Jump From a 7th Story Window into Watchmen

Rather than bore you all by restating the reading, I thought I’d try to apply some of McCloud’s ideas:

 Here we have a page from Watchmen, a graphic novel by writer Allan More and artist Dave Gibbons. The first six panels are equidistant and equal in size, followed by a final panel which occupies the space equal to the space of the 3 previous panels. The expansion of size might be interpreted as a stretch in time that contrasts with previous 6-panel representation for which time can be perceived as proceeding chronologically at a consistent pace. The change in size might also point to the significance of the image or demonstrate the quality of this image accommodating all that proceeded it. The zoom out from point of origin in the first panel following a linear progression from panel to panel onto the 7^th panel unifies the whole scene, conferring a sense of synecdoche on the first panel.  

The closed panels act as a static medium; motion is not represented within each discrete panel, so only by following the panel-by-panel progression can the passage of time be demonstrated. The artist demonstrates time’s movement by the displacement of the trench-coat pedestrian. Time proceeds in a sequence of bloody footprints. Though images are not the only thing that represent time’s passage, the words in this case (with the exception of those in the 7^th panel) are separate from the action taking place within the panels because they are depicted as a journal entry exhibiting a quality of past-ness. This quality makes for an interesting exchange between words and pictures.   

The combination of words and pictures in this example blurs the parallel and inter-dependent relationship categories. Because the narrative is first person and depicted in text boxes representative of scraps torn from journal entries unrelated to the time in which the action proceeds, there seems to be a disconnect between the two initially. They might be read as running parallel. Conversely, the pictures seem to demonstrate an interrelatedness between the words and pictures.

The inter-dependency operates on multiple levels through numerous juxtapositions. The following three examples should demonstrate this point. First, the blood in the image may not be the same blood as the blood in the gutter, but the layering of the two gives the reader a sense of interconnectedness. Second, subsequent to when Rorschach says, “and all of the sudden nobody can think of anything to say,” the man overlooking the drop has nothing to say but a tawdry “That’s quite a drop.” And third, the words incorporated into the picture in panel 3 through an iconic sign that reads, “the end is nigh,” echoes Rorschach’s narration. Furthermore, the words in the picture are closer to the border between picture and words, drawing on the phenomenon of simplicity that allows for being more instantaneously received than the narration that requires a higher degree of perception. Panel 3 is a microcosm of comic elements operating concurrently to reinforce the overarching message.

This is just a brief overview of the comic elements at work in this single page, and it is far-off from being exhaustive. We can see how complex a text becomes when it incorporates words and images. With McCloud’s analysis, we can begin to develop a respect for the combination of words and pictures that has been stigmatized as a childish pursuit or a childish art form. Comics have an intrinsic intellectual value that is obviously being overlooked by many. It was certainly overlooked by myself.