Warning: spoilers ahead for Rorschach #5!
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Rorschach series set in the Watchmen universe, the mystery surrounding the vigilante's reemergence after having been dead for years is continuing to unfold, as well as the truth of his attempted murder of presidential candidate Governor Turley. This assassination attempt ultimately failed, and Rorschach was killed in the process by the end of the first issue, alongside his accomplice, a woman known as the Kid. Over the course of the series thus far, an unnamed private detective has been looking into the case, and this new issue provides details into Turley himself, potentially providing some of the motives as to why he was Rorschach's intended target in the first place, regardless of whether this was the original Rorschach or not.
By this point in the series, the detective has determined that the most likely culprit under the Rorschach mask was Wil Myerson, the famous comic book writer responsible for the Watchmen world's Pontius Pirate franchise. However, he's still trying to ascertain why fingerprints were found that offered a partial match to that of the original Rorschach, Walter Kovacs. He has also discovered that the Kid's real name was Laura Cummings, and she was raised to be extremely paranoid of the "alien" squids that Ozymandias pretended were invading the world in the original Watchmen story. Cummings was taught that the squids were corrupting and controlling the minds of humanity one by one.
Seeing it as her duty to eliminate those she believed to be under the squids' control, she convinced a man that he held the original Rorschach's soul inside of him, using him to kill the targets she selected. While this first man was soon arrested, she then found Myerson, who agreed to help her kill Governor Turley. Now, in Tom King and Jorge Fornés' Rorschach #5, the detective has been asked to speak with Turley himself, as the governor seems convinced that his opponent President Redford is behind the attempt on his life. It's also revealed that he's a massive fan and former ally of the Comedian, who was once a member of the superhero team known as the Crimebusters.
Not only does Turley clearly have a lot of respect for the Comedian and his military service alongside Doctor Manhattan, he also has a massive poster framed of the Comedian's signature smiley face button, indicating his adoration for the deceased (and deeply corrupt) hero. Turley seems to possess a very similar personality, pretending to be a positive hero and leader when his true nature is far darker.
While the Kid and Rorschach could have just gone after Turley due to a misguided belief that he's being controlled by the squids, there is something to be said for their target being so tied to the Comedian and, by extension, the original Rorschach. After all, the Comedian's death in Watchmen is what kickstarted Rorschach's investigation, which led to the discovery of Adrian Veidt's world-changing plot to prevent nuclear war by fabricating the squid threat. It was refusing to go along with Veidt's plan that saw Rorschach murdered by Doctor Manhattan, and Tom King's exacting attention to the original story means that these connections are likely to have both strong thematic significance and practical relevance to the mystery of the new Rorschach. Despite dying in the early moments of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' story, the Comedian continues to loom large in the lore of Watchmen - but is he hiding one last punchline at Rorschach's expense?