How much time is represented within a single panel?

How much time is represented between two panels? What cues help you determine this?

How do the words/sounds in a panel give you an indication of time?

In what way does panel and gutter size and shape impact time in comics?

How does a bleed affect your perception of time?

Consider the various ways in which motion can be represented within a comic panel.

What do motion lines tell you? How have they evolved?

What is subjective motion?

How can internal or subjective states, like sensation, emotion and thought, be represented in the comic medium?

How do comics use one sense to represent all senses?

How is this related to Expressionism in art?

Extra credit: Bring in a drawing (non-representational) that illustrates a mood, feeling, or emotion. Share it with the class and we'll see if they can guess what you have drawn.

How can the lines of the comic art convey meaning and feeling?

Could you draw a happy line? A sad one? A lustful one?

What things can squiggly lines convey?

How and why do comics make the invisible visible?

How is our vocabulary of comic emotion and sensation culturally specific?

What can backgrounds tell you about a character or a storyline?

What can you do with a word balloon? What other representational choices do you have?

How do words and images interact and coexist in comic art?

Why do we wean children off picture books?

How do popular understandings of fine art and literature affect the reception of comics?

Consider some of the different ways in which words and pictures might contribute to storytelling in a comic work? In what ways are they used in Watchmen?

Which is your favorite ice cream story?

Watch for repetition of themes and images (like "Who Watches the Watchmen")?

Study the use of space and frame (remember Joe and the varying uses of 9 little boxes).

Consider the kinds of transitions used in the text.

What elements of film style are invoked?

Be aware of the emotional and perceptual participation required in your reading.

What relationship does the text have to image throughout? Does it vary?

What do the chapter titles and the closing quotes contribute to your reading?

What about the text at the end of each chapter? The splash page? The clock?

What kind of world is this? How is it similar to or different from our own?

What is the greatest pressure and threat facing this world?

How is this world layered?

What is going on with representations of race and gender?

What makes a costumed crime fighter a superhero, a vigilante, or a nut case?

Notice how the word balloons contribute to characterization.

What is Laurie doing in Daniel's basement?

How has Daniel's interest in birds and in Arthurian legend contributed to his former life as a costumed crime fighter?

How is he able to afford all this? Does he remind you of any popular comic characters?

What kind of costume messes you up? How and why?

What do the goggles allow you to see? Is this a metaphor?

Who or what is always watching them?

How does the juxtaposition of the newscast and their conversation impact the story?

How is the world edging toward war?

Notice the comic book writer. Why is he on the news?

What is Nostalgia?

How does the report of Adrian's performance comment on Dan and Laurie's foreplay?

Why are they unsuccessful in their coupling?

What does Dan's dream reveal about him?

Costumes, the war, and impotence (real and figurative), discuss.

Why do they take Archie out? What do they do? Is this foreplay?

Do costumes make it good?

What are they planning to do next?

How does this article meld a love of nature with a sense of wonder and a desire for the transcendence?

What does this tell us about Dan?

What do Hollis and sally talk about? Notice the Nostalgia?

How does the Black Freighter comic seem to comment on developments in our story?

Who is Big Figure? Is he a typical comic super-villain?

What does it mean to peek at the next month in your calendar? What kind of personality characteristic is this?

How do Nova Express and New Frontiersman serve as commentary on each other?

Where is Max Shea? What does he think he is doing?

How do the various scenes (the newspaper, the island, the pumpkin, the newsstand, Rorschach in jail) above the start of Dan and Laurie's expedition function in the story?

Why does Rorschach want to use the restroom? How does this function as a sly commentary on super-hero stories?

Why does Rorschach use the term "uniform" rather than "costume"?

Why does Jon come for Laurie?

Why is Hollis attacked? What do the images for his prime offer to the emotional impact of this scene?

New Frontiersman

What kind of paper is this? What values do they espouse?

How do they represent racism and xenophobia?
What additional information are you given about Max Shea and Hira Mannish?

