Warning: spoilers ahead for Rorschach #1!

The highly anticipated and equally contentious Rorschach comic series from DC Comics has just released its first issue. Featuring plenty of twists, the first issue sets the stage for a truly intriguing mystery as the series progresses, which readers will no doubt eagerly delve into. The first issue also contains some pretty cool references to the world of Watchmen, including one that is pretty significant, as it implies that the events of HBO’s recent Watchmen series from Damon Lindelof may in fact be an official part of the comics canon.

Rorschach #1 is written by Tom King with art by Jorge Fornés, and set in the present year 2020 as opposed to Alan Moore’s original story, which took place in an alternate 1980s America. Remarkably, the issue begins with the death of someone dressed as Rorschach, after they attempt to kill a presidential candidate. However, it’s unclear to the detectives and authorities working the case exactly who it was under the Rorschach mask, as he was shot in the head. They don’t believe that it could have been the original Rorschach, Walter Kovacs, as he is believed to have been killed by Doctor Manhattan at the end of the original graphic novel.

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Unfortunately, the mask itself is too generic for them to trace back to a buyer, as its wearer most likely paid in cash for the Halloween-style variety, which is where this incredibly interesting reference comes in. As the coroner is speaking to the detective about the mask, he notes that it’s nothing like the one that the original Rorschach wore, where the ink blots moved and shifted. Instead, it’s made in China and one of millions, and still quite popular despite recent events.

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The events in Oklahoma being referenced here are presumably those involving the Seventh Kavalry, as seen in HBO’s Watchmen television series. The Seventh Kavalry were a modern-day uprising of individuals in Tulsa, taking cues from the KKK while co-opting the mask and writings of Kovacs’ Rorschach. They also sought to steal the powers of Doctor Manhattan to further their goals, but ultimately failed to do so. While on the surface this appears to be a simple reference, it does officially confirm that the events of the sequel television series are in fact canon to the timeline of the continued Watchmen comics universe, including King’s new series.

Keeping this precedent in mind, who or what else might we see in King’s Rorschach from the HBO show? Will we see Laurie Blake as she’s depicted in the HBO series, or perhaps Looking Glass? What about residual members of the Seventh Kavalry? This could prove to be a really solid possibility, considering the first issue’s ending. Despite an inability to identify their dead Rorschach’s fingerprints, the police seem quite confident that their man is William Myerson, a comic book creator. However, on a hunch, one of the detectives finds old prints of Walter Kovacs, and sure enough, the prints of the original Rorschach match their dead one. While this presents some massive questions (has Kovacs been alive all this time?), if this information were made public, what else could truly galvanize any remaining 7K members? Fans will have to wait and see as this new Rorschach series from DC continues.

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Kevin Erdmann
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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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