V for Vendetta

#bestreads

To me, this is Alan Moor's greatest work. He is so clear, and so in command of the ideas he wanted to expose, I couldn't find a place where they got watered down which is so much common in comics.

Most of the characters in V for Vendetta are complex. Seldom there is a major character like Bishop Lilliman who is typical. So well-crafted the characters are, their inner struggles, and conflicts with the world out that they felt real, yet full of surprise. Moore has shown a mastery of psychology which is a hallmark of great fiction writers.

However, the characters are only backdrops here. Alan Moore used these characters to effectively convey some very elaborate ideas— freedom, anarchy, justice, integrity, etc.

So, when V started his vendetta, it was not only against some people. It is against the system, even against the lack of aesthetics that the system enforces (hence the theatrical nature of V).

The Movie

I'm aware of the difficulties of comparing works of two different mediums.

The recurring thing I noticed in the movie is it lacks depth. This is very unfortunate. Doubly so because it seems like the lack is there not by mistake, but by design. Everything is toned down in the movie. It's a caricature.

Mentioned Works

V for Vendetta: Mentioned Works

V for Vendetta is littered with literary and cultural references. These are the ones I have identified by far.

Issue 01

01 (Page 14-15)

The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him.
…
And Fortune, on his damned quarry smiling,
Showed like a rebel's whore. But all's too weak,
For brave Macbeth — well he deserves that name
Disdaining fortune with his brandished steel
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like Valor's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave,
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,

Source: William Shakespeare (Macbeth Act 1 Scene 2)

02 (Page 17)

Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Source: Traditional Poem

03 (Page 22)

Dancing in the Street by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

Issue 02

04 (Page 53)

O beauty, Till now I never knew thee!

Source: William Shakespeare (Henry VIII, Act 1 Scene 4)

05 (Page 56)

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici

Alternate version: Vi veri universum vivus vici
Translation: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Source: Robert Nye (Foust)

06 (Page 61)

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.

Source: William Blake (Jerusalem)

07 (Page 68)

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste

Source: Rolling Stone (Sympathy for the Devil)

08 (Page 71)

1 The Lord is my shepherd : therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He shall feed me in a green pasture : and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
3 He shall convert my soul : and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness, for his Name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.

Source: Psalm 23

09 (Page 74)

10 (Page 75)

I am the devil and I am here to do the devil’s work.

Source: Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects, spoken by Otis Driftwood)

Issue 03

11 (Page 87)

There is more behind and inside V. than any of us had suspected. Not who, but what is she.

Source: Thomas Pynchon (V: Chapter 2)

12 (Page 91)

"Let's dig an enormous castle!" cried Moon-Face. "Then we can all sit on the top of it when the sea comes in."

"We can't," said Silky, suddenly looking sad.

"Why not?" cried Jo in surprise. "Isn't this the land of do-as-you-please?"

"Yes," said Silky. "But it's time we went back to the faraway tree. The land will soon be moving on- And nice as it is, we don't want to live here forever."

"Gracious No." Said Jo. "Our mother and father couldn't possibly do without us…"

Source: Enid Blyton (The Magic Faraway Tree)

13 (Page 97)

Delia Surridge explains Milgram experiment

Issue 04

14 (Page 122)

The first line of This Vicious Cabaret nods to the song "There's a Broken Heart for Every Light on Broadway" by Marin Mazzie and Zach Braff.

You can also listen to This Vicious Cabaret:

Issue 08

15 (Page 264)

It will all be over by the Christmas

People used to believe that the World War I will be finished by the Christmas of 1914.

16 (Page 279)

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

Source: W.B. Yeats (The Second Coming)

Issue IX

17 (Page 307)

Everytime we say goodbye
I die a little

Source: Song by Ella Fitzgerald

18 (Page 311)

Evey refers to Ray Bradbury's The Scythe, a short story.

19 (Page 313)

I'm waiting for the man.

Source: Song by Velvet Underground

20 (Page 325)

So, how can you tell me you're lonely
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand
And lead you through the streets of London
Show you something to make you change your mind

Source: Streets of London, Song by Ralph McTell

About V for Vendetta (New Edition) by Alan Moore

A powerful story about the loss of freedom and individuality, V FOR VENDETTA takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom, and precious little faith in anything, comes a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts in this gripping tale of the blurred lines between ideological good and evil.