For nearly forty years, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ masterpiece Watchmen has been one of the comic book medium’s most influential stories – something the latest issue of DC Comics’ Sinister Sons hilariously emphasized by delivering a hilarious twist on one of the most intense quotes from Moore and Gibbons’ series.

Sinister Sons #4 – written by Peter J. Tomas, with art by Vasco Georgiev – continues the adventures of Lor-Zod and Sinson, the sons of General Zod and Sinestro. Finding themselves inside the belly of a space whale, where they encounter a heroic astronaut named Major Tom. When they are confronted by swashbuckling alien pirates, it is Major Tom was paraphrases Rorschach from Watchmen.

Finding himself in prison, Moore’s masked vigilante famously declared: “…you’re locked up in here with me,” – a sentiment Major Tom gloriously echoes, to great comedic effect.

DC’s “Sinister Sons” Hilariously Pays Tribute To Rorschach’s Deadliest Line

A Series Full Of Fun References

Picking up right where the last issue left off, Sinister Sons #4 opens with the trio in the belly of Melville the whale, almost immobilized by the sonic howl of the creature. On the surface, alien “piratesites” intent on eating Melville’s heart attempt to kill him, overloading his pain receptors and preventing him from warping away. When the buccaneers tear at the creature’s skin and enter his body, they confront Tom and the super-powered boys. However, when the astronaut assists his unlikely host, he turns the tables on the attackers in a manner befitting Watchmen’s Rorschach.

As Major Tom works to heal the wounds Melville sustained in the attack, he references Watchmen in the best way possible, stating:

After I cauterize this wound you monsters left, you’re going to realize we’re not stuck in here with you. You’re stuck in here with us.

What was a serious line in Alan Moore’s magnum opus is given a hilarious new context in Sinister Sons #4. While Rorschach’s utterance of the original quote was full of gravitas, signaling that he was truly the most dangerous person in the prison, Major Tom’s version is a burst of heroic bravado. It also stands as one of the issue’s laugh-out-loud moments, particularly for those readers familiar with Watchmen.

Major Tom Has Been “Sinister Sons” Break-Out Character

The Series’ Most Fun Character

Major Tom’s place in Sinister Sons thus far has been as a personification of cultural references; whether it’s his name, a homage to David Bowie’s iconic song, or his Watchmen reference in Sinister Sons #4. Having spent years trapped in the bowels of Melville the Whale, nobody is as formidable in the peculiar setting as him. Handily taking on a horde of piratesite crewmen, the new character perfectly channeled Rorschach’s intimidating challenge to his enemies. Though the use of the quote hits differently, its inclusion in Sinister Sons #4 is a reminder of the continued influence of Watchmen on comic book creators.