V wie Vendetta: Der Kult-Comic zum Film (1982)

I always expect to be blown away when something has the sort of following this has but the second half seemed convoluted and uninteresting. I can see how this would have resonated in Thatcher’s Britain though. ( )

I'd seen the movie and I've been curious about the book for a long time. This Fourth of July (how appropriate and ironic), I finally got Kate to trust me with her copy.

This is actually one case in which I'm glad I watched the movie first, because it allowed me to be swept up in a dark, complex world that I did not expect to find. The good characters--other than V himself--had very dark corners and complex motivations, and the bad characters weren't as powerful as they seemed (not that they were sympathetic, but they weren't simple). The story didn't end with the downfall of the tyrant, and the people weren't immediately free and happy. Perhaps it's just a result of having seen revolutions sweep the MENA region a few years ago, but I far preferred seeing the realistic riots break out and having V distinguish "chaos" from "anarchy" before the people began to settle down and figure out which way to go.

Best of all, Evey really grew, and we got to see her come into her own at the end of the story. She didn't have the passive role she did in the movie (Really, they cast Natalie Portman and then stripped down the character's growth? What's the point?) and I didn't get as much of a Phantom of the Opera tragic love story vibe, thank goodness. I also appreciated how young Evey was, and I wish that had stayed in the movie too. I think it's something often overlooked, that politics affects everyone, not just the pitiful little children or beaten-down old-for-their-age adults that "freer" countries so love to photograph. Here is someone who remembers the past, who lived through the change, who is growing and learning about this world, and who is going to share the responsibility of shaping the future.

The only thing that I did prefer in the movie (though I haven't seen it in years) was Stephen Fry's character. I kept waiting for the one person hiding in plain sight, the one person to represent those who'd been disappeared, the one person who tried to stand up with their own face, and I was disappointed. But thinking about that now, it fits. The lack breaks from conventional storytelling and hints at how far the government has infiltrated society (no one "different" managed to hide). And the fact that the little girl who graffitied did so without fear, without a mask, without a message, and without idolizing the single male figure who was going to "save" her and her whole world meant so much more in its directness. I'd love that page on my wall.

I'm afraid this review will have to be short, since it's now been almost a week since I finished and I haven't been able to read it twice, as I usually do with graphic novels. Thank you, Kate, for letting me read this! I've been wanting to for a long time, and it definitely didn't disappoint. ( )

It's as though 1984 and The Count of Monte Cristo had a very violent baby. ( )

I've read George Orwell's 1984 a few times. I always loved it as an important piece of fiction at the very least, but I have never enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed this graphic novel. They share many things, including the basic premise of a totalitarian regime.

What makes V for Vendetta so enthralling (rather that terrifying, as is Orwell's classic) is the amount of involvement to be found by the reader within the images, dialogue and overall substance of the novel. The book is littered with ciphers and references to both the letter "V" and its roman numerical counterpart, "5". David Lloyd's illustrations are crammed with both clues and red herrings, involving the reader in what becomes a game of whit and ingenuity.

The book becomes an experience in itself; a joy to read, as unsettling as its story may be. ( )

The storyline was pretty awesome...if only the artwork wasn't so murky. It was incredibly difficult to tell what was going on in some frames and to identify some of the characters--it really ended up detracting from the story. If I hadn't already seen the movie, I might have been totally lost. The illustrations David Lloyd provided to accompany Alan Moore's "Behind the Painted Smile" essay were of a far better caliber. I wish the same effort had been applied to the comic in full. ( )