Writer: Tom King. Artist: Jorge Fornes. Colorist: Dave Stewart. Letterer: Clayton Cowles. Variant Cover Artists: Jae Lee & June Chung. Publisher: DC Comics.
Here at N1A…we do comic book reviews a little differently. We mainly focus on number one issues. Why? To see if a series is good enough to continue and is good enough for you to continue to spend your hard-earned money on. We want to also give the spotlight to comics and publishers that you may have not heard of yet. Hence the name, Number One Archives. Let’s get started with “Rorschach” #1!
Tom King begins this comic with a literal, loud bang! King and Jorge Fornes enthrall readers quickly into this mystery about two would-be presidential assassins who are killed by an unknown murderer. The identities are a mystery as well. One of the assassins is dressed as Rorschach, though his identity is unclear. The comics leaves readers with numerous questions. Questions that are intriguing and that will have readers salivating for answers.
King and Fornes has the comic taking place in the present though the presentation is inspired by noir films from the ’60s/’70s. King implements his love for comics into the plot as there are comic book creators mentioned that are integral to the plot. King and Fornes put the puzzle pieces on the table for the readers to try to form their own ideas of what is going on. The comic doesn’t feel like a deconstruction of the superhero genre similar to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ original “Watchmen” classic. The creative duo aren’t trying to break these characters down. They are forming a narrative that questions politics in today’s climate and if Walter Kovacs is indeed dead.
Final Evaluation – this series is worth checking out! If you love Watchmen or noir mysteries, this book should be picked up!
