Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorscach Test Review

Having read the Watchmen graphic novel around twenty plus times since I’ve owned it, it’s difficult to think of Watchmen in other terms than a great graphic novel. With the release of the movie, all the arguments from both sides of positive and negative reviews; a lot more notice is being taken outside the comics community. Wiley Publishing recently released Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test, a book that explains themes and characters of the graphic novel in terms of philosophical standards.

It has to be mentioned that a reader should not dive into this book if they do not have a considerable understanding of the graphic novel. Not to understate the depth of the book, but themes that permeate the graphic novel are expanded upon with assistance from prominent philosophers.

This creates another dilemma, as readers who are not familiar with philosophers like Kant, Descartes, Luban, or Weber, will be able to read the book with little trouble, but certain associated beliefs are a little more difficult to understand.

Personally, I have some understanding of the philosophers, and grasping the ideas that the writers are explaining was a little bit easier. Though comic/philosophy enthusiasts will highly enjoy many of the chapters in the book, there is a hit-or-miss feeling when reading. Many of the chapters on Dr. Manhattan or Rorschach are intensely developed and interesting.

I was intrigued by the first chapter by Christopher Robichaud’s The Superman Exists, and He’s American: Morality in the Face of Absolute Power, exploring Dr. Manhattan’s true superhuman existence.

Also Alex Nuttall’s Rorschach: When Telling the Truth is Wrong was similarly mind-blowing. Reading through many of the chapters expanded my understanding of the graphic novel itself, as it opened my eyes to small details I missed through my many readings of the graphic novel.

But even with many strong chapters, some seemed to delve on the surface level of the graphic novel and the thesis the writer was attempting to explain.

While every character is important, I feel that Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach have the most anti-symbiotic relationship in the graphic novel and the exploration of their individual beliefs is more interesting than Viedt’s desire to save the world, as integral to the plot as it was.

Either way, Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test is an interesting addition to the canon of Watchmen. It makes the reader look at the graphic novel in a different perspective, which is important because of the significance that this graphic novel has to the comic book genre and literature as well.

I recommend readers who have a true love of Watchmen to read this book because you will see the graphic novel different when reading through it again, adding a new layer of discussion to the already amazing story.