The Punchline

Under the hood: Chapters 3 & 4

In this episode of The Punchline, we explore the third and fourth chapters of Hollis Mason aka Nite Owl's autobiography: Under the Hood. In Chapter III we see precisely 'what it takes' to become a costumed vigilante. The name, the costume, exercise, fighting, a nocturnal lifestyle, and regret, all a part of putting on that costume every night. We then explore the backgrounds of all the Minutemen. In Chapter IV we discuss the beginning and end of the Minutemen, the press-fuelled friendship of Sally Jupiter and Hooded Justice, Hollis' personal distaste for the Comedian, and more into individual lives of the Minutemen. Music: Sphynx [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kariatida/Sampler_EP_Vol_11/05_Kariatida_-_Sphynx]

Absent Friends

It's October 16, 1985. Edward Blake's military funeral brings out most of our current and former vigilantes: Dr. Manhattan, Dan Dreiberg, and Adrian Veidt. However, every other member of the Minutemen is absent. As the funeral proceedings progress, our vigilantes recollect an incident from their own memories involving The Comedian: none of them pleasant or funny. Also absent from the occasion is Laurie who visits her mother at the Nepenthe Gardens retirement home. Meanwhile, Rorschach, hiding in plain sight, follows a mysterious figure from Blake's funeral. Hello and welcome to The Punchline. I'm your host Vikrant and today we will attend the funeral of Edward Blake, learn more about The Comedian's past through the memories of our vigilantes, visit Sally at her retirement home and uncover the identity of a mysterious figure who may hold some key knowledge about the circumstances leading up to the Comedian's murder as we analyze the second chapter of Watchmen: Absent friends... Music: Sphynx [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kariatida/Sampler_EP_Vol_11/05_Kariatida_-_Sphynx]

Under the hood: Chapters 1 & 2

In this episode of The Punchline, we explore the first two chapters of Hollis Mason aka Nite Owl's autobiography: Under the Hood. In the first chapter we will learn about the heartbreaking story of Moe Vernon, Hollis' father’s boss in Depression-era NYC. And in the second chapter we hear about the events that led to Hollis creating the persona of Nite Owl. Music: Sphynx [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kariatida/Sampler_EP_Vol_11/05_Kariatida_-_Sphynx]

At Midnight All The Agents

It's October 12th, 1985. America has won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still the president, recently winning his fifth term as president, the cold war has reached a fever pitch and the doomsday clock stands at five minutes to midnight. Youth gangs roam the streets like Alex and his droogs, committing random acts of violence and destruction while masked vigilantes have recently been outlawed thanks to government legislation called the Keene Act which passed in 1977. Masked vigilantes have transitioned to normal lives except the ones sponsored by the government...and Rorschach, who refused to comply with the legislation. He roams the streets, incognito, delivering his own brand of justice. On this fateful night, an individual named Edward Blake has been killed in New York. Detectives at the crime scene decide to keep the investigation hush hush, lest Rorschach interferes. Unbeknownst to them, Rorschach has already begun conducting his own investigation into the matter. His findings lead to him to two conclusions: 1. Edward Blake was The Comedian - a government-approved masked vigilante. 2. This murder may be just the tip of the iceberg of a much larger conspiracy to eliminate masked vigilantes from the picture. But who? And to what end? Hello and welcome to The Punchline. I'm your host Vikrant and today we will take a walk with Rorschach through the seedy underbelly of New York City circa 1985, meet some interesting people, bust a few fingers, break into a military facility and try to find out what exactly is brewing in the Big Apple this fine evening as we analyze our first chapter of Watchmen: At Midnight all the agents... Music: Sphynx [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kariatida/Sampler_EP_Vol_11/05_Kariatida_-_Sphynx]