Two-Faced Rorshach!

 

           Among his many astounding, amazing, stupefying, and wow-istic accomplishments, Dave Gibbons came up with approximately seventy zillion different mirror-image faces for Rorschach.

       

            In 1987 I encountered Rorschach at OKC’s Southside Comics.  I tried to catch up with him, but he departed over a nearby fence into the rough of the adjacent golf course.

            This in-the-flesh near run-in inspired me to scour the series in search of places in which the same Rorschach facial pattern appears on separate occasions.

            I’m NOT counting page 20 of Chapter 12.  This is a “dolly-in” shot that keeps the focus on Rorschach the whole time, and the pattern remains the same intentionally.  Still, I’ve made note of two Rorschach face-patterns which repeat.

RORSCHACH FACE DUPLICATES:

            Both of these are “reaction” shots.  The first is on page 8 of Chapter One, in Blake’s apartment, as Rorschach discovers Blake’s hidden costume closet.  The second is on page 24 of Chapter 5, Rorschach’s face as he realizes Jacobi is dead.

            It may not be coincidental that both of the above views take place in Happy Harry’s bar.  The first appears on page 15 of Chapter One, the second on page 14 of Chapter Ten.  In fact, each face is seen as Rorschach responds to something Happy Harry says.

            At a later date, I entered Southside Comics to find Rorschach checking out the new arrivals.  When I asked him about his face’s repeating patterns, he said, “Hurrm.”

 

            Make of these what you will.  Are there more duplicate Rorschach face-patterns in Watchmen?