In the two first readers’ posts dealing with chapter seven, there seems to be a common theme of the struggle between finding one’s identity by taking on an alter ego, and finding one’s identity by escaping an alter ego. One of the oldest questions for superheroes is, which one is really him or her? The day job or the mask? I love the discussion of this in Kill Bill Vol. 2, when Bill argues that Superman is Superman’s identity, and Clark Kent is the alter ego he takes on to deal with us lowly mortals. Rorschach embodies this idea by calling his mask his face, or skin (ex. Ch 10, pg. 6, panel 2).

Other characters are not so settled in how they as people relate to their masks. As both posts pointed out, Dan seems more confident and “himself” in his suit; the dream in chapter seven is a great example. But I’m sure the character would never say that Nite Owl is “him” and Dan is a false identity, no matter how true that sometimes seems. Laurie is even less comfortable with her superhero identity, and indeed, “Silk Spectre” seems like a personality that suits her mother much better than it suits her. Crimefighting itself, however, is very much a part of who Laurie is. We see the ease with which she slips back into it when she fights the gang in chapter three, and again when she’s taking out guards and inmates alike in chapter eight. In the end, Laurie seems to recognize that she is equal parts her mother and father, and plans to incoporate more of Blake into her costume to better reflect her new-found identity (Ch 12, pg. 30, panel 3).

I think it’s also interesting to consider how the medium of comic books relates to everything both posters were saying. A lot of it has to do with changes in physical appearance, which can happen almost instantly in a comic. Imagine how long it would take to accurately explain Dan’s dream if this were a words-only novel.