Rorschach

Walter Joseph Kovacs, a deeply troubled child shaped by an abusive upbringing, became the uncompromising vigilante Rorschach — donning a mask of shifting inkblot patterns and adopting a brutal, black-and-white moral code to wage a relentless war on crime outside the law.

Few characters in comics history have made an entrance quite like Rorschach, who burst onto the scene in Watchmen #1 in 1986 — one of the most celebrated key issues in the Copper Age and a cornerstone of DC's modern legacy. Wrapped in a shifting, inkblot mask and a trench coat, this uncompromising vigilante redefined what a "hero" could look like, and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' creation has cast a long shadow across nearly four decades of comics culture. His adventures have placed him alongside an extraordinary roster — Nite Owl, Walter Kovacs, and even the World's Greatest Detective himself, Batman — across titles like Batman, Detective Comics, and Before Watchmen: Nite Owl. If you're serious about understanding how superhero comics grew up, Rorschach is absolutely essential reading.