Doomsday Clock might get a rap for using Moore's creations (or superhero analogues), but Johns and Frank have created new additions to the lore too.
The Marionette and the Mime are the two most noteworthy additions to the canon this time around, with the latter in particular taking the cake for the issue's most shocking moment. He's just creepy, taking on violence as a performance (of which no one dare not interrupt). There's also the matter of his 'weapons', which are literally just finger-guns, which is as darkly comedic as things can get, really.
The two characters are of key importance to Rorschach though, hence why he took the time to bust them out of prison. We know not yet why they're so pivotal in his (and another character's) plans, but it's apparent that they fit the archetype of the disturbed Watchmen protagonist quite well.
Also, any character who can pull off finger guns is a definite villain, so make of that what you will.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
