Reviews

Before Watchmen: Comedian/Rorschach by Brian Azzarello

sfletcher26's review against another edition

4.0

Another of the Before Watchmen project Graphic Novels. Again a little inconsistent. The Comedian story is clever but a little again adds little new to the character. The Rorschach story though is top notch; dark and brutal.

kandicez's review against another edition

5.0

Let me start by saying there is no reason these stories need to be written. I knew all I really needed to know about the masks from Moore and Gibbons work. That doesn't mean I don't WANT more. I will always, always want more Watchmen!

Having gotten that out of the way, these were just more about the guys I love, love to hate, hate to love, you know the feeling, right?

Comedian is what he is and knowing more about his background doesn't make him any more sympathetic. He's kind of an ass, and he is definitely arrogant, but I can't help liking his all American GI Joe "I'm always right!" attitude.

Rorschach is different. I love him. I feel sorry for him. I believe he genuinely wants to better the world and knows no matter how much he does it will never actually be any better. The same people will always be here.

He is so simple and black and white which is the genius of his disguise. There are no greys with him and the black and white may shift in different circumstances they will never, ever blend.

My absolute favorite part of this were the alternative covers in the back. The Rorschach cover drawn by Jim Lee may be my all time favorite cover he ever drew and I am a huge fan of his, so that's saying an awful lot. I sneak-read this in Barnes and Noble, but if I do buy it, that Lee cover alone will make it worth the $29.99 price tag. :)

sabregirl's review

4.0

Not a bad duo of 'origin' stories. Comedian's was a bit surprising. While Rorschach was super predictable. But still interesting none the less.

jessjarbinks's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

madisonbond's review against another edition

4.0

The Comedian....... FOREVER MY FAVE. 😅🖤

joshgauthier's review against another edition

4.0

This is an interesting set of prequels to the "Watchmen" story. Big picture, the book doesn't particularly add much to the world of Watchmen or even to two characters presented here. However, the book does capture the dark tone and cultural/political elements of the original fairly effectively. The art is realistic and distinct and easy to grasp. The writing is occasionally awkward, but mostly functions really well. For fans of "Watchmen" it's not bad, but it lacks the depth of the original work.

krystofsubr's review against another edition

3.0

This doesn't need to exist, but it's fun.

pbobrit's review against another edition

3.0

So I thought I'd saved the best for last in the series, Rorschach being my favourite of the Watchmen in the original. So I was somewhat disappointed with both the Comedian and Rorschach offerings here. The artwork is good, but the stories sadly were predictable and didn't reveal too much more of the subjects character or motivations as they appeared in the original Watchmen. Still worth a read but don't expect too much.

mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition

3.0

Very dark as befits something about Comedian and Rorschach, but too dark. And really didn't add much to the back-story of either. At least it wasn't long and drawn out. And the art was definitely good enough.

jadedbee1227's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0