The Comedian Origins
origins, comic book origins, comic book, eddie blake, the comedian, watchmen, rorscach, minutemen, silk spectre, marvel, dc, watchmojo,Superhero Origins: The Comedian
To some people, the entire world is one big joke – but not necessarily the ‘ha-ha’ kind. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of the Comedian.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which unfolded in 1986’s Watchmen #1-2 which was expanded upon in 2012’s Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1-4.
Like most of the Watchmen, The Comedian possessed no superpowers and was merely a man built like a tank. His massively muscled body made him a dangerous opponent – but even more formidable was his amoral ruthlessness. This Comedian fought to win – at any cost, a trait rivaled only by his future teammate Rorschach.
Details about the Comedian’s origin are sketchy. When readers were introduced to him in the first pages of Watchmen #1, he was already dead – and it was his death which set in motion the plot of that landmark mini-series. Flashbacks throughout the series, especially the first two issues, filled in a few details about this problematic hero.
In his civilian identity as Eddie Blake, the Comedian had been thrown from his window and fell hundreds of feet to his death. The police investigating the death wanted to keep the murder quiet, hoping that the violent vigilante hero known as Rorschach wouldn’t get involved. At this point in the story, costumed crime-fighters are already outlawed and the last thing the police want is vigilante resurgence. But Rorschach conducted his own investigation, on the death of The Comedian, former Watchman turned government operative and assassin.
Rorschach visited other active or retired costumed crimefighters to warn them of his theory that if the Comedian was killed, the rest of them might also be targeted. In a flashback, readers saw a young Comedian in a meeting of the 1940’s superhero group known as the Minutemen. No information was given about how he became the Comedian, but a text piece indicated that he was inspired by some of these heroes to put on a costume and clean up the waterfront.
Back in the 1940’s, The Comedian fought alongside a superhero team called ‘The Minutemen’, also known as the first Watchmen. Although he initially seemed fresh but harmless, he quickly revealed a fierce temper and was no true hero. He tried to rape fellow Minuteman and fellow hero Silk Spectre. Fortunately, he was stopped by the intervention of another hero, Hooded Justice.
The Minutemen were considered a success, but short lived as through a series of unfortunate events lead to the deaths of many of their members and the surviving heroes went their separate ways. In the 1960’s, the Watchmen were reborn as Comedian put a damper on the first meeting of the Crimebusters, a hero club that also included the Silk Spectre’s daughter, Silk Spectre II. His cynical assessment of world problems frustratedthe heroes. The Comedian joined this team aswell. The Comedian’s temper not only got worse, but his dismal view of humanity as a whole leadThe Comedian to commit atrocious acts of violence.
Jumping back to present day, Rorschach visited Moloch, a retired super-villain. He learned that the Comedian had come to see Moloch recently. Drunk, Blake babbled about something he had recently encountered which had clearly unnerved him. Confused but determined, Rorschach paid a visit to Blake’s grave to pay his respects – and to vow to continue his search for his killer.
In 2012, DC released a series of prequels which expanded a little on the background of the Watchmen characters. Through this series, readers learned that Eddie Blake started his costumed activities when he was sixteen years old. From the start, he appeared to be a bully, stealing from and frightening those he was supposedly protecting. He also was above board about wanting to profit from his association with the Minutemen. Yet when his actions toward Silk Spectre resulted in his expulsion from the group, he seemed genuinely upset. However, it wasn’t long before thegovernment came calling, and The Comedian found a new use for his particular skill-set.
Eddie did show something of a human side to Silk Spectre. He commiserated with Silk Spectre after she slaughtered a villain who had killed one of the Minutemen. In doing so, he told of how during his activities in the War, he had watched an innocent woman get killed. She had been good to him, but it was the only way to put her out of her misery.
So far, specific details about how Eddie Blake initially became the Comedian have been few and far between. But the information revealed about his early days behind the mask do provide some insights into this complicated and not especially lovable character. Though he’s not a character that is easy to love, he nevertheless exerts an undeniable fascination.
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