shot *kids!* In *'Nam* I shot kids... But I never did anything like, like..." The room has gone dark again.

Panel 6.
The Comedian kneels by the dresser as the room lights up, clutching the angel with both hands, holding it to his scarred cheek. He cries, "Oh, mother. Oh, *forgive* me. Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me..."

Panel 7.
The room goes dark, and the Comedian, leaving the angel knocked over on the dresser, stumbles back towards Moloch. Moloch raises his hands as the Comedian gets closer, saying "I mean, what's *funny*? What's so goddamned *funny*? I don't *get* it. Somebody *explain*..."

Panel 8.
The Comedian holds Moloch by his pajamas, putting his face up to the other man's face. His scarred face is lit up by the neon lights. There are deep lines in his forehead and tears running down his cheeks, and his eyes are opened wide. He looks tortured as he says "Somebody *explain* it to me."

Panel 9.
Rorschach is holding Moloch by his vest, the patterns on his mask somewhat similar to the Comedian's wide open eyes and little mustache. Moloch continues, "...And then he *left.* I don't know. I don't know what the *hell* it was about..."
Page 24.
Panel 1.
Rorschach says "Hurm." as he continues pressing Moloch up against the wall. The two men are illuminated by the light from the open refrigerator.

Panel 2.
Rorschach lets go and turns away, saying "Funny story. Sounds unbelievable. Probably true." Moloch watches him, shocked, as he adjusts his tie and says "S-so, what, you mean that's *it*? I'm *clean*?"

Panel 3.
Rorschach turns his head to face Moloch and says "Clean? You?" He holds up a bottle of pills and continues, "Searched your house, before you got back. Knew you wouldn't mind. Found illegal drugs."

Panel 4.
Startled, Moloch gestures and responds, "*Illegal*...? But I don't *use* drugs! Listen, if you're planting *evidence*..." Rorschach, still holding up the pills, replies "Laetril. Phony medication. Made from apricot pits. Outlawed three years ago. Illegal."

Panel 5.
Moloch puts out both of his hands and says "Oh, come *on*... You're not *serious*? Look, I *heard* maybe it didn't *work*, but when you're *desperate* you'll try *anything.* *Please* don't confiscate it. I have *cancer.*" Rorschach replies "Cancer? What kind cancer?"

Panel 6.
Moloch grimaces and says "Heh. Well, now, y'know that kind of cancer that you eventually get *better* from?" Rorschach replies, "Yes."

Panel 7.
Moloch looks at Rorschach, his face wretched. He suddenly looks very old, his eyes sunken and his skin loose. He says, "Well, that ain't the kind of cancer I got."

Panel 8.
Rorschach heads for the door, placing the pills on the table as he leaves. Moloch watches him as Rorschach says "Huhnh. Very well. Copied down name of company. Report them later. You're off hook. For now."

Panel 8.
Rorschach's shadow falls on the open door as he leaves, saying "Be seeing you. Keep out of trouble." Moloch sits at his table, looking at the bottle of pills. His mug of tea is beside his wrist, still steaming.
Page 25.
Panel 1.
A large panel the size of three regular panels. Rorschach, his hands in his trenchcoat pockets, walks past a gaudy, lit up burlesque theater that advertises "Girls Girls Girls" and "Tonite: Enola Gay and the Little Boys." A bouncer leans against the side of the entrance, next to a man sitting on the sidewalk, knees tucked up to his chest. Next to them are posters of naked women's chests and butts and a man talking to a woman. A taxi passes, and the driver of another car is counting out a wad of bills. The sidewalk has litter all over it, and the cars splash through large puddles in the streets. Ahead of Rorschach, a man pins two women up against the wall in a doorway, and the next building advertises a peep show and "live girls on stage," with more posters of the bodies of naked women. A woman relaxes in the doorway of the peep show building. A label indicates that the next lines are from Rorschach's journal, October 16th, 1985.

Panel 2.
Rorschach walks down the sidewalk. A curly-haired white woman in a leather jacket, bustier, high heels and hot pants waves at him, smiling. In the alley, another woman in a short jacket watches the two of them. Rorschach's journal starts: "42nd street: women's breasts draped across every billboard, every display, littering the sidewalk. Was offered Swedish love and French love..." 

