The story by Tom King is awesome. It is smart and well conceived. The art by Jorge Fornes is the best of his career. It evokes the classic Watchmen style by Dave Gibbons but it completely stands on it's own. This is one of the best new comic books of the year. Well done. Read Full Review

This is a fantastic opener. Tom King will leave you asking questions, Dave Stewart will bring a set of colors that enhances the noir vibe, and Jorge Fornes will intoxicate your eyes with his images. I can't believe I'm reading a comic in 2020 where the names Otto Binder, Frank Miller, and Rorschach are all attached. Mystery hype is real! Read Full Review

Damn, I have to admit that this mystery has me intrigued. After reading Rorschach #1, I am prepared to follow Tom King down whatever rabbit hole he's heading toward. This series promises to be a truly memorable story. Read Full Review

This is a great first installment that sets out its mysteries nicely and begs readers to come back and see what comes next. Read Full Review

Anytime creators dabble in The Watchmen sandbox theres bound to be some apprehension, but it this first issue is any indication Rorschach will make for a worthwhile companion piece that connects with old and new fans of the character. Read Full Review

Unlike its predecessors, it doesn't feel like Watchmen at all. It feels like Tom King is using the foundation to build something totally new, and I'm excited to be along for the ride. Read Full Review

As a fan of this type of story, Rorschach #1 is a home run for me. I found myself going back to count shots and matching up blood spurts. I looked for clues as I went along. It sucked me in attempting to unravel the mystery as the comic progressed. I'm a crime/noir comic fan and this is up there. For those who might be turned off because it involves Rorschach and/or Watchmen, you're missing out on a hell of a debut and a comic I'm dying to read the second issue of. Read Full Review

As a huge fan of the Watchmen universe and Tom King as a writer I came into this series with high expectations. I can safely say my expectations have been met and exceeded. With mystery, suspense and drama I was hooked from the opening page to the very last and am extremely excited to see this series develop. Read Full Review

Tom King homages pulp fiction and film noir to deliver a script steeped in reverence for the original that adds a new take on the world of "Watchmen" without taking anything away from it. Jorge Forns and Dave Stewart step up to fill some big shoes and put together one of the tightest paneled, deftly drawn comics on the shelves this week. Read Full Review

RORSCHACH #1 doesn't waste time trying to make sure it gets WATCHMEN right. It simply exists in the same universe as WATCHMEN and confidently walks on, telling its own story. Read Full Review

Other than the lack of WATCHMEN, this was a very solid first issue for a crime-mystery narrative that was a bit too cluttered with dialogue. However, the cliffhanger does leave his reviewer a bit intrigued for the next installment. Heck, the cover even fits in beautifully with the premise of the issue. For now, Im in. However, Kings leash is very short for this reviewer. If mysteries and crime dramas are your thing, Id take a chance on RORSCHACH this week. If not, give it another issue or two and maybe hop aboard the train later and snag the back issues or trade at that time. Read Full Review

I like Tom Kings work for the most part and first issues have a high bar to reach for continued reading, but this one just misses the mark in both regards. Whether this ambivalence is due to fatigue from Doomsday Clock, the HBO show or just simply wanting the world of Watchmen to take a rest, I dont have the highest of hopes for this series as it just seems superfluous at best. Jorge Forns and Dave Stewart are almost worth it, but its not enough. Read Full Review

The story that didn't need a sequel gets it's second sequel, and darned if this one doesn't work. Read Full Review

This issue itself functions as a Rorschach test, providing the general shape of the story to come as King and Forns leave it to their audience to fill in the context around it. What you see in it is informed by what you put into it yourself. We know that there is something here but King and Forns only give us enough to start filling in the details and shadows ourselves. At this point, it actually feels a bit more like a trap, like we're being set up already for some twist that we half expect but won't see coming down the line. As we're being eased into this story, we know as much as or less than what the detective knows so we are put into his role, trying to complete the picture through our own assumptions and worldviews. And from a first issue, can we really expect anything more than that? Read Full Review

