As Cialina has already noted, I found Elizabeth Rosen’s Moore study is incredibly helpful for those learning to critically interpret graphic novels. However I also felt that reading Moore and having one of Rosen’s recent primary sources at hand, made understanding  her book easier. While there are other factors that could contribute to my level of understanding, I found chapter one much easier to get through than last week’s prologue.

One of the things Rosen mentions as she discusses in her description of The Watchmen’s three Godlike figures is that they are connected by others to the invocations of Gods and that this is done in bold text.  Bold text, actually bold/italic in most cases including this one, is used for extra emphasis in comics. I could not find actual rules for when or when not such text format should be or should not be used but it is often used for names of characters and the online consensus is that Moore and Gibbons wield their bold pen well. Specific word choice contributes to a both a sense of realism and sense of surrealism. Found poetry made of The Watchmen’s bold text can give someone a good feel for any given chapter. Bold text is also absent in voice-over-like narration segments.

I think the idea of media being a part of virtually every important message is embraced here. The comic book medium is discussed in Nite Owl’s autobiography and the pirate pulp is jaring when attached to events that further the graphic novel’s plot. Side-documents also see non-italized bolded text, provide commentary and explain character motivation. The worth and influence of these the main characters’ lives are explored in depth but even when the quality of media is questioned its ability to change things is not. Ozymandias controls a media empire. He uses it within his master plan as he seeks to limit distribution of non-abstract villain figures, re-models a cosmetic line to fit with a newer world and trains martyr/missionaries via a correspondance class. Rorschach mails his records to a paper. Even though he is detached from time, Dr Manhattan defers to a photograph taken in his past. Media presentation forces one to look at The Watchmen instead of merely reading it. Do you think media presentation factors into the human creative spirit that Alan Moore so highly values?