Panel 3.
The curly-haired woman, one hand on her hip, gestures towards Rorschach as he walks by her. In the background, the other woman blows a large bubble, and a man gets out of a car. Rorschach's journal continues, "... But not American love. American love, like Coke in green glass bottles..."

Panel 4.
Rorschach walks on, and behind him the woman watches him go, flipping him off. His journal continues, "They don't make it anymore."

Panel 5.
Rorschach arrives in front of the cemetery doors, which are chained together and locked shut. His journal continues, "Thought about Moloch's story, on way to cemetery. Could all be lies. Could all be part of revenge scheme, planned during his decade behind bars."

Panel 6.
Rorschach holds the lock in one gloved hand and picks it with a hairpin. The journal continues, "But if true, then what? Puzzling reference to an island. Also to Dr. Manhattan. Might he be at risk in some way? So many questions. Never mind. Answers soon. Nothing is insoluble."

Panel 7.
Rorschach enters the graveyard, the chain and lock wrapped around one of the bars of the wrought iron door. His journal continues, "Nothing is hopeless. Not while there's life."
Page 26.
Panel 1.
A large panel the size of three regular panels. Rorschach walks toward the Comedian's grave, past a row of crosses and tombstones. The grave has been filled in, and the wreath of roses Moloch left leans against the tombstone. Puddles of water form on the ground and on the newly covered grave, and some leaves fall to the earth. Rorschach's journal continues, "In the cemetery, all the white crosses stood in rows, neat chalk marks on a giant scorecard. Paid last respects quietly, without fuss."

Panel 2.
Rorschach stands in a puddle near the tombstone, his reflection broken up in places by the ripples caused by falling raindrops. His journal continues, "Edward Morgan Blake. Born 1924. Forty-five years a comedian, died 1985, buried in the rain. Is that what happens to us? A life of conflict with no time for friends..."

Panel 3.
Rorschach regards the roses left on the grave. Rain drops off his hat's brim and soaks into the shoulders of his coat. One epaulet is unbuttoned and floats above his shoulder, and the belt of his trenchcoat is blown in front of him by the wind. His journal continues, "... So that when it's done, only our enemies leave roses."

Panel 4.
His journal continues, "Violent lives, ending violently. Dollar Bill, the Silhouette, Captain Metropolis... We never die in bed. Not allowed." There is a booted foot kicking in the door of the Comedian's apartment, breaking the chain lock and the strike plate. The Comedian, who is sitting in a chair and watching TV, turns away from the evening news to look as the door is kicked in, an expression of surprise and dismay on his face.

Panel 5.
His journal continues, "Something in our personalities, perhaps? Some animal urge to fight and struggle, making us what we are? Unimportant. We do what we have to do." Sally's arm is being pressed against the floor by the Comedian's gloved hand, near "King Mob's Ape Mask."

Panel 6.
His journal continues "Others bury their heads between the swollen teats of indulgence and gratification, piglets squirming beneath a sow for shelter... But there is no shelter..." The Comedian has just taken a punch from the gloved left hand of the unknown assailant. His head snaps to the side and his arms fly to out to each side, and his head hits the wall, knocking over an illustration of a cheerful naked woman posing in front of a pulp-fiction style lunar landscape. A spurt of blood erupts from his mouth. 

Panel 7.
His journal continues, "... And the future is bearing down like an express train." The Comedian lights the base of Captain Metropolis' map on fire with his lighter at several points, and it burns up from the bottom, along with the labels of promiscuity, anti-war demos, drugs and black unrest.
Page 27.
Panel 1.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Blake understood. Treated it like a joke, but he understood. He saw the cracks in society, saw the little men in masks trying to hold it together..." The Comedian's assailant is holding him by the front of his robe and bashing the back of his head into the mirror. He has his eyes closed and is grimacing, one of his bottom front teeth missing and blood pouring from his mouth. 

