Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
Wow...That was good I was expecting a lot more than that, but that was a good ride :) V was a lot less than I expected though....I loved Eric Finch more. Anyways lets move on to the next one. "Remember remember the fifth of november" "Hello the voice of fate and V for Vendetta"
The Vultures, Ch. 8, thought they won...they will lead and they will fuck...now that V is dead. But V may be dead in body, Ch.9, but his Vigil within Evey now.. And the people who long been suppressed, Ch.10, are ready now to explode high..as a Volcano.. while V, Ch.11 and the last, ascending high into his Viking's Valhalla.
"No solo buscaste venganza, sino que fuíste mas allá... también acuchillaste su ideología."
"UN NUEVO COMIENZO RENACERÁ DE LAS CENIZAS."
"Simplemente haré lo que quiera. Tu tambien debes hacer lo mismo, Dominic."
Una distopía suficientemente realista, cautivante y crudo. Y alli esta la diferencia con el film, aqui hay mas personajes con historias, que mueven los hilos, hacia la destrucción del orden. Y el disgusto quizas pasa porque aquí se ven los infortunios de los personajes y sus viles decisiones.
Al mismo tiempo nos muestra, la firmeza /nobleza de V por lograr la libertad, alli lo esperanzador.
¡Obra maestra! Superior a la película en muchísimos aspectos. Creo que la primera vez que leí este cómic no supe valorarlo y entendí poco y nada a la vez. Me alegra haber decidido hacerle una relectura, me vino de maravilla.
Dejo uno de los diálogos que más me fascinaron: «—No te metí en la cárcel, Evey. Te mostré los barrotes. —¡No es verdad! ¡Hay que conformarse! ¡Así es la vida y así hay que vivirla! ¿Qué te da derecho a decidir que no es lo bastante buena? —Estás en la cárcel, Evey. Naciste en la cárcel. Llevas tanto tiempo dentro que ya no crees en la libertad. —¡No, no! ¡Callate! ¡Estás loco! —Tienes miedo, Evey, porque sientes que la libertad está ya muy cerca, porque la libertad es espantosa. No huyas, Evey. Comprendes la verdad aunque no quieres aceptarlo. —¡Yo no siento nada! ¡No hay nada que sentir! —Mujer, este es el momento más importante de tu vida. No huyas de él.»
You can kill the man but you can't kill the Idea because 'Ideas are Bulletproof'. Damn I will have to watch the movie once again now. Really Fitting end to a wonderful series. No Spoilers so won't discuss plot here but it was very nice and all in all a great little series/graphic novel.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
"Debes descubrir quién se esconde tras de la máscara, pero nunca debes verme la cara"
Completamente sorprendente, Alan Moore logra retratar el deseo de un hombre por lograr un mundo mejor, utilizando incluso la violencia, siendo esta necesaria para lograr su tan planeado y elaborado anhelo.
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.
[I read [book:V for Vendetta] as a series eleven installments, of which ten are the actual story and one a summary of the creative process, so this will be one review repeated across each. I have individual marks for each installment, explained in part in the volume chronology (see the spoiler.)]
The book focuses on V, who fights against the totalitarian government. In the mid- to end-1990s, UK is one of the few surviving states; the other major powers have annihilated each other in a nuclear war. (This scenario has been popular with sci-fi writers from the mid-1950s, with books such as Brian Aldiss's Hothouse and movies such as On the Beach as prominent examples.) UK has been saved by the anti-nuclear policies of its ruling Labor party, but had to give up in the process---we don't learn why---all personal freedom and rights. As Labor quickly turns into a fascist party, labor camps are used to exterminate whoever the leaders deem undesirable, and the citizens live from day to day. In this setting, V is the modern hero who, having understood the structure and survived the murderous attempts of the government, attempts to topple the regime. Through ruthless action mixed with acts of genuine kindness, V will give spark to the revolution.
Overall, I was rather unimpressed with this graphical novel. I found the story rather cliched and linear, despite attempts to spice it up through alternative ploys. The depiction of V is artificially mystical, whereas everyone else, from the crowd to the state apparatus, receive sparing attention. Last but not least, the graphical novel format hinders the reader, as most of the dialogue stems from similarly-faced, similarly-dressed characters. (This also helps in understanding the disorientation of the crowds.)
