History ComicBook / Rorschach2020

* {{Cliffhanger}}:
** The first issue ends with one, [[spoiler:heavily implying that the Rorschach wannabe may have been Walter Kovacs back from the dead...]]
** The eleventh issue ends with another one, [[spoiler:having it appear that the detective has fallen prey to the Rorschach cult's ideology.]]

* BroadStrokes: While the series holds the original ''Watchmen'' graphic novel in canon, it waffles a bit more on [[Series/Watchmen2019 the 2019 HBO sequel series]]. There are a few minor nods to the periphery surrounding it (issue #1 mentions that ''something'' happened in Oklahoma), none of the major events that occurred are ever alluded to or are relevant to this story. Given how both series were being produced at roughly the same time, it's unlikely ''Rorschach'' was originally envisioned with it in mind and simply added the {{Mythology Gag}}s after the fact. Meanwhile, any mentions to ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' and the Franchise/TheDCU at large [[CanonDiscontinuity are completely absent.]]

* BroadStrokes: While the series holds the original ''Watchmen'' graphic novel in canon, it waffles a bit more on [[Series/Watchmen2019 the 2019 HBO sequel series]]. There are a few minor nods to the periphery surrounding it, none of the major events that occurred are ever alluded to or are relevant to this story. Given how both series were being produced at roughly the same time, it's unlikely ''Rorschach'' was originally envisioned with it in mind and simply added the {{Mythology Gag}}s after the fact. Meanwhile, any mentions to ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' and the Franchise/TheDCU at large [[CanonDiscontinuity are completely absent.]]

** Issue #11 unravels [[TheReveal an even bigger thread]]. Issue #10 had the detective seemingly complete his story on the assassination plot, where he discovered that [[spoiler:Laura and Myerson found a government intermediary -- an independent security contractor named Oates -- who collaborated with the two on assassinating Turley, and was himself encouraged by President Redford, implicating him as conspiring to and nearly succeed at murdering his political opponent]]. ''However'', this all comes falling apart in issue #11 after the detective discovers [[spoiler:the fingerprints of Alan -- Turley's campaign manager who sent the detective on the case to begin with -- are identical to that on a bottle found in Oates' personal safe, contradicting Alan's claim that he never met Oates. Combined with the unresolved issue of why Oates was murdered by the duo, the detective realizes the vast multitude of other lies Alan gave him: Oates was working for Turley all the time, and [[FalseFlagOperation the assassination plot against Turley was purposefully hijacked in a way that — through the independent detective's investigation — would be pinned on Redford, destroy his reputation while benefitting Turley's]].]]

** After the detective's first [[TheSummation summation of the plot]] in issue #10, [[spoiler:one missing thread he had yet to resolve was why Oates -- the government contact that assisted Laura and Myerson in their plan to kill Turley -- was killed and hidden in a septic tank on their ranch. After realizing later that Oates had been working for Turley all along, he figures out why: Oates merely acted on the plot as part of a FalseFlagOperation to implicate President Redford to cinch an election, but once he realized the two posed a genuine danger to him, he tried to stop them, and was killed in retaliation.]]

* SpannerInTheWorks: A really subtle, but really important case of this is revealed near the very end of the story: [[spoiler:Just before Diane Condor's [[NeverSuicide presumed suicide]], she recorded a long audio tape "confessing" to her, Oates, and President Redford's involvement in a plot to assassinate Turley (which she was cajoled into recording as part of a pro-Turley FalseFlagOperation before [[HeKnowsTooMuch she was murdered as part of the cover-up]]). This confession tape ends up becoming the singular lynchpin of evidence that would tie the entire plot together (as despite how thorough the detective was at forming the story, there was otherwise little definitive ''proof''), but before the Turley campaign could obtain it, it instead ended up in the hands of Condor's parents, who brought it along with her other belongings back to their home -- the detective only managed to obtain it after tracking them down [[KickTheDog and threatening them]]. If it wasn't for this unexpected exchange of hands, the detective would have had little to no agency in determining how Turley and his campaign could close out their plot, and with it, he uses the opportunity it presents [[KickTheSonOfABitch to murder Turley and render it all moot]].]]

