Comics

This panel from the conclusion of the graphic novel Watchmen depicts many elements described in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics.

The use of sequential images, specifically in the final two frames, emphasizes the brutality of murder and coldness experienced by the character Dr. Manhattan. The lack of dialogue brings a stark silence to the scene. The lack of any kind of reaction panel from Dr. Manhattan following the murder further emphasizes this. McCloud brings up the concept of closure in his book, being the "phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole" (McCloud, pg. 63). Even if author Alan Moore does not expressly state it within the panels, readers of Watchmen are able to infer quite a bit from this scene as Dr. Manhattan's loss of humanity reaches fruition as he kills his once-friend.

With the vibrant use of color within the panels, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins  are able to express synaesthetics, being the expression of senses visually represented on the page. We can see the repulsive texture of red-haired Rorschach's face, the watery tears dripping down his face as he prepares for his doom. The change in color as Dr. Manhattan liquifies his body displays the splendor of his superpowers. The powdery snowfall gives the reader a sense of the harsh cold environment. And lastly, the pile of blood left in Rorschach's wake emphasizes the savagery of his death.