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 in psychology which I consider 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 regarding 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.

Spoilers

The following sections may contain spoilers. I prefer you to read the work untainted by my views. Be wary of reading this if you haven't read V for Vendetta already.

Episodic Analysis

Volume 01

This issue set up some of the major premises. The world, some of the major characters.

Firstly, it deals with the past of Evey Hammond.

Moore used Evey as his medium to express certain key points of V for Vendetta, namely, how England came to be under fascist rule, and what it meant for common people—distress, torment, and docility.

Secondly, it gives us the first taste of how the government works.

Thirdly, V takes his theatric entry and persists on this aspect of his character. This issue also sheds some light on his origin.

Volume 02

This issue gave us a monologue by the leader which is very revealing.

Although evil, the leader is a sincere person. He simply puts all before the individual (including himself). If we consider the romantic attraction he feels for Fate perverse, then he is also a neurotic.

V puts freedom over law and justice. In his monologue in Volume 02, before destroying the sculpture of justice, he eloquently expounded his view on this matter.

This issue also saw the murder of Bishop Anthony Lilliman.

Volume 03

Issue 03 shows the rather doleful murder of Delia Surridge, and V's origin has been explained from Delia Surridge's diary entries.

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.