Rorschach's mask consists of two black and white fluids as stated in Wikia.

Rorschach's mask (which he refers to as his "face") consisted of a specialized fabric, one that was actually two layers of fabric with viscous black and white fluids trapped between them.

We also know that the mask did not react to his emotional state.

Is there any in-Universe information as to what the fluids actually were made of?

  • Volxemortserum – Adamant Aug 15 '16 at 9:35
  • Not that I recall. They're some kind of magical unobtainium facilitated by Dr Manhattan's research, but I don't remember anything being mentioned about their actual chemical composition. – Torisuda Aug 15 '16 at 14:21

It's just two "viscous fluids". No further scientific explanation is offered in any of the comics (or supplementary materials) regarding the composition of the material or liquid involved.

Rorschach is the replacement for The Question, and draws his name from the famous psychiatrist's blot-test. While he wears an assortment of street clothes rather than a costume, his entire body is encased in a thin, hollow membrane, semi-porous and incredibly thin. This contains two viscous liquids, one black and the other white. The liquids flow and change according to variations in pressure and body temperature, making the black and white blots run over his body in an ever-changing design. His face is a white blank marked only by a constantly altering Rorschach blot.

The black-and-white motif ties in with the character's very hard-edged moral philosophy, and is also used by the character himself as a metaphor for the ambiguity of life. Each man must read his own fate into the pictures conjured by the neutral Rorschach blot, and judge himself accordingly.

Watchmen: Absolute Edition

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Watchmen #06

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Watchmen: Absolute Edition

  • Well, if it's just temperature and pressure sensitive, why does the pattern remain symmetric? – ThePopMachine Aug 15 '16 at 15:36
  • @ThePopMachine Well, most of the temperature and pressure affecting the mask comes from Kovacs' mostly symmetrical face :) – recognizer Aug 15 '16 at 16:23
  • @recognizer: maybe face, sort of, but on his limbs? Pressure, in particular, is going to vary all over the place just from the positioning of his limbs, let alone any environmental factors. Not to mention your body (including face) is not nearly as symmetrical as you think it is. – ThePopMachine Aug 15 '16 at 16:32
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    @ThePopMachine If you're referring to that concept drawing in Valorum's answer, I guess the answer is simply that he never actually had a Rorschach bodysuit in the comic, just the mask. So there's no explanation of that because it never happened. – recognizer Aug 15 '16 at 16:34
  • @recognizer: acknowledged. – ThePopMachine Aug 15 '16 at 16:35

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