Nothing brings Watchmen to mind more than the Comedian's iconic smiley face badge. But as Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #3 reveals, there's a sad history behind Edward Blake's button that connects him to one of the biggest regrets in his life.
From the very first issue of Watchmen, the grinning yellow face is perhaps the most identifiable image in the entire series. The badge belongs to the dark and nihilistic costumed adventurer, the Comedian, and is one of the few things left behind after his gruesome murder at the beginning of issue one. Throughout the story of Watchmen, the Comedian's button passes through several hands before ultimately being buried with the hero. Throughout the rest of the series, imagery evocative of the smiley face badge is seen, such as a crater on Mars, and serves as a haunting reminder of the death that put the series into motion.
But fans may see the smiley face in a whole new light once they see where it actually comes from. In Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #3 by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner, a young Laurel Jane Juspeczyk has run away from home with her boyfriend, Greg. The original Silk Spectre of Watchmen, Sally Jupiter, is worried sick and has requested help from the most unexpected source: her old teammate and Laurie’s real father, Edward Blake. The Comedian kidnaps Greg and gives the young man the choice of either writing Laurie a breakup letter and enlisting in the army, or being murdered by the Comedian via an overdose. Greg writes the letter and disappears while Comedian goes to drop off the message while Laurie sleeps. As he leaves Laurie's room, he picks up a smiley face badge near her belongings and takes it with him.
The Sad Meaning of Watchmen's Smiley Face
It goes without saying that the Comedian was perhaps Watchmen’s most controversial character. Aside from the enthusiasm he showed for killing, Blake was a monster to his own teammates. He was booted from the Minutemen after he sexually assaulted Sally Jupiter. And while Sally and Edward later had a tryst that resulted in Laurie, Silk Spectre refused to let the Comedian be a part of their daughter’s life. The button may seem like an ironic fashion choice of Blake's, but it's actually a small way for him to connect with his daughter.
Despite his jaded leanings, Edward Blake is actually shown to care for Laurie at points in Watchmen. But no matter how he felt, he was not allowed to be a father to her. Picking up one of Laurie’s spare buttons and taking it with him is the only thing the Comedian could really do to have a small part of her always with him. Throughout Watchmen, the smiley face seems to represent the lingering spirit of the Comedian's nihilism. But the pin takes on a more tragic meaning in Watchmen knowing it was the only semblance of a relationship the Comedian could ever have with his only child.