- "The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll look down and whisper "No.""
- ―Rorschach
| "At Midnight, All the Agents..." | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Watchmen | |
| Title: | "At Midnight, All the Agents..." |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 1 |
| Cover price: | $1.50 |
| Cover date: | September, 1986 |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Jenette Kahn |
| Ex. Ed: | Dick Giordano |
| Writers: | Alan Moore |
| Pencilers: | Dave Gibbons |
| Inkers: | Dave Gibbons |
| Cover artists: | Dave Gibbons |
| Cover inker: | Dave Gibbons |
| Cover colorist: | John Higgins |
| Colorists: | John Higgins |
| Letterers: | Dave Gibbons |
| Editors: | Len Wein |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | Watchmen #2 |
"At Midnight, All the Agents..." is the title to the first issue of the Watchmen comic book maxi-series published by DC Comics. The story was written by Alan Moore with artwork, inks, and lettering by Dave Gibbons, and coloring by John Higgins. The story was edited by Len Wein. This issue shipped with a September, 1986 cover date and carries a cover price of $1.50 per copy (US).
Appearances[]
Featured characters
- The Comedian, Edward Blake (Only appearance; dies)
- Doctor Manhattan, Jon Osterman
- Nite Owl II, Dan Dreiberg
- Ozymandias, Adrian Veidt
- Rorschach, Walter Kovacs
- Silk Spectre II, Laurie Juspeczyk
Supporting characters
Villains
Minor characters
- Captain Metropolis, Nelson Gardner (In a photograph only)
- Dollar Bill, William Brady (In a photograph only)
- Gerald Ford (In a photograph only)
- Hooded Justice (In a photograph only)
- Mothman, Byron Lewis (In a photograph only)
- Phantom the Dog
- Richard Nixon (On a campaign poster)
- Silhouette, Ursula Zandt (In a photograph only)
- Steve
Organizations
- Knot-Tops
- Minutemen (In a photograph only)
- New York City Police Department
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
Headhunter's Holosuite Wiki has a collection of images related to Watchmen 1. Don't worry, Dr. Manhattan's big blue dong is not included.
- Watchmen, and all related characters and concepts were created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. Copyright ownership on the franchise belongs to DC Comics. The original comic series ran for twelve issues from September, 1986 to October, 1987. The series received widespread critical acclaim and has been adapted into a feature film in 2009, a television series in 2019 and a motion comic.
- This issue is reprinted in the Watchmen: The Deluxe Edition hardcover collection, published in July, 2013.
- This issue includes excerpts from the first two chapters of the fictional Under the Hood, which is the autobiographical tell-all book authored by the character of Hollis Mason.
- The events of this series takes place in an alternate timeline wherein Richard Nixon is still the U.S President by the 1980s, and the United States won the Vietnam War, thus making Vietnam the 51st state.
- The title of this issue is taken from a lyric from the song "Desolation Row", written by Bob Dylan in 1965. The full lyric is "At midnight, all the agents and superhuman crew go out and round up everyone who knows more than they do."
- The back cover of this issue shows the Doomsday Clock at 12:00. This becomes more significant in later issues.
- The imagery of the Comedian's button with blood spattered upon it has become an iconic symbol of the Watchmen franchise.
- The two police detectives investigating Edward Blake's murder are unnamed in this issue. They are later identified as Steven Fine and Joe Bourquin.
- Edward Blake has a photograph in his apartment with him shaking hands with Vice President Gerald Ford. As with Richard Nixon, Ford's time in office in this reality is significantly longer than it was in the real world.
- A newspaper seen at a stand outside Eddie Blake's apartment indicates that Vietnam has become the 51st state.
- The Doomsayer with "The End is Nigh" sign is later revealed to be Rorschach.
- Dan Dreiberg states that Edward Blake was 16-years-old when he first joined the Minutemen.
- Repeated references are made to Sally Jupiter, who is Laurie Juspeczyk's mother, and the original Silk Spectre. This issue reveals that Sally was raped by Edward Blake. Watchmen #2 goes into greater details regarding the circumstances behind this event.
- A re-election poster for Richard Nixon bearing the slogan "Four more years" can be seen in an alleyway that Rorschach walks down.
Quotes[]
- Steve Fine: He's crazier than a snake's armpit and wanted on two counts Murder One. We got a cozy little homicide here. If he gets involved, we'll be up to our butts in corpses...
....
- Rorschach: Hello, Daniel. Got hungry waiting. Helped myself to some beans. Hope you don't mind.
....
- Dan Dreiberg: Uhhh... what is it? This little stain, is that bean juice, or..?
- Rorschach: That's right. Human bean juice. Ha Ha. Badge belonged to the Comedian. Blood too. He's dead.
....
- Rorschach: Used to come here often. Back when we were partners.
- Dan Dreiberg: Oh. Uh, yeah... yeah, those were great times, Rorschach. Great times. Whatever happened to them?
- Rorschach: You quit.
....
- Rorschach: Beneath me, this awful city, it screams like an abattoir full of retarded children. New York. On Friday night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Down there... somebody knows.
....
- Adrian Veidt: The Comedian had plenty of other political enemies to choose from, even discounting the Russians... the man was practically a Nazi.
- Rorschach: He stood up for his country, Veidt. He never let anybody retire him. Never cashed in on his reputation. Never set up a company selling posters and diet books and toy soldiers based on himself. Never became a prostitute. If that makes him a Nazi, you might as well call me a Nazi, too.
....
- Rorschach: Meeting with Veidt left bad taste in mouth. He is pampered and decadent, betraying even his own shallow, liberal affectations. Possibly homosexual? Must remember to investigate further.
....
- Doctor Manhattan: A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I be concerned?
....
- Rorschach: On Friday night, a comedian died in New York. Someone threw him out of a window and when he hit the sidewalk his head was driven up into his stomach. Nobody cares. Nobody cares but me.
Recommended Reading[]
|
Watchmen comics |
Similarly themed comics |