A difficult read to be sure, in the sense of having to slow down and consider the deep political mire and philosophy dropped into: thick, poetic, and literary dialog; heavy handed satire; and rough but somehow eloquent illustrations. Moore and Lloyd have created something dark, violent, beautiful and timeless. So timeless it is heartbreaking.

Me: *is 21 yo and has no idea what tf V for Vendetta is about*
My friend: *hands me her personal graphic novel in disgust* I pity you

“Remember, remember the fifth of November; the gunpowder treason and plot. I can think of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.”

V for Vendetta is one of my favorite movies of all time. For that reason, I never read the graphic novel that inspired the movie, for fear that it would fall short. Until today, that is. And I needn’t have worried; Alan Moore’s original story was just as powerful as the movie. I wasn’t disappointed at all, and this is now my favorite graphic novel.

I think of V for Vendetta as an alternate 1984, one where Winston and Julia fought back against Big Brother and won. It’s such a powerful story that I can’t really think of how to properly describe it. Bigots and fear mongers will always twist tragedies to their own ends, and will always seek to eradicate anyone who looks different or acts different or thinks different than they do, and will do their best to cow the remainder of the population into submission. In both V for Vendetta and 1984, those bigots and fear mongers succeeded. But V for Vendetta gives us something that 1984 does not; it gives us hope. Because ideas are bulletproof, and the Thought Police and Norsefire can only reach so far. They can beat us down and even kill us, but there is an inch of us they cannot touch without our consent. Even in death, that inch, our integrity, is ours and ours alone. They cannot take it, as they cannot take hope.

There was one thing that was added to the movie that I missed in the book: V’s Alliteration Speech. Here it is below:

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

Such a superbly satisfying soliloquy, sí?

One thing I liked better about the graphic novel was the growth of Evey. Natalie Portman did a wonderful job in the movie, but I felt like the Evey present in the final scenes of the graphic novel was stronger, harder, more fully developed.

Do I recommend the graphic novel? Wholeheartedly. Is it better than the movie? No. But they’re both wonderful and inspiring and worth consuming. Please, consume them both.

I don’t read a whole lot of comics, but there’s something special about this one that always makes me return to it.

It is a very great look into a dystopian. London debt is almost too realistic of what could happen fairly easily in modern society. This book is feels like a good mix between a Batman story and George Orwell’s 1984.

And just look at the heart of any good story of the characters are this and deserve it, and you really feel for all that they have lost through their fast society and all the rights that I’ve been taken away. Because you’re a lot too rude for when they fight back against the system that is keeping them pin down and even though V may not be the perfect person, he is perfect antihero for this story.

“The past can't hurt you anymore, not unless you let it.”
…
“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea... and ideas are bulletproof.”

The part of this book that will stay with me the most is one the author could never have intended when he wrote it 30 years ago. On the second page, the government spokesperson in this fascist Britain implores those listening to “make Britain great again.” Talk about art imitating life.

I don’t read many graphic novels, but I needed to read one for a book challenge, so I gave this one a go. I did not love the art as much as some people seem to. There were frames where I found it difficult to see what was happening. The story is solid, though again, I didn’t love it as much as some people seem to. I found the middle third—which focuses more exclusively on V and Evey—to be the best and most original section of the plot. Recommended, but it’s no  Watchmen.

"V For Vandetta" Allan More ve David Lloyd'un yarattığı bir efsane. Müthiş filmi bir tarafa gerçek halini, çizimleri, eskizlerini görmek, incelemek, filmden ayrılan küçük ayrıntılara dalmak gerçekten büyük keyif. Aynen "Bu maskenin altında etten ve kemikten daha fazlası var; bir FİKİR var!" dermişcesine nefis bir lezzet. JBC Yayıncılık'a ne kadar teşekkür etsem az. Diğer çizgi romanları kadar emek verilmiş, üzerinde çalışılmış bir "Özel Edisyon" olmuş. Fiyat ile ilgili sıkıntı olduğunu düşünüyorum. Ama bu aralar tüm yayıncılar hem eserleri küçültüyor hem de fiyat arttırıyorlar. Buna bir önlem alınmalı. Okur kitap ile rahatça ulaşabilmeli. Kitabın sonundaki "Son Söz" ise bence bir başka efsane. Üreten insanların tüm doğallığı, samimiyeti yazar / çizerden okura geçiyor. Evet, kurgu, dil, aksiyon konusunda ne desem boş. Çizgi romanı yeni bitirdim ve içimde bir kez daha "V For Vandetta" filmini izleme isteği oluştu. Evet, bu fikirde kitap ya da filmden daha çok şey var!

I watched the movie. Then I came to read all the comic books in this series. This is mindfuckingly gorgeous work.

This was my first time reading this and I enjoyed it immensely.
V is wonderful and I understand now how his character has stood the test of time.

