Nerds That Geek Comic Book Review – ‘Before Watchmen: Ozymandias’ #2

9/22/2019

Written by Juanita ‘Obi-Juan’ Bonner

Volume II: The Hand That Mocked Them…!

Catch up on the journey so far, by way of Juanita’s review of Volume I.

Picking back up in 1985 in Antarctica and continuing his autobiography, Adrian Veidt undergoes more training for his self-imposed future mission while continuing to reflect on the past. In this way, the second installment resumes where the first left off… avenging Miranda’s death. The artwork remains exceptional and the cover, along with one variant (both Jae Lee), enhances the Ozymandias sexuality debate by depicting him in a submissive position with a female dominatrix in a gas mask over him. I can’t help but speculate, is this his mind bound with guilt surrounding Miranda’s death? In contrast, the second variant (Phil Noto), with the title, “Live like a King,” depicts Adrian on an Egyptian-like throne with both a man and a woman behind him. Possibly a self-realized vision of his proud parents with him as the crowned prince?

In the meantime, when we catch up with Adrian in the story, he is using his financial influence, and Adrian floods the darker corners of the city with money in exchange for information. A simple offer; ”Tell me what I needed to know, and I would change your life forever.” Four days after his search for knowledge begins, he receives some anonymous information. This leads him to a dark alleyway on the south side of New York that is well known for its drug trade. After observing, Adrian, almost effortlessly, disarms a dangerous dealer and renders him unconscious. The dealer is by far no match for Veidt, his training now flawlessly fine-tuned. Thusly, Veidt can almost assuredly calculate the dealer’s moves and best him in his mind before doing so physically. I keep thinking about that ego. Will it trip him up before the events in Watchmen? Will he fall, or at least stumble, before we see him in those famous pages?

Adrian dangles the man upside down and as he comes to, Adrian presses him for information by asking, “one question: where do you get your drugs?” Reluctantly, but eventually, the dealer gives up his source. As what can only be seen as a blatant, I don’t care if you live or die message, Adrian leaves the dealer bound by his signature, Gordian knot, traced back to Alexander the Great [1], to a streetlamp with his valuables strung about and wallowing in his own filth. I wonder, is this hero… or even vigilante behavior? I also ponder on the tie-in with the original works, where Dan Dreiberg (AKA: the second Nite Owl), has his locks replaced by the Gordian Knot Lock Company (Ch. 3; pg. 8 and Ch. 8; pg. 8) thought to be owned by Veidt. I conclude, interesting symmetry and symbolism neatly placed together!!

Continuing his mission the following evening, Veidt uses his financial status and reputation and arrives at “the city’s most exclusive supper club” in a lustrous sports car. Once inside, his influence allows him to dictate a quiet, inconspicuous corner table along with a “well-aired chateau Lafite Rothschild”, 1818 of course. [2] Everyone is more than happy to comply and serve the prestigious and very rich Adrian Veidt. With the unassuming staff and patrons none the wiser as to why he is there, other than to flaunt his status, Veidt is able to witness an envelope exchange between the restaurant manager and a large man described as looking like a “professional leg-breaker.” The thug soon leaves and Veidt is right behind him.

Adrian follows the man across town to the warehouse district and parks out of sight. He witnesses a verbal exchange with the guard discussing the boss being inside. Perfect! Adrian dons his gear from a suitcase in the trunk. Spying on the inside goings on, Adrian sees armed guards, women in their underwear packaging drugs, and, “at the center of it all,” the boss; ”a grotesquely fat man.” The images are as you would expect, dark and shadowy except where the women are packaging a white powdery substance. The thug tosses the boss, Mr. Porcini, the envelope he collected at the supper club as they discuss business and business is good!

In true Veidt fashion, he presents himself to Mr. Porcini by asking if the guard from outside belongs to them as he tosses the obviously scared man towards the boss. Visibly surprised, Porcini orders his men to “just kill the fucker and be done with it!” Within the pages, Veidt narrates a moment where he calculates what he’s up against and boldly tells the boss it’s his last change to surrender. Similar to his childhood altercation all those years ago, Adrian commences his attack without remorse, but not before releasing his headband to create more chaos by causing lighting to be unhinged, in the end collapsing on Porcini himself. Veidt also calculates the fall of one thug to land directly on the table holding the very large pile of white powder causing visual and breathing disturbances in his enemies. In an orchestra of violence, Veidt takes down the entire operation just in time for the local authorities, drawn to all the gun fire, to take over. Naturally, the police do not recognize this particular vigilante and just like that, taken from the Greek poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley [3] and named after the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II [4], Veidt says, “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works, ye mighty and despair.” With that, the newly self-crowned Ozymandias makes his exit with words of “worlds to conquer.” The police are, of course, as stunned as am I! The previous pages unfold swiftly, showing off Veidt’s skills and allowing him to come into his own with his new vigilante persona. I’m exhilarated at his reveal and I think… yes! Yes I do love this character.

The second half of this volume rounds out with Adrian contemplating his future and that of his city as well. He then embraces his latest creation head on, fighting criminals of all sorts by land, air and sea. He fills pages of scrap books with the exploits of his “masked alter ego,” while simultaneously noticing the decline in the once abundant fellow masked vigilantes. This compels him to investigate if for no other reason than to see where they failed and to prevent him from suffering the same fate. Research leads him through the rise of The Minutemen in 1939 and the demise of many of its ranks over the years. He also discovers that the vigilante name Hooded Justice up and disappeared. Upon reflection, Adrian considers, “In less than a decade, their star had burned out completely – leaving only one true mystery remaining: what happened to Hooded Justice?

Veidt, who always felt compelled to solve a presented mystery since childhood, sets out to trace the final known steps of the missing vigilante. Led to the waterfront, he begins his manhunt. Other than a tip that the government is also looking for The Hood, Adrian discovers dried blood that’s too old to actually determine if it belonged to Hooded Justice. Just as he’s kneeling to contemplate this, his senses alert him that he’s not alone. The volume ends with machine gun spray and some sarcastic words from a familiar character… The Comedian! Who has the ego now?

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #2 - 'Volume II: The Hand That Mocked Them..!'
Writer/Artist: Len Wein/Jae Lee; Publisher: DC Comics

Volume II References:

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