Chapter 1 brings comic panels to life

Guardians: Chapter 1 stood in another universe, in which costumed superheroes appeared in the 1940s-1960s, which had an irreparable influence on the world. Rorschach, a one-time hero turned vigilante, begins an unsanctioned investigation into the strange death of the comedian, a government superhero. As he begins to uncover pieces of the mystery, he and his retired colleagues, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. creep closer.

Guardians: Chapter 1 is based on the critically acclaimed series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The animation style stays true to the comics bringing the panels to life on screen like never before. Guard is a study in humanity with the star-studded voice cast bringing depth to their performances with Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Matthew Rhys, Troy Baker, and Rick D. Wasserman

Screen Rant Interviewed Titus Welliver about playing Rorschach in Guardians: Chapter 1. He explained how Rorschach being an abuse survivor is at the heart of the character and how his own love for the comics was a huge motivation in taking part. Welliver also praised the animation style and how it brings the comic book panels to life on screen.

Rorschach is not only a survivor but also “a byproduct of physical and mental abuse”

“I think it’s very easy for a person on first reading to think of Rorschach as a guy who’s out there and right right wrong.”

Screen Rant: The way you did Rorschach’s voice, it was as if you pulled his voice from my mind and put it into your performance. So what was your approach to capturing the essence of Rorschach’s voice and personality?

Titus Welliver: For me, more than anything, what I wanted to do was, because I think it’s very easy for a person on first reading to just think of Rorschach as a guy who’s there to right wrongs. It’s his form of justice, but to dismiss him as just being crazy and unhinged and all that. The character has tremendous depth. Whoever he is, he is a survivor and he is a byproduct of the physical and mental abuse he sustained.

So yes, he is damaged. There is no question about it. I wouldn’t necessarily, people have said he’s schizophrenic and this and that, but you don’t really want to play that tone because really the intention of him is he has a path forward. And he is very specific about it.

I wanted to try something because he doesn’t really talk about it, but it’s a kind of magic trick to bring in byes just in certain sentences or beats and moments just with an intonation to create some level of humanity and accessibility to the character. That was something I was really conscious of trying to do. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know if I succeeded or not.

You did such a great job because you bring the fear that I expect from Rorschach, but also the intelligence, because I think that one thing that is suggested is how smart the guy is to put the puzzle pieces. You have the full package of what I always imagined the character to sound like. So when I read the graphic novel kind of growing up, your voice is almost exactly what I imagined Rorschach to sound like, which is absolutely incredible. Speaking of the graphic novel, how familiar were you with those Guard Graphic novel before they were cast? And does that affect your performance at all?

Titus Welliver: Well, I was very familiar with it. A friend of mine gave me a copy of it when it first came out. Being a long-time collector and avid comic collector, it was a mind-blower because we had never seen anything like it before. I mean, the closest thing to adult content in the world was really Heavy Metal Magazine or some creepy & creepy kind of thing. But it was something that was in an overreaching way, it was social commentary.

It was an all encompassing thing, and it had great breadth to it. So it wasn’t just like, it was the human condition with the backdrop of these people being superheroes. So I was very familiar with him. Like everyone else who loved the book, I’ve been waiting years and years for the movie, and they’ve always been buzzing with names. Over the years it would be like a fangoria or cinefantastic.

Oh, word has it that Bryan Singer will do it, or Ridley Scott will do it. And then we finally got Zack Snyder and he made the film and I was like, Hallelujah. In the same way that I think this is just a live action lift directly from the panels. I think it’s a perfect thing. DC had the great sense to do this with a mix of cell animation and CG. So literally what I’ve seen of it, the trailer, and they show me little snippets here and there. This is a 100% faithful rendering of the graphic novel. It’s like the panels start talking.

Watchmen Chapter 1 is “as close to having the book in front of you” on screen

“Being someone who loves comic book art, to deviate from that would have been catastrophic.”

Absolutely. And I think that’s what’s so impressive, and not just the way it was made, but the power of the story of the Guard. Because whether it’s Zach Snyder’s live-action version, or whether it’s the animated version, the heart of the story is still there and it’s still impressive. What do you think fans of the original Guard Graphic novel will appreciate the most about this animated adaptation?

Titus Welliver: I think the fact that the adaptation is so accurate in detail with the physical images, with the artwork. If you didn’t have that, it wouldn’t work. It just really wouldn’t work. Being someone who loves comic book art, graphic novel art to deviate from that would have been catastrophic. I just think it wouldn’t have worked. I had this conversation on day one.

I said, please tell me you won’t watch… I mean, I appreciate CG stuff and I love Batman the Animated Series, and I’m a huge anime guy, Ghost in the Shell. I’m a big animation freak. But they did. They took it on board, and I think it’s as close as having the book in front of you, but you see on a screen and there is no separation of the panels.

About Watchmen: Chapter 1

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Source: Screen Rant Plus