Walter Kovacs - Tumblr Posts
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
(Desolation Row- Bob Dylan, Watchmen- Alan Moore )
You better believe I won't stop posting stuff from this book
I always wondered who named Rorschach in-universe. I’ve looked for an explanation but I can’t seem to dig anything up from the art books or companion guide.
On one hand, it seems fitting that Rorschach would let his alter ego be named by the city he t̶e̶r̶r̶o̶r̶i̶z̶e̶s̶ protects. On the other, Rorschach is oddly poetic and very intentional with everything he does, so it could be him finding meaning in the whole “Rorschach tests reflect what the person’s psychology is”—which seems obvious of course, but I dunno, Walter never struck me as a character who would “believe” in that type of psychology
And then of course we have his goofy signature, the •] [•. Which came first, the chicken or the dot-backwards r-normal r - dot?
And did he only use the •] [• during solo missions? Or did he keep it up with Nite Owl? Did he make Dan make a symbol too? Or did Dan, in all his nerdiness, already have one too?
Criminals beware, RR and 🌙 are roaming New York’s rooftops
Rating Walter's Faces
to my preference, because I'm bored and I wanna
The Original
What's not to love? 10/10. I absolutely love how he looks. He's like a mix between Boo Radley and Frankenstein. Grim to the bone with Crayola Red hair (that seems to be carrot orange or a mauve depending on the lighting. God I love the coloring in this freakin' book). A face to fit a haunted man--You poor, poor redheaded stepchild, you
2. Before Watchmen--Rorschach
7/10. While I really really dislike this depiction of his character, the art really is killer...TOO killer. He looks way too handsome! Sure, I chose a picture where he's all beat up...but just look at him! He's gorgeous! It's all wrong
3. Tom King's Rorschach Series
Girl who is this? 2/10
4. Before Watchmen--Nite Owl
10.8/10
Wait! I hear you cry out. How is this Walter rated higher than the original? This story is yet another one I am not too fond of--the Nite Owl/Twilight Lady moments are great, the retcon of Dan's family life is not needed, and this Walter is pretty bad in terms of depictions. But Listen...Look
He's all dolled up in his Sunday best. His hair all neat and tidy. This is what I needed.
BONUS--
Cover Art
9/10. Wish I could see his entire face but I love his expression regardless. Interestingly, his freckles have been depicted here as skin tags or moles. Kinda love it
The Movie--
10000/10
I know I docked off points earlier for being too handsome...but I mean c'mon. He's so. He;s. Yeah
Thinking about how Walter has probably been called ‘Walt’ and/or ‘Wally’ in his life
Thinking about how Walter being too late to stop Adrian reflects how Walter was too late to save Blaire
Dan was there too but yknow… that added context likely affected Walter even worse
I’m really glad the fanbase has decided that yeah, Rorschach would like cats. Because what other animal would he actually freaking like
If walter saw Bambi or Dumbo do u think he’d cry
Something I’ve been thinking about recently
Rorschach takes a rose from the Comedian’s grave and pins it to his trenchcoat. This is after reflecting on the state of masks and how their lives often end in violence, but it’s their duty anyway. When he takes the rose I always interpreted it as Rorschach “promising” the Comedian he’ll find whoever killed him.
Later on we learn Ror’s mask is made from the dress he believes was meant to go to Kitty Genovese (although, of course, we never know if this is the truth or if it’s Walter finding meaning/connection when there isn’t) (personally i prefer the latter interpretation) Walter had already fashioned his mask from the dress at that point, but maybe putting on the mask for the first time as Rorschach was a promise he’ll avenge those who’ve suffered (a promise to his child self as well)
Building on my last post, I really love Ror’s monologue at Comedian’s funeral, and the simple act of taking a rose from his grave. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the book, hence my current pfp
(Also one of the few times we see muted colors)
Not only is it where we get the famous Pagliacci bit but he just has so many dark, beautiful, poetic lines—because no matter how Ror feels about the arts, he is absolutely a poet by nature.
