Rorschach #11 – Tom King, Writer; Jorge Fornes, Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: How do you make a Rorschach? That’s been the question facing this series since the start, as we saw how Laura turned multiple people—a kind circus strongman, a bitter old comic book artist—into her personal weapons. But did she really? Or was she another weapon of something else, even if she never wore the mask herself? Last issue was a deep dive into the case as the Detective had a long talk with one of Turley’s men and uncovered a deep, twisted conspiracy that seemed to lead back to Robert Redford. But King, who has never written a pure detective story before, proves himself to be a master of the genre. Last issue was all about two men in a room, and this one is all about one man in a room—and it’s equally fascinating, as the Detective breaks down everything he’s discovered and learns that some things don’t fit. In fact, the entire narrative of the case may be a lie—and lead right back to the supposed victim.
I know some people were worried right at the start about the central plot being a progressive attempt to assassinate a far-right politician. Anyone who knows anything about King’s personal politics would know that would be fairly unlikely. But I wasn’t expecting this series to go so deep, featuring a conspiracy that rivals some of the most outlandish in how deeply it was planned and how badly it went. And as the Detective breaks it down, his own sanity starts to slip away. What would you do if you knew a horrible secret that no one else knew, and handling it could mean preventing the end of the world as we knew it? How far would you go? And what exactly would you become? It’s been a long road to the final page of this issue, and with only one issue to go it feels like there’s still a lot of story waiting for us. I’m guessing the ultimate conclusion will be a brutal and shocking finale, and I can’t wait.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
