Clocks and Smiley Face Essay Example

On the front cover of the graphic novel Watchmen, there is a yellow smiley face badge with blood spatter on it. In this graphic novel, the badge belongs to the character, Eddie Blake who also goes by the name Comedian. The Comedian was a member of the Minutemen and the Crimebusters. From the years 1971-1985, he wore this badge consistently. The badge did not always have the blood stain on it, it was not until he was attacked in his apartment one night. The attacker through the Comedian out the window and the badge came off of his clothes and was washed into a gutter. When the Comedian was buried, Dan Dreiburg dropped the Comedians badge into his grave.
There is a lot of hidden messages, symbols, and motifs through out this graphic novel. Some of the symbols through out the book are the use of clocks and watches, the doomsday clocks, Rorschach's mask, the Comedian's badge, and the slogan “ Who Watches the Watchmen.” All of these symbols have more meaning and makes more sense the farther you read into the novel.
When the Comedian's blood spatters onto the badge, it makes an arrow shape and symbolizes a couple of things. The blood spatter looks like a minute hand on a clock, and it is pointing twelve minutes to twelve which is connected to the doomsday clock. The doomsday clock is used in the book to show when the world going to go through a global disaster. The badge has a happy smiley face on it, and when the blood spatters on it, it symbolizes that there is imperfection in the world and it shows that the belief that everything is perfect is never perfect even though that is how we want it to appear to be.
In every chapter, the badge appears in some sort of way and there is meaning to why it shows up in the comics. In chapter five there is a poster of Buddha with a yellow sun that is spattered with a spot of blood. The blood that is splattered on the sun, is covering Buddha's left eye. On the badge, the left eye of the smiley face is covered also. In chapter