Poetic Politics in Watchmen and “Desolation Row”

It’s no secret that Bob Dylan’s lyricism was a crucial point of inspiration for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s seminal ‘86–‘87 comic, Watchmen, in which the superhero narrative comes under a gritty and subversive lens intended for mature readers. The comic depicts an alternate 20th century history where a number of masked vigilantes (costumed, but lacking supernatural powers) arise throughout the U.S. to combat local crime. There isn’t much ‘heroism’ to their story, though, as they oppose not only street crime but also “social evils,” such as “promiscuity” and “campus subversion” (ch. 2, p. 10); likewise, the vigilantes’ presence creates political instability and friction with police. The comic’s first and tenth chapter titles sport lyrical quotes from Dylan’s “Desolation Row” and “All Along the Watchtower” respectively; the former of which this post will focus on, “Chapter I: At Midnight, All the Agents…” Beyond the quoted line in the title, Dylan’s verse continues “…And the superhuman crew / Come out and round up everyone / That knows more than they do” (Dylan). The mysterious connotations of “midnight,” the governmental associations of “agents rounding people up,” the echoes of Nazism from “superhuman,” and the latter lines’ remarks on controlling information, all evoke shared political themes between Watchmen and “Desolation Row.” But the comic’s relationship to Dylan’s song runs deeper than correlated concerns.

Rorschach—an angsty, unstable, doesn’t-play-by-the-rules, detective type of character (complete with trench coat)—narrates portions of the comic through journal entries. While Rorschach, of course, isn’t writing in verse, the flow of his sentences and his vivid (though macabre) descriptions lend themselves well to a poetic reading. One such journal entry initiates Watchmen’s story, with Rorschach detailing his disdain for New York City and its people:

The fragmented structure of the first portion of this journal entry is especially fit for consideration in poetic terms; while these lines lack meter, they certainly have a distinct rhythm that embodies Rorschach’s emotionality—providing some quick images of the dead dog as representative of the city before Rorschach reveals his egocentrism and self-image as not only an anti-hero, but a kind of anti-savior who sees himself fit to judge the city for its perceived sins. Confined to a text bubble within narrow panel art, the first blurb of the above quotation even mimics the shape of an enjambed blank verse stanza. One can write this mimicry off as coincidence, but the shape of these sentences nevertheless influences the pace at which they’re read. If we are willing to entertain this text bubble as a tidbit of poetry, the enjambment of “this / city” wields particular significance in reference to Rorschach’s psyche. In the next line, he states that the city “is afraid of” him. The sentence arrives at a full stop without spilling down into the next line, imparting Rorschach’s confidence. “This / city” however, and the gruesome imagery Rorschach introduces it with, lacks the stability he assigns to his own character, fragmenting this fictionalized New York not only through the pacing of its descriptive images, but also the consistent breaking up of those descriptions via enjambment.

Conversely, the two sentences making up the middle portion of the above citation flow quickly. Although they’re typographically structured similarly to the first text bubble, their minimal punctuation facilitates a greater emphasis on the words themselves.

Though, once again, Rorschach’s words are unmetered, repetition and (especially) his immediately identifiable hate for New York result in a dialogue with semi-regularly stressed syllables. For example: “The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood.” Apart from the rough feeling resulting from the repeated ‘guh’ sounds, this phrase parallels two seven syllable clauses (divided after the first “gutters”). The second half of this text bubble pair runs more freely as Rorschach builds anticipation toward his anti-hero/savior stance where he refuses to “save” the city. The stresses, as I read them, are bolded here: “The accumulated filth of all their sex and murderwill foam up about their waists…” There’s a continuous action to Rorschach’s phrasing in this moment, generating emphasis every few words, collectively forming emphases centered upon his judgements of Watchmen’s fictionalized New York City society, not only textualizing his resentment and rejection of the place and its people, but truly verbalizing that resentment and rejection, as the cadence of his speech can so clearly be read by the structure of his sentences.

But what do we draw from this kind of linguistic character work in Watchmen?—what politics arise from Rorschach’s edgy, abrasive poetry? In terms of iconographic legacy, Rorschach is lauded within comic fandoms—which makes sense; he’s got a lot of archetypal ‘coolness’ going for him as an even grittier, more mentally troubled play on batman.^[1] But a celebratory visage of his gritty ‘coolness’ as an anti-hero sidesteps his extremism as an anti-savior—his belief in moral absolutism through which he justifies many prejudices.^[2] This is where Dylan’s “Desolation Row” is of utmost relevance. Watchmen’s first chapter being titled “At Midnight, All the Agents…” evokes Dylan’s song as a foil. Rorschach’s social concerns and judgements thematically align with “Desolation Row” (addressing many of the same subjects), but they do not align politically. Dylan’s lyric about “agents” and “superhumans” rounding people up is an illustration of evil, making for a verse that’s decidedly critical of authority—the verse ends with the people who were rounded up being strapped to a “heart attack machine,” making clear the ill intent of said “agents” and “superhumans.” Rorschach, however, fueled by disdain for society, feels justified in becoming such an agent, a judge who determines the meaning of “good” and then has the authority to work toward that definition even if it entails harming others.

This contrast between Rorschach’s philosophy and Dylan’s lyrics is furthered by Rorschach’s fixation on ugliness. To him, there is no redeeming feature of the city. As he says, “…all the whores and politicians will look up and shout “save us!” … and I’ll look down and whisper ‘no.’” Although Dylan’s lyrics also paint a bleak portrait of urban Americana, the song ultimately manages to provoke beauty from its subject matter of sorrow and chaos. It details the people of Desolation Row with minimal judgement, dedicating almost eleven and a half minutes of song to immersing listeners within this fictional neighborhood, allowing them to become acquainted with its many characters. Perhaps the clearest factor of difference between “Desolation Row” and Rorschach’s first journal entry is their inaugural lines. While Rorschach compares New York City to a dead animal and then positions himself as a moral judge, “Desolation Row’s” first verse begins as such: “They’re selling postcards of the hanging,” and then the song’s first chorus begins, “…the riot squad, they’re restless / They need somewhere to go.” Commoditized racism and imminent police brutality frame the song within its first lines, illustrating and suggesting a critique of external and institutional reasons which contribute to the plight of places such as Desolation Row. The socioeconomic underclass to which Rorschach would simply whisper “no” is instead, by Dylan’s ballad, rendered with heartbreaking and beautiful honesty, confronting the troubles of the city without condemning it.

Further reading, for those interested:

• This Escapist article briefly goes over the ambiguities of Rorschach’s character and how they relate to modern political reactions, especially since the release of Watchmen 2019 on HBO.
• Andrew Hoberek’s book Considering Watchmen (2014, Rutgers University Press) contains an entire chapter on the comic’s poetics, addressing Rorschach as well providing substantial analysis of poetic dialogue from Dr. Manhattan, among other things.
• “Desolation Row” itself does not appear in the 2008 film adaptation of Watchmen, but the film does feature an opening montage set to Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” which, while perhaps less subtle than Dylan’s usage in the comics, still makes for an interesting watch and listen

^[1] HBO’s Watchmen (2019) connected Rorschach’s moral absolutism with white supremacy, generating vicious backlash from certain audience demographics.

^[2] On ch. 1, p. 1 he describes his ideal American working man, juxtaposing “a day’s work, a day’s pay” with communism. On ch. 1, p. 14 he shows disgust for the welfare system, specifically mentioning a mother with five children that he presumes are from different fathers. On ch.1, p. 19 he negatively remarks upon another characters “liberal affiliations,” then stating “Possibly homosexual? Must remember to investigate further.” There are many other such examples throughout.