The Comedian

Created by

Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore

History

Early Career

When Edward Blake became the Comedian in 1940, he was considered the most brutal hero, having no care for humanity. Taking the fight to the streets in his Yellow and purple costume The Comedian became a great hero in the fight against the underworld crime lords. While many saw the Comedian as a sociopath he saw himself as a “patriot”.

He joined the Minute-Men and on the day of their announcement, he attempted to rape the first Silk Spectre but was soon stopped by Hooded Justice, who broke his nose. Laughing, The Comedian asked if this is what the Hooded Justice was into, beating on people and causing them pain. Everything was almost a joke to him, he never even took the attempted rape seriously. The rape was covered up and the Minute-Men continued, but all his team mates, especially Nite Owl, grew to resent his presence on the team as they realised he was just as evil as the criminals they fought. Some time later Blake would be voted out of the group and he went about joining the military Some years later, Blake and the Silk Spectre were involved in a sexual relationship. The original Spectre said Blake had changed, but yet she still pulled away from him, when she discovered she was pregnant with his child and married into a normal life. He is the father of the second Silk Spectre, who Blake would meet when the Watchmen tried to form, After mocking them and explaining that they would never solve the worlds problems, he was met outside by the second Silk Spectre who shared a smoke with him, only to be interrupted by her mother who tears her away from the man and ask what type of monster he was, his reply was slow and gave a hint to who he really was to the girl.

Service

The Comedian served during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He became a covert government operative in the 1960’s and it was during that time Blake was invited to join the superhero team known as The Crimebusters, whom he turned down on grounds that their methods were obsolete. It was shown in Before Watchmen that the Comedian was friends with both John and Robert Kennedy and held high respect for them and was involved in killing Marilyn Monroe in order to protect the president. Later however, after they parted ways and Senator Kennedy wanted to go public with a masacure that Blake commited in Vietnam he helped with the assasination of Robert Kennedy.

The comedian went to fight in the Vietnam Conflict alongside Dr. Manhattan and was instrumental in winning the war for the USA. While serving there, like many G.I.’s he became involved with a young Vietnamese woman, As the celebration broke out after Dr. Manhattan put an end to the war, We find The Comedian sitting in a bar along with Manhattan. The woman enters heavily pregnant and ask Blake what he is going to do, He tells her he will leave her country and forget all about it. Breaking a glass she cuts his face, something to remember her by, pulling out his gun he shoots her dead and leaves but not before telling Dr.Manhattan that he is forgetting what it was to be human, he could have saved that women if he wanted.

After the passing of the mask-banning Keene Act in the 1970’s, the Comedian continued his government employment along with Dr. Manhattan. The two of them and Ozymandias being the only publicly recognized and accepted superheroes.

Death

In 1985, while on mission traveling by plane, Blake saw a mysterious island where he found multiple missing scientists and artists who were working for Ozymandias. Edward found out that they were planning on making a new species. All so Ozymandias could fake an alien invasion, all the nations governments would unite to fight this threat and the world would be in peace. The Comedian, torn with what to do, sought out the only person he could talk to about the horrible event, his former nemesis Moloch, now known as Edgar Jacobi. While drunk Blake broke into his house and told him he had no one to turn to and gave him a few key facts that the villain would not understand, but another hero would. Breaking down, The Comedian cried as he told Jacobi how sad and overwhelmed with guilt he was about what he had done to people over the years. Jacobi was the only person he could talk to and would be the last man to see him alive. The next night Comedian sat in his apartment watching T.V., His door shattered into pieces as Ozymandias broke in and attacked him. Blake was severely beaten, but tried to put up a good fight. Sadly it was not enough and he was thrown out of the window of his apartment to his death. Only the Watchmen and Jacobi who hid in the shadows attend The Comedian’s funeral. Edward Morgan Blake died at the age of sixty one, But his death triggers the events of the Watchmen storyline.

Rebirth

Doomsday Clock

As it is shown in Doomsday Clock, Blake doesn’t die at all. Instead of falling to his death on the streets, he falls into the sea. It appears that he’s been saved by Dr. Manhattan.

Costumes and Equipment

Blake wore a boiler suit based costume in his early years. It was colored Yellow and Purple. As his worldview became darker, his second suit featured a more tactical look. It bore a pauldron with a single star on it, symbolising both his disilusionment and his love of the American dream, and the smiley face badge beneath his left shoulder. On the left shoulder itself, part of the US flag is worn. The suit is completed with either a ski or domino mask.

Blake used an M1911 for most of his career. He used a flamethrower in Vietnam, a Thompson submachine gun in the Pacific, and a Mac 10 was stored in his hidden armory.

Movie

In The Watchmen movie, The Comedian was played by Jeffery Dean Morgan. The movie was directed by Zack Snyder, the director of Frank Miller’s 300. The Comedian’s blood-stained badge was used in the opening scene and repeatedly appeared throughout the film, as it did in the comicbook.

Jeffery Dean Morgan’s role of the Comedian was used mainly in flashbacks to historic events, since his character was killed towards the start of the film.

The Comedian’s Badge

The Comedian’s badge with a splash of blood slowly became the icon for Watchmen. It was an iconic symbol. The smiley face covered in a splash of blood seemed to sum up the comic perfectly, with its take on the world and it’s politics, It is unknown if this is what the creators where going for but it seems to have grown into something fans can wonder over. It also seems to reflect The Comedians personality even better, his twisted out look on life, mixed with the blood and pain he deals out. It is a symbol known by almost all comic fans round the world.

Iconic Quotes From The Comedian

Doctor Manhattan Speaking to The Comedian about the Vietnam war.

Doctor Manhattan: You sound bitter. You’re a strange man, Blake. You have strange attitudes to life and war.

The Comedian: Strange? Listen… once you figure out what a joke everything is, being the Comedian’s the only thing that makes sense.

Doctor Manhattan: The charred villages, the boys with necklaces of human ears… these are part of the joke?

The Comedian: Hey… I never said it was a good joke! I’m just playing along with the gag…

Nite Owl speaking to the Comedian as they deal with a riot.

Nite Owl: But the country’s disintegrating. What’s happened to America? What’s happened to the American dream?.The Comedian: (holding a Shot gun) It came true. You’re lookin’ at it. Now c’mon… let’s really put these jokers through some changes.

First Meeting of the Watchmen/Crimebusters

Ozymandias: It doesn’t take a genius to see the world has problems.

The Comedian: No, but it takes a room full of morons to think they’re small enough for them to handle.