WATCHMEN, Number 4, December, 1986, page 12.
©DC Comics, Inc.
"Watchmaker"
Writer: Alan Moore
Illustrator/Letterer: Dave Gibbons
Colorist: John Higgins
Editor: Len Wein
President/Publisher: Jenette Kahn

Watchmen is critically and popularly regarded as a high-water mark in superhero comics.  In a series of twelve comic books produced in 1986-1987, writer Alan Moore created a story of epic proportions using a set of characters based on the Charlton superheroes.  The plot works on several levels simultaneously, with many themes weaving throughout the books.  The basic story starts with the elements of a noir mystery tale and ends with a twisted version of the standard "megalomaniac conquering the world" comic-book plot.  The character we see on this page is Doctor Manhattan, based on Charlton's Captain Atom.  Caught in an atomic test chamber, atomic physicist Jon Osterman is transformed into a god-like being who can control matter and energy, living outside the normal time stream. As he is about to be unveiled to the world, a team of publicists has created a costume and symbol for him.  He quickly dispenses with the helmet and soon abandons the rest of the costume.  He particularly dislikes the Bohr-Sommerfeld atom symbol which the team has designed for him, which in fact is the symbol used on the costume of DC Comics's Silver Age Atom. Here, we see him replace it with a stylized Bohr hydrogen atom fused into his forehead.