Who watches the watchmen?

It’s our last night in this house. It has been a good house. No. A good home. Not spectacular, not the most memorable. (The most memorable, I think, goes to our house in Bluff Park. I fell down the stairs no less than 3 times there. You don’t forget that.) But it was a good home, none the less.

I’m looking forward to the new house. I am not looking forward to moving, though I don’t think it will be that bad. It will soon be over.

I finished reading Watchmen last night. I had not read it before. For the unfamiliar, Watchmen is a graphic novel (actually a series of comic books compiled intone volume) written in the mid-80s. It may not have been the first graphic novel, but there is little doubt it was (and probably still is) one of the most important. It is set in an alternate 1985 where “costumed adventurer” (i.e. Superheroes) are real, Richard Nixon is serving his 5^th term as President of the United States of America, nuclear war is a very real threat, and “costumed vigilantes” (superheroes again) have been outlawed. Watchmen won the Hugo Award and was named to Time Magazine’s list of “100 Best Novels.” A major motion picture is currently in post-production and planned for a March 2009 release.

I have always been, to some extent, a fan of comic books. I love comic book movies. I love animated TV series based on comics. I love the characters. I was never really a collector or a zealous fan, but I followed things at a distance. Therefore it took me 21 years to read my first graphic novel.

I know some of you know comics. I know some of you are collectors and know the medium inside and out. I’m sure some of you are familiar with Watchmen. For you, I have a question.

Warning: If you plan to read Watchmen or have not read it and plan to see the movie, you may want to stop reading. Here there be spoilers.

Warning #2: This is going to get really geeky. If you are offended by or otherwise hostile toward nerdy fanboy conversations, you probably want to stop here as well. I accept and embrace my geekiness. I will not be offended if you stop reading.

You’ve been warned.

Here’s my question. I want answers or at least responses. It deals with the end when Dr. Manhattan kills Rorschach. Before he kills him, Rorschach looks back and says (after a small speech), “Do it.” Then he takes off his mask and screams, “Do it!”

My question: Is Rorschach challenging Dr. Manhattan to kill him? Or begging him to do it?

My theory: I think he’s begging him to kill him. He wants him to do it. He needs him to do it. Rorschach knows that what Veidt did was evil, but he also knows that his logic for doing it was right. But he could not let the evil act go unpunished. Rorschach was the only costumed adventurer who was completely uncompromising in seeking justice. He knew if he lived he could not let Veidt go unpunished. He also knew that the world could not know what Veidt did, or the Peace he accomplished would shatter. So he begged Dr. Manhattan to kill him. That way he did not compromise his principles but he did not compromise the peace either.

Anyone???

I’m off to sleep. Or maybe watch Heroes on Hulu (since I missed it Monday) then sleep.

Tonight we sleep! Tomorrow we move!