Rorschach

Lore & Background

Walter Joseph Kovacs was born on March 21, 1940, the son of Sylvia Kovacs, who was a prostitute, and an unknown father only known to Kovacs as 'Charlie.' His mother was frequently abusive and condescending towards him. In July 1951, at age 11, Kovacs became involved in a violent fight with two older bullies; subsequently, his living conditions were looked into. He was removed from his mother's care and put in 'The Lillian Charlton Home for Problem Children' in New Jersey, where he excelled at schoolwork, gymnastics, and amateur boxing. In 1956, after leaving the home at 16, he took a job as a garment worker in a dress shop. His mother was brutally murdered by her pimp, George Paterson, who forced her to drink Drano cleaning fluid and dumped her body in a back alleyway. At some point before 1964, Kovacs scavenged material from a rejected dress that had been special-ordered by a young woman with an Italian name. Two years later, in March 1964, he read about the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese, who he believed was that woman. Ashamed by the unresponsiveness of her neighbors, he became disillusioned with the underlying apathy he saw in most people. He returned home, made 'a face [he] could bear to look at in the mirror' from the dress's fabric, and began fighting crime as Rorschach. In 1975, investigating the kidnapping of a young girl named Blair Roche, he tracked the kidnapper to Gerald Grice's shack, found evidence Grice had killed the girl and fed her remains to his dogs. Rorschach suffered a psychotic breakdown, killed the dogs with Grice's meat cleaver, handcuffed Grice to a stove, poured kerosene around him, left him a hacksaw, and set the shack on fire. No one emerged. During a later psychological evaluation, the vigilante stated that Kovacs went into the shack, but that Rorschach came out. When the Keene Act was passed in 1977 to outlaw vigilantes, Rorschach responded by killing a wanted serial rapist and leaving his body outside a police station with a note bearing one word: 'never!'

Reader's Guide

Rorschach serves as the narrator and primary protagonist of Watchmen, driving most of the plot forward. He is a ruthless crime-fighter with no superhuman abilities, relying on peak human conditioning, martial arts expertise, and psychological intimidation. His mask, made from a dress fabric, displays a constantly morphing inkblot pattern. Key moments include his investigation of the Comedian's murder, his psychotic breakdown after the Blair Roche case, and his refusal to compromise during the final crisis, leading to his death. Moore stated that Rorschach's diary was inspired by the Son of Sam letters David Berkowitz sent to newspapers, and his speech patterns were based on Herbie the Fat Fury. A successor to the Rorschach mantle, named Reggie Long, debuted in the sequel limited series Doomsday Clock. Another incarnation, Wil Myerson, appears in the DC Black Label limited series Rorschach.

Did You Know?

• Rorschach was created as a way of exploring what an archetypical Batman-type character would be like in the real world; Moore concluded the short answer was 'a nutcase'.
• Moore modeled Rorschach on Steve Ditko's Mr. A and the Question; Ditko himself described Rorschach as 'like Mister A, except Rorschach is insane.'
• Moore said he did not foresee Rorschach's death until the fourth issue when he realized his refusal to compromise would result in his not surviving the story.