Panel 2.
His journal continues, "He saw the true face of the twentieth century and chose to become a reflection, a parody of it. No one else saw the joke. That's why he was lonely." The pregnant Vietnamese woman, crying but unwavering, slices the side of the Comedian's face open with the broken bottle. His head turns to the side, and blood spills from his cheek and drips from the jagged edge of the bottle.

Panel 3.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Heard joke once. Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel." The Comedian is on the floor, trying to push himself up with one arm, blood pouring from his mouth onto the carpet. His eyes are squeezed shut and he looks like he's gasping. His assailant is beside him, visible from the knees down.

Panel 4.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain." The Comedian, smiling and holding his gun, stands in a deserted street. He jabs his thumb at the smoke and gas rising behind him.

Panel 5.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Doctor says 'Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.'"  The Comedian is being held upright by the front of his robe. Blood covers his face and chest, his mouth hangs open, and he looks wearily at his attacker. His pin has been spattered with blood. 

Panel 6.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Man bursts into tears. Says, 'But Doctor...'" The Comedian kneels by Moloch's dresser as the room lights up, clutching an angel statue with both hands, holding it to his scarred cheek as he cries.

Panel 7.
A large panel the size of three regular panels. Rorschach's journal continues, "...I am Pagliacci." In lurid reds and black, Blake has just been thrown out of the window. Shards of glass fly as he splays out his arms and legs, looking back at his assailant in shock as he falls. His smiley face pin has come off his robe, and it flies in the air above him.
Page 28.
Panel 1.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Good joke. Everybody laugh." The Comedian's body, bright red against the black night sky, is falling headfirst past a skyscraper, a shower of glass following him.

Panel 2.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Roll on snare drum." Blake, still in mid-air, puts his arm in front of his face. His eyes are wide open and he's screaming. His pin is falling just inches from his fingers, and some triangles of glass fall around him.

Panel 3.
Rorschach's journal continues, "Curtains." The entire panel is one shade of red.

Panel 4.
A close-up of the roses at the Comedian's grave. They are the same shade of red as the previous panel. Rain falls on their petals and drips off.

Panel 5.
Rorschach gently removes one of the roses from the wreath.

Panel 6.
He fastens it to his lapel, turning his head to look at it.

Panel 7.
A large panel the size of two and a half regular panels. He turns and walks toward the open gates of the cemetery, his hands in his pockets. Behind him the angel statue continues her vigil, and the wreath of roses marks the grave of Edward Morgan Blake, 1924-1985. The moon is full and the rain and leaves continue to pelt the ground as the skyscrapers form a hazy blue background.

Panel 8.
White text on a black background. "And I'm up while the dawn is breaking, even though my heart is aching. I should be drinking a toast to absent friends instead of these comedians. Elvis Costello." Underneath it is a white clock with no numbers or other markings. It reads 11:50.

Supplementary Material Page 1.

Paperclipped to the page is a note reading "Presented here are the excerpts from Under The Hood. In these next chapters Hollis Mason discusses the formation of the Minutemen. Reprinted with permission of the author."

Under The Hood, Chapter 2.

Part 3.
From the moment that I decided somewhere deep inside myself that I wanted to try my hand at being a costumed adventurer, to the moment I first stepped out into the night with a mask on my face and the wind on my bare legs, took about three months. Three months of self-doubt and self-ridicule. Three months of self-conscious training down at the Police Gymnasium. Three months figuring out how the hell I was going to make myself a costume.

The costume was difficult, because I couldn't start designing it until I'd thought of a name. This stumped me for a couple of weeks, because every name I came up with sounded stupid, and what I really wanted was something with the same sense of drama and excitement as "Hooded Justice."

Eventually, a suitable handle was provided inadvertently by one of the other cops that I worked with down at the station house. He'd invited me out for a beer after work two or three times only to be turned down because I wanted to spend as much of my evenings working out in the Police Gymnasiums as possible, after which I'd usually go to bed around nine o'clock and sleep through until five the next morning, when I'd get up and put in a couple of hours workout before donning my badge and uniform in readiness for my day job. After having his offer of beer and relaxation turned down yet again by reason of me wanting to be in bed early, he finally gave up asking and took to calling me "Nite Owl" out of sarcasm until he finally found somebody else to drink with.

