Original artwork, not a still
Graffiti, Watchmen #1 (September 1986) and throughout
Who watches the Watchmen?
— Watchmen · 1986
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The question is the book's whole theme written on a wall: if costumed vigilantes guard society, what guards against them? Alan Moore borrowed an ancient Roman worry about guardians, and the title became the answer people give when they quote it. It is often misapplied to any surveillance argument, but its sharpest use is on the vigilante's side of the street.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for WatchmenShow the scene
The slogan "Who watches the Watchmen?" appears as graffiti through the series, from the first issue onwards. It is never seen complete: a foreground figure or object always covers part of it, yet it stays readable. In the story's world it began as the public's response to the 1977 police strike, when costumed heroes were left doing crowd control while riots broke out. After the last chapter the Latin original, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes," appears, taken from the Roman poet Juvenal's Satire VI.
Sources (1)
- Watchmen Wiki: Who Watches the Watchmen?History and TriviaReference checked
Context reviewed
