Watchmen #1 (1986)

We soon learn we are inside the apartment of a man called Edward Blake.  He had a prominent scar on his right cheek, and did diplomatic work for the government.  The pair of investigators posit that it may have been anything from a simple burglary gone wrong to an orchestrated hit.

The pair leave, and make the first mention of a Keene Act that passed into law which banned all superheroes that weren’t in cahoots with the government.  They agree that this murder should be kept on the down-low, lest any masked vigilantes get wind of it… especially a certain loony called Rorschach.

We shift scenes to a pair of old friends sharing a late night drink.  We soon come to find that both these men once went by the name Nite-Owl.  The younger Owl, Dan, decides to call it a night and heads home… where he finds Rorschach chowing down on a mouthwatering can of cold beans.  He breaks the news that the Comedian is dead, as he starts snacking on sugar cubes.

Dan suggests they go down to the garage to continue their discussion.  Downstairs, he still maintains his old Nite-Owl lab… though at this point it is covered by a bit of dust.  They reminisce about days passed, when they were a team.  Dan seems to remember those days fondly, to which Rorschach reminds him that he had “quit”.

Next stop, Happy Harry’s Bar.  A scuzzy joint, covered in graffiti.  In the foreground is a newspaper strewn on the sidewalk… with an actual headline that means something in this world!  Inside, Rorschach is looking for info on the killer of Comedy.  He comes across a jerk-ass, who comments on the way ‘schach smells.  Bad move, buddy… I see a pair of broken fingers in your future.  The bar is a dead-end, so our man heads out.

Next stop, the penthouse offices of Adrian Veidt, the man once known as the hero Ozymandias.  There are several action figures in his likeness atop his desk.  Veidt apparently gave up heroing a full two-years before the Keene Act was passed.  He suggests that perhaps the Russians killed the Comedian due to his work with the government… even going so far as to refer to him as a nazi.  Rorschach takes that a bit personally, as I guess he doesn’t see himself as altogether different from ol’ Blake.  He gives Veidt the warning that there may just be a “mask-killer” on the loose, and heads out.

Next stop, the Rockefeller Military Research Center… the home of a couple more former heroes.  Rorschach easily slips passed the guards and prepares to visit with Dr. Manhattan and the former-Silk Spectre, Laurie Jupiter Juspeczyk.  

He breaks the news of the Comedian’s death, and is met with perhaps an unexpected reaction.  Manhattan isn’t affected at all… he sees life and death as abstracts in his quantifiable world.  Laurie is rather pleased, apparently Blake beat and raped her mother (the first Silk Spectre, and the Comedian’s teammate on the Minutemen team).

We learn here that that elder Nite-Owl from earlier (Hollis Mason) had written a tell-all book about his time in the Minutemen that had some less than savory information in it in regard to the Comedian.  The book was called Under the Hood, and six-pages of it are included in this issue.  At Laurie’s request, Manhattan tells ‘schach it’s time to go.  Despite his protests, our man rapidly finds himself standing outside.  A nice exhibition of a tiny part of his powers here.

With Rorschach out of the way, Laurie thinks about getting in touch with Dan Dreiberg for dinner.  Doctor Manhattan is completely cool with it… even though the indication you get here is that their relationship is at least somewhat romantic.  He is unmoved and unbothered by her request.  And so, she sets a date for later that night at an Italian restaurant.

That night, Dan and Laurie meet up.  Here we learn that she stays at the research facility only to keep Jon (Dr. Manhattan) relaxed and happy… there’s another indication of just how powerful and dangerous he might be.  The issue comes to a close with the pair reminiscing about Captain Carnage, a pervert who would bother them pretending to be a supervillain so they’d beat him up… that is, until he tried it with Rorschach!  In the final panel… one of them (it’s not clear which) finally addresses the fact that the Comedian has died.