"Nite Owl." I liked it. Now all I had to come up with was the costume.

A masked adventurer's costume is one of those things that nobody really thinks about. Should it have a cape, or no cape? Should it be thick and armored to protect you from harm, or flexible and lightweight to allow maneuverability? What sort of mask should it have? Do bright colors make you more of a target than dark ones? All of these were things that I had to consider.

Eventually, I opted for a design that left the arms and legs as free as possible, while protecting my body and head with a tough leather tunic, light chainmail briefs, and a layer of leather-over-chainmail protecting my head. I experimented with a cloak, remembering how the Shadow would use his cloak to misguide enemy bullets, leading them to shoot at parts of the swirling black mass where his body didn't happen to be. In practice, however, I found it too unwieldy. I was always tripping over it or getting it caught in things, and so I abandoned it for an outfit that was as streamlined as I could make it.

With the mail and leather headpiece hiding my hair, I found I only really needed a small domino mask to conceal my identity, but even this presented problems that weren't obvious at first glance. My first mask was attached to my face by the simple expediency of a string, but this nearly got me killed during my first ever outing in full costume, when a drunk with a knife hooked his fingers into the eyeholes of the domino and pulled it down so that I could only see out of one eye. If I'd been less fit and alert or he'd been less drunk my career might well have ended then. As it was I was able to tear off the mask completely and then disarm him, trusting that the alcohol would fog any clear recollection of my face. After that, I dispensed with the string and stuck the mask to my face using spirit gum, such as actors use to attach false beards or mustaches.

I first became Nite Owl during the early months of 1939, and although my first few exploits were largely unspectacular, they aroused a lot of media interest simply because by 1939, dressing up in a costume and protecting your neighborhood had become something of a fad, with the whole of America at least briefly interested in its development. A month after I made my debut, a young woman who called herself The Silhouette broke into the headlines by exposing the activities of a crooked publisher trafficking in child pornography, delivering a punitive beating to the entrepreneur and his two chief cameramen in the process. A little after that, the first reports of a man dressed like a moth who could glide through the air started to come in from Connecticut, and a particularly vicious and brutal young man in a gaudy yellow

Page 2.

boiler suit started cleaning up the city's waterfronts under the name of The Comedian. Within twelve months of Hooded Justice's dramatic entrance into the public consciousness, there were at least seven other costumed vigilantes operating on or around America's West Coast.

There was Captain Metropolis, who brought a knowledge of military technique and strategy to his attempt at eradicating organized crime in the inner urban areas, and who is still active to this day.

There was the Silk Spectre, now retired and living with her daughter after an unsuccessful early marriage, who in retrospect was probably the first of us ever to realize that there could be commercial benefits in being a masked adventurer. The Silk Spectre used her reputation as a crimefighter primarily to make the front pages and receive exposure for her lucrative modeling career, but I think all of us who knew her loved her a little bit and we certainly didn't begrudge her a living. I think we were all too unsure of our own motives to cast aspersions upon anybody else.

There was Dollar Bill, originally a star college athlete from Kansas who was actually employed as an in-house super-hero by one of the major national banks, when they realized that the masked man fad made being able to brag about having a hero of your own to protect your customers' money a very interesting publicity prospect. Dollar Bill was one of the nicest and most straightforward men I have ever met, and the fact that he died so tragically young is something that still upsets me whenever I think about it. While attempting to stop a raid upon one of his employer's banks, his cloak became entangled in the bank's revolving door and he was shot dead at point-blank range before he could free it. Designers employed by the bank had designed his costume for maximum publicity appeal. If he'd designed it himself he might have left out that damned stupid cloak and still be alive today.

