Rorschach #5 – Tom King, Writer; Jorge Fornes, Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: After last issue’s brilliant issue that revealed the sick conspiracy at the root of this story, Tom King’s reinvention of the Watchmen mythology takes another compelling left turn. The figure of Governor Turley, a charismatic and honorable conservative according to everyone who talks about him, has been looming over the series since he survived an assassination attempt. But we’ve seen very little about him in person—until now. From the opening segment, King seems determined to take everything we’ve been led to believe and throw it out the window. His rally is full of dogwhistles about the “Real America” he’s vowing to defend, and in person he’s a small and paranoid man convinced that the popular President Redford is in fact a dictator who is personally planning to murder him. I don’t think he’s the main villain of the series, but he’s definitely a loathsome figure and every panel of him seems to emphasize just how different the person is from the character he portrays.
Our detective, who has been doggedly tracking down info on the two culprits, suddenly finds himself pulled out of a bar and into an in-person meeting with the paranoid Turley, who greets him in a very unpresidential style. Like last issue, another Watchmen figure—this time the Comedian—looms large in the past. Turley idolizes the mad killer and rapist, which is another telling bit about his character. A flashback to Turley as a young man in Vietnam and how the Comedian influenced his life is excellent—this is another example of how you can take an utterly vile character and make them incredibly compelling. We don’t admire Comedian, but it’s very easy to see how a young man in Vietnam with a troubled background would. This story continues to be about cults in one way or another, but some cults are more subtle. No issue of this series has been anything like the one before it, but King and Fornes are spinning a fascinating tale that I suspect will come together brilliantly.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