** Issue #11 unravels [[TheReveal an even bigger thread]]. Issue #10 had the detective seemingly complete his story on the assassination plot, where he discovered that [[spoiler:Laura and Myerson found a government intermediary -- an independent security contractor named Oates -- who collaborated with the two on assassinating Turley, and was himself encouraged by President Redford, implicating him as conspiring to and nearly succeed at murdering his political opponent]]. ''However'', this all comes falling apart in issue #11 after the detective discovers [[spoiler:the fingerprints of Alan -- Turley's campaign manager who sent the detective on the case to begin with -- are identical to that on a bottle found in Oates' personal safe, contradicting Alan's claim that he never met Oates. From there, the detective realizes the vast multitude of other lies Alan gave him: Oates was working for Turley all the time, and [[FalseFlagOperation the assassination plot against Turley was purposefully hijacked in a way that — through the independent detective's investigation — would destroy Redford's reputation and benefit his own]].]]

* IJustWantToBeSpecial: There's plenty of outside factors at hand, but issue #6 extensively frames Laura and Myerson's eventual path to terrorism were rooted in this. Myerson being disillusioned with his popular, but trite pirate comics and Laura being raised in a setting that she would eventually lead up arms to free America from "the squids" as part of a raving conspiracy theory, both of them were deeply insecure about their seemingly place in the world (Laura at one point [[DrivenToSuicide having attempted suicide]]), and that they could only validate their existence by doing something incredibly drastic. Considering that [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} this is a world where costumed heroes did at one point rise up and fight evil]], they just perceive it as doing the same thing, [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint just motivated by the wrong reasons]].

[[Series/Watchmen2019 In 2019]], a band of fascists took the mantle of Rorschach and abused it for their own agenda.

In 2020, during a political rally, a man and his female accomplice both took upon that very same mantle and tried to assassinate a presidential candidate named Turley, who is running opposite of Redford.

They both died for their efforts.

Not exactly. Turley's campaign manager feels that there might be more to this than meets the eye. Namely, who the hell was the guy under the Rorschach mask this time? As such, a detective has been tasked to figure out how deep this rabbit hole goes. But can he handle what he finds out?

''Rorschach'' is a 12-issue limited series by Creator/TomKing, illustrated by Jorge Fornés with colors by Dave Stewart and published by Creator/DCBlackLabel, centering around the eponymous vigilante from the ''Watchmen'' universe.

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: In issue #11, [[spoiler:the detective becomes a Rorschach.]]

** And as of the very end of Issue 11, [[spoiler:the detective has probably lost it as well.]]

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The comic has a tendency to parallel frames of the present and the past (or at least a mental "past" vis a vie {{flashback}}s), and most of the time, they're given a distinguishing ColorWash, such as broad purples or orange. ''Most'' of the time; [[RuleOfSymbolism when something deviates and elements of each blend into one]], [[MindScrew all bets are off as to what exactly is going on.]]

* AndYouThoughtItWasAGame: [[spoiler:It's revealed that a significant chunk of the plot to assassinate Turley was built on this. Creator/FrankMiller came in contact with a former government agent-turned freelance security officer named Oates, claiming he came up with an idea for a ''story'' for a presidential assassination and requested for insight on how to make it more realistic and plausible. Later, Oates -- acting on Turley's behalf -- did actually come to realize there was a genuine assassination attempt being planned, but merely assumed that the duo were hopeless crazies whose plot could reasonably be foiled, and in turn would make a good story to incriminate Redford and boost Turley's votes. It's not until they end up getting everything that they would need for the attempt that [[MyGodYouAreSerious he realized that they were being completely serious]] and that he could be implicated for a ''successful'' assassination, and attempted to put a stop to the whole mess. [[HeKnowsTooMuch He died for his efforts]].]]