There was Mothman and The Silhouette and The Comedian and there was me, all of us choosing to dress up in gaudy opera costumes and express the notion of good and evil in simple, childish terms, while over in Europe they were turning human beings into soap and lampshades. We were sometimes respected, sometimes analyzed, and most often laughed at, and in spite of all the musings above, I don't think that those of us still surviving today are any closer to understanding just why we really did it all. Some of us did it because we were hired to and some of us did it to gain publicity. Some of us did it out of a sense of childish excitement and some of us, I think, did it for a kind of excitement that was altogether more adult if perhaps less healthy. They've called us fascists and they've called us perverts and while there's an element of truth in both those accusations, neither of them are big enough to take in the whole picture.

Yes, some of us were politically extreme. Before Pearl Harbor, I heard Hooded Justice openly expressing approval for the activities of Hitler's Third Reich, and Captain Metropolis has gone on record as making statements about black and Hispanic Americans that have been viewed as both racially prejudiced and inflammatory, charges that it is difficult to argue or deny.

Yes, I daresay some of us did have our sexual hang-ups. Everybody knows what eventually became of the Silhouette and although it would be tasteless to rehash the events surrounding her death in this current volume, it provides proof for those who need it that for some people, dressing up in a costume did have its more libidinous elements. 

Yes, some of us were unstable and neurotic. Only a week ago as of this writing, I received word that the man behind the mask and wings of Mothman, whose true identity I am not at liberty to divulge, has been committed to a mental institution after a long bout of alcoholism and a complete mental breakdown. 

Yes, we were crazy, we were kinky, we were Nazis, all those things that people say. We were also doing something because we believed in it. We were attempting, through our personal efforts, to make our country a safer and better place to live in. Individually, working on our separate patches of turf, we did too much good in our respective communities to be written off as a mere aberration, whether social or sexual or psychological. 

It was only when we got together that the problems really started. I sometimes think 

Page 3.

without the Minutemen we might all have given up and called it quits pretty soon. The costumed adventurer might have become quietly and simply extinct. 

And the world might not be in the mess that it's in today. 

Part IV. 

There's no mystery behind how the Minutemen first got together. Captain Metropolis had written to Sally Jupiter care of her agent, suggesting that they might meet with a view to forming a group of masked adventurers who could pool their resources and experience to combat crime. The Captain has always had a strategic approach to crimefighting, so I can see why the idea would appeal to him, although back then I was surprised that he'd made an effort to get in touch with Sally. He was so polite and reserved that Sally's drinking, swearing and mode of dress were guaranteed to shock him speechless. Later, I realized that Sally was simply the only costumed vigilante forethoughtful enough to have an agent whose address was in the phone book.

Sally's agent (and, much later, her husband) was an extremely shrewd individual named Laurence Schexnayder. He realized that without the occasional gimmick to revitalize flagging public interest, the fad for long underwear heroes would eventually fade, reducing his girl Sally's chances of media exposure as The Silk Spectre to zero. Thus it was Schexnayder, in mid- 1939, who suggested placing a large ad in the Gazette asking other mystery men to come forward. 

One by one we came, over the next few weeks. We were introduced to Sally, to Captain Metropolis, to each other and to Laurence Schexnayder. He was very organized and professional, and although only in his mid-thirties he seemed very mature and respectable to us back then. Maybe that was just because he'd be the only person in the room not wearing their boxer shorts over their pants. By the fall of '39 he'd arranged all the publicity and the Minutemen were finally born. 

The *real* mystery is how the hell we managed to stay together. 

Dressing up in a costume takes a very extreme personality, and the chances of eight such personalities getting along together were about seventy-eleven million to one against. This isn't to say that some of us didn't get along, of course. Sally attached herself pretty swiftly to Hooded Justice, who was one of the biggest men I've ever seen. I never found out his real name, but I'd be willing to bet that those early news reports weren't far off in comparing him to a wrestler. Strangely enough, even though Sally would always be hanging onto his arm, he never seemed very interested in *her*. I don't think I ever saw him kiss her, although maybe that was just because of his mask. Anyway, they started going out together, sort of, after the first Minutemen Christmas Party in 1939, which is the last time I can remember us all having a real good time together. After that, things went bad. We had worms in the apple, eating it from inside. 