It’s a stark contrast to get Rorschach harassing an old man and treating him terribly only to get this melancholy monologue about death and his view of the human condition; balanced in both cynicism and hopefulness. It’s not every day you get a character who can be described as a nihilistic optimist (not sure if optimist is the right word, but Rorschach is definitely NOT a nihilist—he just recognizes there is not direct meaning to life. Perhaps it’s not even the right word regardless—Walter has very strong morals and values and believes them to be the truth, of course)
At the very least this dialogue contrasts greatly with his opening rant about letting everyone die, how someone so misanthropic can also want others to be better because he know it’s an option
Ever since finding out David Bowie wanted to play Rorschach in Terry Gilliam’s hypothetical Watchmen movie I like to imagine Walter is a fan of Bowie’s music but would never ever ever admit it to anybody
I’m just glad I was wrong about it being a Doomsday Clock adaptation
What I’m not looking forward to is Rorschach’s voice. His voice was always described as monotone; nothing more, although the broken speech bubbles may have implied raspiness.
When Jackie Earle Haley played him in 2009 he opted to give him a gravely voice. This was most likely to ride the coattails of Christian Bale’s Batman voice, and in all likelihood Haley’s normal voice was just too sweet and soft for the character (seriously, listen to interviews with him). Of course, I love Haley, and I love his version of Rorschach, regardless of Snyder’s directing.
However the VA for the 2024 movie seems to just be copy-catting Haley for recognizably. Which is annoying to me, just because “gravely” was never what his voice “sounded” like to me in the book!
The closest was the Watchman Motion Comic’s narration. The narrator for that actually did an excellent job capturing the slow, monotone, emotionless tilt I always imagined in my head
Was the “the end is nigh” sign-carrying a thing before the Roche case or after? It had to have been after, right?
I used to have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that, even after discarding his life and identity as Walter, Rorschach still carried around the sign “as Walter.” Only because it just seemed so different to what had been established in my eyes? He’s a misanthropic loner who despises the general public and likely wouldn’t want attention drawn on him in any form because of his paranoia. And yet, he shuffles around with a giant sign during the day.
Maybe in an odd way it makes sense. Just like there’s two conflicting ideas of “everyone immoral deserves to suffer and most people are immoral” and “where there’s people there’s hope” /‘those lives are still worth protecting’ that make up his psyche, Walter still tries to be a hero in the form of the doomsday prophet. But in the most backhanded way possible, of course. Surely every time somebody asks him about the sign or “the cause” he gives a cryptic ass answer. “Two headed cat born in Queens. Today for certain”
But wouldn’t Rorschach JUDGE others for doing this exact same thing? Would he not immediately turn his nose up at a doomsday prophet? (Silly question, we know he’s a hypocrite) but still. Just seems so…obviously hypocritical, even to somebody as out of touch as Walter.
Was he hamming it up? Was this just a cover for him to snoop? If so, why not just “BE” Walter the whole time without the sign? If it’s the phenomenon of people refusing to look at him because he appears to be a typical crazy homeless man in their eyes, why does he need the sign at all? They’d ignore him anyway, surely?
Probably because he just wants to say “I told you so!” Moral duty instead of actual care…but of course, he certainly cared at the end.
TL;DR Why does that boy carry that cardboard? Because he’s passive aggressive
I know it’s the whole point that we’re seeing Dan and Ror’s relationship in it’s aftermath/twilight years, but man, it really gets me we have ZERO CANON depiction of what those two were like before everything fell apart (aka the Roche case) (although Walter was apparently already falling apart a little before that)
The most we have is that snip of the Crimebusters and some lines of dialogue… I just wish we had a little more insight into this odd couple.
They’re just two wildly different people who were similar in the tiniest ways which made their partnership work, and it always floors me when I remember any depiction of Dan wanting to hang out with Ror outside of mask work or them bonding over something is purely fanfiction. Because it just feels so right
The purple pinstripe suit and his immediate attachment to the Rorschach dress makes me feel like in a different life Walter would’ve been fuckin slaying
Just another funny aspect of his character. He had an eye for bold, colorful things.
And maybe it’s true the color and pattern of his suit was only out of convenience (I think it’s the same suit he was given at Charlton when he left at 17, going by the black and white photo) but I dunno I feel like he wouldn’t have worn it if he didn’t like it, regardless if he could or couldn’t afford another one
I like to think if things didn’t happen the way they did he would’ve had some striking choices in clothes
I mean we all have seen the concept art—-Mr full body latex suit
Good evening to Istvan Banyai’s Rorschach only