Jorge Fornes does a great job with the art in the issue. The scenes are beautifully framed and have a great detective noir style to them. I wish there was more happening in the story to complement the compelling art. Read Full Review

Tom King goes in a completely different direction with what this story is about and when it happens then you would expect it. The problem is that the idea on its most basic level was done not that long ago with the same character, and it's too soon to really see if he's on to something good here. For positives, I really enjoyed the art style, and the revelation at the very end does make me interested in what it means. However, it did not hold my interest throughout most of the book. Read Full Review

It's just another entry in a string of mediocre Watchmen knockoff comics that only serves to remind readers of the relative importance (and brilliance) of the original series in comparison. Read Full Review

Stunning art and compelling story.

Love every part of it.

Superb start!

definitely a great start

King has said Rorshach is him pouring his anger at the current political landscape of America into a story. As someone who shares his rage, even the small snippets of that aspect of the story that we get in issue one were enough to get my blood boiling.

The casual dismissal of fascism, an enormous poster that says "Come To The Conservative Revolution", the vaguely familiar campaign slogan of "America for Americans." King spends this introductory issue more concerned with the setup of this noir thriller, and he does it very well, but at its edges he is seething, and that's incredibly cathartic because so am I.

Jorge Fornes provides his usually gorgeous, appropriately noir-style art that simultaneously fits with Gibbons' art in the original series while also being its own thing, and Dave Stewart's beautiful colours are the cherry on top.

This is an auspicious beginning to a series that will have a lot of detractors simply by existing, but I for one can't wait to get deeper into this mystery and further into the rage. more

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VenomizedTank - Nov 22, 2020

Man I agree 100 percent...

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Great start. Very intrigued to see where this goes

Until the very end, this could've been a separate indie comic with a few alterations. Which I honestly prefer to something that will affect Watchmen's canon. But I think it's time everyone give up on the idea that Watchmen will continue untouched. This was honestly a really intriguing opener. I like the Steve Ditko of it all. I went in expecting not to like this because King is extremely hit or miss for me. But so far, so good.

Very good opener. It makes the reader curious about what is actually going on and in which direction the action will go next.

This is a very strong start to this series. It has an intriguing premise and many interesting questions are raised. I hope King can satisfactorily deliver on them. A few other questions came to mind that were not addressed. What happened to the fake IDs that were supposedly used? How was the sniper rifle smuggled into the convention? How did the FBI know that Myerson was "missing" when he was a known recluse? The artwork is not my favorite style but it works.

damn this rorscach dude is dope.

This is the first Tom King comic I've liked in a long time. So, yeah, it's really good. I'm super invested in the story and can't wait for the next issue.

I'm in.

I liked this more than I expected to.

A good opening chapter for a new comic, but like a lot of readers I’m questioning if this story really belongs in the Watchmen universe. Other than to sell the book there doesn’t seem to be a reason why this story needs to be told in that universe. Couldn’t it have worked equally well as a future story about the Question or someone dressed up as Batman. It might actually work better that way as a lot more people know who Batman is in the DC Universe than know who Rorschach was in the Watchmen universe. It’s possible future chapters may justify it, so I’m withholding judgment on the longterm prospects for the book. I’m hoping future chapters improve my overall impression of the series.

I'm baffled how King never did a detective/noir story on Batman, but does it here.

The nods to Ditko are interesting. The dialog could be more clear. It's interesting overall, but I'm not totally sold.

We'll have to wait and see... but this beginning doesn't blow the doors off.

Imagine DC putting out a Rorschach book that's a sequel to the HBO Watchmen to hype off the emmygasm and they make the new Rorschach an analogue of Steve Ditko.

And its written by Tom King.

I don't want to imagine.

As bad as the HBO series, if you didn’t like it, don’t even bother with this.