** The posthumous distance from the real man allows characters to pull bits and pieces of what they preferred about [[SociopathicHero his torrid brand of vigilante justice]], and similar to how [[Series/Watchmen2019 white supremacists appropriated his bigotry as a manifesto]], {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s here took inspiration from [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity his insane, absolutist view of the world]] to justify terrible crimes. The series makes it loud and clear that Rorschach/Walter Kovacs is, above all else, an '''AntiHero'''. He may have genuinely wanted to make the world a better, safer place, but he was also [[SociopathicHero a raging nihilist]], [[NoSocialSkills a barely-functioning misanthrope]], by all definitions [[AxCrazy violent and insane]], to a point that [[KnowNothingKnowItAll he wasn't even very good at his own job]]. Rorschach exists on a very complicated edge of good and evil, and the series reinforces that while people ''can'' fall into becoming as disturbed as he is [[LegacyCharacter in a desire to uphold his legacy]], [[AntiRoleModel he is not an admirable man you want to consciously replicate.]]

* BroadStrokes: While the series holds the original ''Watchmen'' graphic novel in canon, it waffles a bit more on [[Series/Watchmen2019 the 2019 HBO sequel series]]. There are a few minor nods to the periphery surrounding it, none of the major events that occurred are ever alluded to or are relevant to this story. Given how both series were being produced at roughly the same time, it's unlikely ''Rorschach'' was originally envisioned with it in mind and simply added the {{Mythology Gag}}s after the fact.

** There's a prominent billboard advertising baked beans. One of the original Rorschach's signature scenes was eating from a can of beans.

* NoNameGiven: The detective protagonist and most of the cast save for the victims.
* PenPals: Issue #6 has the detective discovering a series of letters showing that Laura and Myerson were exchanging letters for years up until they met in person. They first began as an amicable fan-creator exchange discussing their interests, then it got more somber as they discussed their shared insecurities and existential fears, then took a turn for the ominous when it led them to meeting up in person, seemingly just before they engaged in their plot to assassinate Governer Turley.

* AlternateHistory: Issue #10 reveals that U.S. Special Forces captured Osama bin Laden in early 2001 and preventing the 9/11 attacks from happening. Saddam Hussein committed suicide in 2006, leading to Iraq falling into disarray and undergoing reconstruction under a joint United Nations mission.

* EvolvingCredits: In issue #1, the opening pages are mostly blank sans for the credits, sans a few tiny drops of ink here and there. With each successive issue, more and more ink splats are added, appropriately creating series of Rorschach inkblots.

** The squid invasion of '85 is treated with a very similar air as [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the 9/11 terror attacks]], effectively its analogue since the actual 9/11 event didn't occur in this AlternateHistory. In addition it broadly being a terroristic event that left New York in horrific devastation, it also drastically shook up the perception held by the American population towards its country and its government, spawning countless [[ConspiracyTheorist conspiracy theories]] built on jingoism and a fear of the unknown. [[spoiler:It's also what sent Creator/FrankMiller into a massive ideological disillusionment, reflecting his notoriously extended CreatorBreakdown[[invoked]] following the 9/11 attacks]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The squid conspiracy theories espoused by Laura echo the kind of conspiracy theories like Q or the “lizard people” conspiracy theory in the real world.

** The posthumous distance from the real man allows characters to pull bits and pieces of what they preferred about [[SociopathicHero his torrid brand of vigilante justice]], and similar to how [[Series/Watchmen2019 white supremacists appropriated his bigotry as a manifesto]], {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s here took inspiration from [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity his insane, absolutist view of the world]] to justify terrible crimes. The series makes it loud and clear that Rorschach/Walter Kovacs is, above all else, an '''AntiHero'''. He may have genuinely wanted to make the world a better, safer place, but he was also [[SociopathicHero a raging nihilist]], [[NoSocialSkills a barely-functioning misanthrope]], by all definitions [[AxCrazy violent and insane]], to a point that [[KnowNothingKnowItAll he's not even very good at his own job]]. Rorschach exists on a very complicated edge of good and evil, but establishes that while people can fall into becoming as disturbed as he is [[LegacyCharacter in a desire to uphold his legacy]], [[AntiRoleModel he is not an admirable man you want to consciously replicate.]]