"She was the daughter of Zeus alone. No mother bore her.
Full-grown and in full armor, Athena sprang from his head."
– from Mythology, by Edith Hamilton
Unlike the birth of that ancient Greek goddess, creative works seldom (if ever) come about so suddenly and completely. Speaking as someone who's worked in the field for a few decades, the creative process is more like a vigorous workout or, in some cases, an unruly brawl as ideas and images are coaxed (or pulled kicking and screaming) out of the ether and into reality. In fact, it's heartening to know that not even Olympian works of comic book art like The Watchmen sprang "full-grown and in full armor" from the heads of creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Included in the supplemental section of the highly-recommended Absolute Watchmen, Moore and Gibbons' earliest concepts for their legendary masterwork are explored...making it clear that even something at this level was a gradual process of thinking, exploring, revising, and refining.
The most telling example of this intense, amorphous process is the evolution of Rorschach. My favorite Watchmen character from the start (and one of my all-time favorites)...it's hard to imagine him looking any other way. In fact, since he was based on a previous, similarly-costumed character named The Question, you'd think his creation would've been a slam-dunk compared to the other core Watchmen characters. As the progression below proves, that simply wasn't the case (click to enlarge):
Left: Rorschach in a full body-suit of shifting patterns, as described by Alan Moore in his written proposal (taken from an early color guide for colorist John Higgins). Obviously a huge departure from The Question's look and closer to a traditional superhero's. Could you imagine Moore's Rorschach dialogue coming out of this version of the character?
Center: Still sporting the body-suit, a hat and trench coat are added to the mix...making him look more like an elaborately-tattooed flasher than the spooky, subdued figure we're familiar with.
Right: Finally...there's the sociopathic-yet-strangely-noble character we all know and love.
Later today, I'll be seeing him come to life in the Watchmen movie. Stay tuned for my full review later this weekend!
Has March 6th ever been this exciting?
I wonder if China Mieville was thinking of Rorschach when he dreamed up the Slake Moths in "Perdido Street Station"...
Posted by: Mr. Shiny | March 06, 2009 at 09:47 AM
"Has March 6th ever been this exciting?"
Well, there was March 6, 1962, when Mystery in Space #75 went on sale. It featured "Planet That Came to a Standstill", which won the Alley Award for best comics story of 1962.
I see Rotten Tomatoes has it at 61% "fresh" and the main concern is that it may be too dense for those not familiar with the story already. That sounds pretty good to me.
Posted by: Pat Curley | March 06, 2009 at 02:48 PM
Have you read/seen Dave Gibbons' Watching the Watchmen, Mark? That's also highly recommended.
Oh and enjoy the movie!
Posted by: Nimbus | March 06, 2009 at 03:40 PM
I did the Midnight movie thing last night and loved the movie. Been dragging at work, but it's worth it. Buddy of mine went with me and he's never read the comic, and really enjoyed the movie. I really didn't have to explain anything. I think the non initiated can get into the movie with out having read the book. Big test this weekend will be when I see it again with my wife.
Posted by: Joe Lewallen | March 06, 2009 at 05:36 PM
OT, but I found another entry for your "Superpowers That Time Forgot". It's Superboy's completely useless except to wreck the economy power of reverse-alchemy vision, transmuting gold into lead. From Superboy #59. I've posted about it at Silver Age Comics today; feel free to use the scans there.
Posted by: Pat Curley | March 07, 2009 at 01:51 PM