So I made a thread like last year and it so happened to pop in my head again
I'd like to talk about Joey from Watchmen seeing as it's pride month
Despite having no influence over the plot of Watchmen she manages to leave an impression on me with the way she acts
She's a butch lesbian who's sexually aggressive but is reserved for her girlfriend as she does what Aline wants by showing more support for the gay community
Joey seems to wanna keep things in the closet and behind doors and doesn't wanna be loud and proud
She also has her own problems as well as she can't help but to like girls. Going as far as buying hustler magazine on the regular
There's even the climax where she says "I wish I was straight and I wish I was dead" as she tears up her Aline's book that would help her understand her more
Even if Joey was straight she'd have the same relationship problems
I find Joey to be an interesting representation of a lesbian and I can see why some don't wanna show her off due to her negative traits
Thoughts?
Kinda lazy writing.
>Lesbian character feels bad about being lesbian
like really Moore.
We don't get that a lot in comics or cartoons
Usually it's outside forces that make someone feel bad for their queerness but I haven't seen one that internalizes guilt over wanting to be that way
It is bad when a character is fully formed.
>There's even the climax where she says "I wish I was straight and I wish I was dead"
Surprised Alan Moore hasn't been cancelled for that.
Well he has yet be cancelled for all the stuff Rorschach and Comedian does and say
Moore is largely out of the public eye and all the rape stuff is more cancel-worthy than a portrayal of a lesbian from 40 years ago that's slightly out-of-step with modern politics
Also forgot to mention but there was a little theory someone came up with last thread that she could be Rorschach's half sister
Given that Rorschach left home at a young age it could be his mother got empty nest syndrome and had another baby. That or got knocked up again
Her pimp killed her and Joey was put into the system.
It's make her at least ten years younger than him putting her at late twenties or early thirties
Also they both go to the same newspaper vendor. Rorschach for newspapers and Joey for hustler. Every time for both to the point that the stand owner reserves it for them.
It adds nothing to the story but it would an interesting detail
>she could be Rorschach's half sister
I hate that idea, not everything needs to related lucky just a fan idea.
Though Rorschach reaction to a sister would be somewhat interesting because how he feels about women.
Yeah I hope it never is a thing in reality but it's an idea to play around with
Like Joey trying to connect with Rorschach to have some sense of family in her life and finding that he's a dirty hobo who spends all day outside with a end times sign
And Rorschach also being an extreme sexist lmao.
Given that Joey is a gruff person she'd take that in stride
She'd probably be pissed when he refers to her being gay as being a homosexual. Like calling it the technical term instead of gay or a calling her a gay gets under her skin more
>she could be Rorschach's half sister
"small world" = bad writing
That's kind of the whole thing with watchmen
A lot of the characters have interacted with eachother
Most have seen Rorschach in and out of costume
No it isn't. People knowing/seeing Rorschach isn't the same as a random minor side character being related to Rorschach.
Yeah
That's why we said it shouldn't be a real thing
Just an idea to play around with
Aline is an interesting character as well
She's more of a progressive lesbian
This can be shown by the fact she wears the same style as the knot tops which are a mixture of rebellious youth and gang members
She seems to be a good natured person hanging with the wrong crowd trying to get her girlfriend to back her political movements
lol you're not going to get the good literary analysis from here today I guess. I agree tho, Joey is a very well-written queer character especially from the 1980s
You're right, the two are pretty opposite. Aline is more intellectual, political, and fashion savvy. Joey doesn't style herself, speaks more simply, and wears bulky "masculine" clothing. They're both lesbian, but otherwise don't have much in common which is why their relationship ended.
Knots by RD Laing is a real book on relationships from 1971. The panel with Joey ripping the book is a great visual allusion to Alexander the Great cutting through the Gordian Knot, which is referred to a few times in Watchmen.
>The panel with Joey ripping the book is a great visual allusion to Alexander the Great cutting through the Gordian Knot, which is referred to a few times in Watchmen.
That's our Alan.
Her ripping a book is also seen as a bad thing
Some say Alexander cutting the knot showed his genius while others will say that he's using brute strength to solve a problem that requires his mind
Joey decided to use brute force to solve her problems because it's what she thinks is a good answer
Which also leads to her beating her girlfriend