Clocks and Watches
These days, watches are passé. Either you’ve got a smart phone or you live in the wilderness and use the path of the sun to tell time (insert Ron Swanson reference here). But in alt-1985, everyo...
Happy Faces (Smileys)
☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ ☺ ☺ ☺☺ â˜...
Music
It’s no stretch to say Alan Moore is a big fan of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and John Cale. He pulls chapter titles directly from their song lyrics. But he includes fictional and real musicians a...
Advertising
In Alternate 1985, Veidt Enterprises pretty much has a monopoly over the ad-world. New York City is wallpapered with billboards and signs for his perfumes (Nostalgia and Millennium), action figures...
Mirrors and Shadows
Movies and comic books love to use mirrors. Why? They’re both visual art forms, and mirrors are one of the slickest ways to reveal secret sides to characters. We see things in their reflections t...
Locks and Knots
After Rorschach breaks into Dreiberg’s apartment, Dan hires the Gordian Knot Lock Company to install an upgrade (III.8.1). That minor scene turns into one of the book’s running jokes, as Rorsch...