Why is Nostalgia the splash page? Is the repeated presence of the perfume bottle a non-sequitor? Why or any not?

How is travel with Jon represented? What does he forget about Laurie's needs?

How does Jon explain his relationship to time? What does he ask Laurie to recall?

How is the snow globe significant as a metaphor?

Why are Sally and Larry fighting? What do you hear? What doe little Laurie hear?

Who does Laurie think is her father?

Is Jon surprised to hear that Laurie and Dan are together?

What does Laurie's memory from when she was thirteen tell us?

How does Jon contrast the geological formations on Mars with life on Earth? Which does he favor and why?

How does Laurie try to convince him of her viewpoint?

What kind of new perspective on the 1966 meeting does Laurie's memory offer us?

What does the Comedian tell her? What do we hear?

Why is Jon unimpressed?

How is the fog on Mars connected to the smoke from a cigar in 1973?

What does Laurie slowly come to realize from the patchwork of her memories?

What changes Jon's mind? How is this possible?

Smiley face!

What do we learn from Sally's clippings?

Who was Hooded Justice really with?

Were Mothman and Bill together?

What does Sally mean when she says costumed crusading attracts a specific type? How might sexuality be implicated in this?

Keep your eyes open for Apocalypse references in this chapter.

What is Nixon up to?

Why does Rorschach decide not to punish his landlady?

What is Adrian doing in costume? Is it a uniform for him? Something else?

How does he interpret media forces?

How do Daniel and Rorschach differ in their approach to crime fighting?

How is "coming home" for Daniel and Rorschach contracted with the return home in Black Freighter?

Are we like the horses?

What is important to Rorschach? To Daniel? How does the information they get in the bar affect each of them?

What happens to the boat? Why?

What kind of foreshadowing do we get in Adrian's office?

To whom does Rorschach mail his journal?

How are messages misunderstood in this section?

What kind of action figures would Adrian prefer for the new line? Why?

Why ditch Nostalgia for Millennium? What kind of word view is implied in each?

What does the splash page represent?

How are insanity and intelligence linked problematically?

How does Black Freighter end?

How is the story of Adrian's life typically comic book? Typically heroic?

What kind of Age of Illumination does he want to bring about?

Why are Joey and Aline fighting? Is it significant that the relationship book is titled Knots?

What does Adrian do with his servants? With his tropical oasis in the snow?

What makes Daniel and Rorschach feel like "ordinary people?"

Why does Adrian describe his entire plot to them? At what point does this turn into a joke about comic book villains?

What does Gloria want from Malcolm? Why can't he give it?

How do the newspaper vendor and the kid finally connect?

What is Adrian's plan? How does he distinguish a symptom from the disease?

What would the true end of the world mean?

What cost is Adrian willing to incur?

What happens in New York?

How is the blank whiteness of the final panel in this chapter different from the whiteness of the first?

Humanoids?

How is a superhero defined?

How does Adrian describe Rorschach? Do you agree?

Why does Adrian dream of a world with new problems?

What kind of "end of the world" does he claim to desire?

What visual and emotional content do the full page spreads convey?

How are you affected?

How does Laurie respond? Jon?

Why is Rorschach able to believe Adrian when Daniel cannot?

Is Veidt a superhero or a super-villain?

Why does Jon refer to Osterman as a different person?

How does the media (and the world) respond to the events in New York? Is this realistic? Does it offer echoes (or rather foreshadowing) of global response to 9-11?

What decisions do our characters make about their knowledge?

Why is Rorschach's choice different?

How do they each respond to the event? Why?

What does Jon decide to do? What does he say about endings?

Why Hollis? What does the visit to Sally signify?

Can you reach an understanding of Sally's life and decisions?

How is New York different now?

How has even the graffiti changed?

How does the last page echo the first? What uncertainty hangs over the scene?

Do you think there such a thing as an ending? If so is this a happy one?