V for Vendetta takes place in a nightmarish version of London in the year 2032 after the world has been torn apart by a prolonged civil war and a mysterious virus that ravaged the population of America and Europe. The United Kingdom was overthrown by a Nordic supremacist who turned the country into an Orwellian police state where art, music, literature, free speech and every other basic right that people take for granted has been outlawed. On top of the society having Orwellian characteristics, it also has the teachings, punishment and disciplinary methods shared by Adolf Hitler’s Reich and Joseph Stalin’s rule over the Soviet Union. Anyone that doesn’t belong to the master race or refuses to fall in line with the extreme rules are viewed as undesirables and are sent to concentration camps where their existence is completely erased from society.

Millions of people were slaughtered without mercy, but a single man managed to escape from the hellish death sentence of the camps. He has no name and no one knows his face. He calls himself V and he has a vendetta against the monsters that stole everything he held dear, enslaved his people and destroyed his beloved homeland. He plans to lead a rebellion against the government by pulling the mask off their cruel brainwashing tactics and leading one small revolution at a time by introducing the common folk to the forgotten ideas of truth, art, freedom and individuality.

One such individual is a naive teenage girl selling her body on the street named Evie. She unknowingly offers services to men working for the fascist regime and they threaten to assault her before killing her. V appears from the shadows, killing the men in dazzling style all the while reciting forbidden verses from banned literature to mock the evil and enlighten any citizens that may be listening.

With no place to go, V takes Evie under his wing and re-educates her in his hidden base where he has access to banned books, films, plays, music and many more forgotten delights. This is what makes V such a fun character. He’s like Edmond from The Count of Monte Cristo with a touch of Erik from Phantom of the Opera and Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride thrown into a violent dystopian society. He’s cunning, witty, playful and sadistic and it’s a joy to listen to him give grand speeches like an A+ theater student all while committing deadly acts of terrorism and genocide against the fascist regime.

Being around such an eccentric man changes Evie greatly in a short amount of time. The truths are revealed to her. She realizes that art and literature are banned because knowledge is the kryptonite to fascism. She slowly gains a sense of independence and awareness and we witness through her eyes how naive, innocent people that are easily manipulated can grow resistant to the people that prey on them by educating themselves. They can then pass on their knowledge and experiences to other naive individuals who can gain their own sense of independence.

Evie works as V’s accomplice for a time, acting as bait for men who abuse their power while V brings them to justice through brute force. She eventually separates from V and goes about carrying out his will in her own way, aiding V in empowering the people to stand up for their rights and take the world back into their own hands.

Though he fights for freedom, V is not a hero by any means of the word. He knows that people have to die and innocent people will get caught up in his revenge in order for his rebellion to succeed, but he knows it’s a necessary evil. He’s the vengeful ghost of what society once was and he’s willing to become a devil to return the world to its former glory.

Revenge isn’t enough for V, however. He has to make the people living in constant fear and indoctrination remember what the world used to be and remind them that society only became the way it did because of their own foolish actions. They’re the ones that voted such corrupt people into positions of power. They’re the ones that sold their own freedom. They’re the ones that sentenced themselves to a life of tyranny. All because they allowed themselves to be seduced by the lies and propaganda of evil politicians that sought to manipulate them and enslave them for their own benefit.

V has no problem becoming a villain if it means setting the world free in the end. The cruel and immoral acts of one can inspire others to learn from what they’ve done and apply what they’ve learned to their own lives in more moral and humanistic ways that don’t involve murder or terrorism, much like V inspired Evie and Evie inspired others in turn.

That’s the core theme of V for Vendetta. Society is often responsible for its own downfall and it’s our duty to hold ourselves accountable. As men like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin would agree, the ignorance and indoctrination of the people is fascism's greatest weapon. As Hitler once said, If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed. It’s always good to keep your eyes peeled and take everything you hear with a grain of salt. You never know who wants to fill your head with false promises only to stab you in the back and destroy everything you love moments later.

A liar can only deceive you if you choose to remain ignorant of their ways, and they can only turn you into a monster if you choose to ignore the humanity of the good people that surround you. Don’t let other people control you and don’t let them turn you into something you’re not. Freedom, peace, art and knowledge are all irreplaceable treasures that we should never sell to people who view us as less than human.

Bajo esta capa no hay carne ni huesos que matar. Sólo hay una idea. Las ideas son a prueba de balas.

“Silence is a fragile thing.
One loud Noise,
And it’s gone….

Our Masters have not heard the people’s voice for generations.”

Everyone should read this graphic novel; we’re all being conned and manipulated by our governments, no matter what country you live in. They’re out for themselves, throughout the world. Although genius Author Alan Moore wrote this literally 40 years ago, it remains a warning today too. 1984.

Very sharply written. Eye-opening and mind-blowing. Excuse me while I go rewatch the movie and reread this again afterward. The one aggravating thing for me was that several of the characters blended together. As a concept though this is so brilliant.

update: I feel like, as with a lot of source material and adaptations, the book did some things better and the movie did other things better and put together, they are absolutely phenomenal. I loved the movie for bringing more color to the world of the book and for condensing things, but at the same time I loveloveloved all the backstories in the book and seeing all the different people and everything each person had to deal with. One of my most favorite things about the book was the ending; the movie ending was very well-handled but the book ending absolutely knocked me out.