A black and white picture, captioned "The first Minutemen Christmas party, 1939. From left to right, The Silhouette, Silk Spectre, Comedian, Hooded Justice, Captain Metropolis (in mirror), Nite Owl, Mothman, Dollar Bill." The group is gathered in front of Moloch's Solar Mirror Weapon, and festooned to each side of the top of the weapon are balloons and banners reading "Xmas" on one side and "Minutemen" on the other side. The Silhouette is smiling, a sly look on her face. Her black hair is bobbed and she wears a black outfit. In the foreground, the Comedian is hugging Sally around the waist with one arm and holding a piece of mistletoe over their heads, smiling widely for the camera. Sally is leaning back, with one hand on his forearm and the other hand towards him, palm up, and has a wary look on her face. Hooded Justice stands behind them, his arms crossed. Captain Metropolis is the one taking the picture, and the top of his head is reflected in the mirror. Nite Owl and Dollar Bill are in the foreground, smiling confidently and clinking their mugs together. Behind them is Mothman, his wings providing a backdrop for the two of them. He's not wearing his mask, and he is pouring himself a drink.

Page 4.

The worst of these was the Comedian. I'm aware that he's still active today and even respected in some quarters, but I know what I know, and that man is a disgrace to our profession. In 1940 he attempted to sexually assault Sally Jupiter in the Minutemen trophy room after a meeting. He left the group shortly thereafter by mutual consent and with a minimum of publicity. Schexnayder had persuaded Sally not to press charges against the Comedian for the good of the group's image, and she complied. The Comedian went his way unscathed... even though he was badly wounded in an unconnected stabbing incident about a year later. This is what made him decide to change his flimsy yellow costume for the leather armor he wears at present. He went on to make a name for himself as a war hero in the Pacific, but all I can think of is the bruises along Sally Jupiter's ribcage and hope to God that America can find itself a better class of hero than *that*. 

A black and white picture, captioned "Newsreel footage of the Comedian in the South Pacific, 1942." The Comedian is posing triumphantly in front of some palm trees, a Japanese rising star flag in one hand and his gun in another. He is wearing his mask, and he is unshaven and smoking a cigarette. He wears his leather armor under a camouflage patterned shirt, and has a pack of cigarettes strapped to his chest. On his head he wears a cap with a star on it and a long hood on the back.

After that, things deteriorated. In 1946, the papers revealed that the Silhouette was living with another woman in a lesbian relationship. Schexnayder persuaded us to expel her from the group, and six weeks later she was murdered, along with her lover, by one of her former enemies. Dollar Bill was shot dead, and in 1947 the group was dealt its most serious blow when Sally quit crimefighting to marry her agent. We always thought she might come back, but in 1949 she had a daughter, so that clinched that. Eventually, those of us who were left didn't even fight crime anymore. It wasn't interesting. The villains we'd fought with were either in prison or had moved on to less glamorous activities. Moloch, for example, who had started out aged seventeen as a stage magician, evolving into an ingenious and flamboyant criminal mastermind through underworld contacts made in his world of nightclubs, had moved into impersonal crime like drugs, financial fraud and vice clubs by the late '40's. Eventually, there was just me, Mothman, Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis sitting around in a meeting hall that smelled like a locker room now that there weren't any women in the group. There was nobody interesting left to fight, nothing notable to talk about. In 1949, we called it a day. By then, however, we'd been around long enough to somehow inspire younger people, God help them, to follow in our footsteps. 

The Minutemen were finished, but it didn't matter. The damage had already been done. 

There is a black and white picture, captioned "Early publicity poster of Moloch, 1937." At the top of the poster is the word "Moloch" and at the bottom, the words "The Mystic." It is a picture of Moloch as a young men, facing the viewer and reaching out his hands. He's wearing a tuxedo and surrounded by a rabbit in a hat, playing cards, a flying dove and other tools of a magician's trade. His pointed ears stick out to the side, and his eyebrows are pointy and his hairstyle comes to a point in the middle of his forehead. He looks threatening, almost demonic.

The page opposite the last page from Mason's book is black. At the very bottom is half of a clock, with a red, white and black edge and Roman numerals. The time is 11:50. At the very top of the page, blood looks as if it's seeping through from behind, dripping in one place from the top of the page.