TrashMouse
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As the title says, what pieces of media give you the same feeling or vibe the vaporwave gives off! Please share what you think, I'm interested in hearing your opinions. What I wrote down here is long and you don't have to read it to understand the rest of this thread, I just share my thoughts on a comic called Watchmen and how some of the themes overlap with vaporwave. Also spoilers for Watchmen below.
For me, a piece of media that gives me that same feeling that vaporwave gives is the 12 issue comic book watchmen (1986). If you haven't read the book I highly recommend it, you can find it online on a bunch of places. The book follows a cast of 5 main "heroes" over the story, dealing with themes of disconnect, fantasy vs reality, decay, the broken promises of society and what is just, and who enforces justice. In my opinion, this is most exemplified in the characters of Rorschach and Dr.Manhattan. These characters are very different but both share the feeling of being disconnected from the world, and with their own past. This idea of the past decaying and not being able to relate to it or the present is a common vibe I get from vaporwave.
Dr. Manhattan is the only character that has superpowers. After an accident with a nuclear reactor, he can manipulate atoms, allowing him to essentially create, destroy or alter anything. He also experiences time all at once meaning he can see the future, past and present at the same time. This grand understanding of the operations of the universe and his view of time makes him unable to relate to humankind. This comes to a climax on the day that his girlfriend breaks up with him and his powers are accused of giving people cancer. Dr.Manhattan leaves Earth and goes to Mars, leaving humanity behind. He thinks about his past, his future his present, and how he feels. He is a being outside of humanity that has been attempting to understand what is expected of him. This feeling of isolation and loneliness is a common feeling from vaporwave, with vaporwave's longing for meaning in a continually commercialized unhuman world comparable to Manhattans' search for what his place in the world is. At the end of the comic Dr.manhattan leaves the galaxy to go to try to
Rorschach is a mentally deranged masked vigilante that views morality as black and white, he views the world as filthy and unable to be cleansed. He acts out with violence against those he thinks are evil and defends those he thinks are good, regardless of their flaws. He had an abusive, traumatic childhood that made him delve into fantasy to cope, holding his 'ideals' of morality above all. His persona or Rorschach is a cover for his real self, Walter Kovacs, a sad ugly man that longs for a non-existent America he was promised. This has clear comparisons to vaporwave's themes of capitalist decay, a supposed world of innovation of prosperity promised, when in reality all were are given is run-down shopping malls filled with products of sweatshop workers. This deranged persona fades away when he knows he is about to die. Taking off his mask and telling them to DO IT, wishing for his death to end his tormented existence.
All of the theme comparisons are also supplemented with the fantastic artwork of Dave Gibbons with color from John Higgins. Attached below are some of the most 'vaporwave' pieces of art throughout the series.
For me, a piece of media that gives me that same feeling that vaporwave gives is the 12 issue comic book watchmen (1986). If you haven't read the book I highly recommend it, you can find it online on a bunch of places. The book follows a cast of 5 main "heroes" over the story, dealing with themes of disconnect, fantasy vs reality, decay, the broken promises of society and what is just, and who enforces justice. In my opinion, this is most exemplified in the characters of Rorschach and Dr.Manhattan. These characters are very different but both share the feeling of being disconnected from the world, and with their own past. This idea of the past decaying and not being able to relate to it or the present is a common vibe I get from vaporwave.
Dr. Manhattan is the only character that has superpowers. After an accident with a nuclear reactor, he can manipulate atoms, allowing him to essentially create, destroy or alter anything. He also experiences time all at once meaning he can see the future, past and present at the same time. This grand understanding of the operations of the universe and his view of time makes him unable to relate to humankind. This comes to a climax on the day that his girlfriend breaks up with him and his powers are accused of giving people cancer. Dr.Manhattan leaves Earth and goes to Mars, leaving humanity behind. He thinks about his past, his future his present, and how he feels. He is a being outside of humanity that has been attempting to understand what is expected of him. This feeling of isolation and loneliness is a common feeling from vaporwave, with vaporwave's longing for meaning in a continually commercialized unhuman world comparable to Manhattans' search for what his place in the world is. At the end of the comic Dr.manhattan leaves the galaxy to go to try to
Rorschach is a mentally deranged masked vigilante that views morality as black and white, he views the world as filthy and unable to be cleansed. He acts out with violence against those he thinks are evil and defends those he thinks are good, regardless of their flaws. He had an abusive, traumatic childhood that made him delve into fantasy to cope, holding his 'ideals' of morality above all. His persona or Rorschach is a cover for his real self, Walter Kovacs, a sad ugly man that longs for a non-existent America he was promised. This has clear comparisons to vaporwave's themes of capitalist decay, a supposed world of innovation of prosperity promised, when in reality all were are given is run-down shopping malls filled with products of sweatshop workers. This deranged persona fades away when he knows he is about to die. Taking off his mask and telling them to DO IT, wishing for his death to end his tormented existence.
All of the theme comparisons are also supplemented with the fantastic artwork of Dave Gibbons with color from John Higgins. Attached below are some of the most 'vaporwave' pieces of art throughout the series.
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