Overall, I can recommend neither the movie or the graphical novel. There's much better material on the topic, out there.
Another day, another review biased by a movie adaptation. But don't worry, this bias definitely swings in favour of the original.
I will never be a comic person. Give me a novel any day. However, I can appreciate this comic for it's brilliance. It didn't take long to realise that the movie adaptation, while interesting, was only a shadow of this story and frankly, having now read the comic, made very little sense. The characters, their motivations, the setting, everything makes more sense in the comics. Evey especially makes more sense. I never understood her. Her motives for everything made no sense to me. I never knew who's side she was on. But actually she's just a very confused teenager, which I can understand and her growth is very obvious in the comics.
The series has it's ups and downs, their were some big plot development installments and others where nothing seemed to happen, particularly around the middle. The ending was on point, and is superior to the movie ending. Honestly Hollywood, why must you wreck everything?
Y aquí acaba la historia de V, el antihéroe por excelencia. Puede clasificarse como un anarquista cuyo fin es la liberación del pueblo inglés de sus gobernantes. Gobernantes que, por otro lado, ellos mismos han elegido. Entonces se plantea la duda: ¿está bien la destrucción y el caos cuando todo el sistema está corrupto? Bueno V tiene claro que sí y es muy fiel a sus ideales, así que es capaz de cualquier cosa con tal de ser el héroe que Londres necesita.
Por otro lado está la pobrecita Evey, una chica huérfana que es salvada por V y que a partir de entonces su vida se basa en tener la aceptación y depender de la única persona que se ha preocupado por ella; para ello empieza a participar en los planes de V sin tener mucha convicción y poco a poco va ganando su confianza y aclarándose las ideas.
V de vendetta tampoco dista mucho de la realidad, y aunque sea una distopía, en la misma novela gráfica se hace referencia a obras de cine, música o literatura y personajes políticos como Hitler o Stalin; Lo cual da mayor realismo y hace meterte más en la historia.
I read all 10 volumes in one day, so oneish review it is. I highly recommend this series. It is a quick and entertaining read, but most importantly, it fills you with rage because all of the horrible mistreatment of “minorities” is a mirroring of reality.
" There's No flesh or blood within this cloak to kill. There's only and IDEA. IDEAS are bulletproof. "
" How purposeful was your vendetta. How benign almost like surgery. your foes assumed you sought revenge upon their flesh along, but you did not stop there .. you gored their ideology as well. "
The question of rebirth and drawing strength from confidence in one’s own identity is central to the narrative. With V portrayed in a more heroic light, his torture " both physical and psychological " of Evey - where he gets her to believe that she has been imprisoned by the government for her knowledge of his whereabouts - is perhaps easier to forgive despite how horrific his actions are. What he does is wrong from a personal standpoint, but this is not a story about simple transitions and revelations. Essentially, V creates a crucible for someone who is trapped by their own fear—an emotion that we all want liberation from, the most paralyzing of all. Evey is unable to live honestly, to achieve any amount of personal freedom, to break away from a painful past. The entire graphic novel is about how fear numbs us, how it turns us against one another, how it leads to despair and self-enslavement.
The Guy Fawkes Mask that V wears has become more than just a symbol in this graphic novel; it has been adopted as a symbol of protest around the world.
La historia se desarrolla en una Inglaterra futurista, bajo el control de un régimen opresivo. La trama sigue a “V”, un enmascarado revolucionario con una inclinación por la violencia artística y la justicia poética. Su cruzada contra el gobierno se entrelaza con la vida de Evey Hammond, una joven cuyos ojos inocentes y descubrimientos personales actúan como un espejo para la audiencia.
4.5/5 estrellas. Epic. Aunque reconozco que el final de la película es más épico para mí. Para quien haya visto la película: el comic cuenta muchísimos más detalles y merece la pena. Además, ver la película antes, como es mi caso, hace que entienda mucho más algunos detalles que pueden ser confusos. Totalmente recomendado. No apto para niños. No recomendado para adolescentes, mejor cuando ya tengan asentada algo la cabeza.
[4.5] Me pareció una gran historia, compleja, crítica y reflexiva hacia distintas situaciones políticas y sobre las personas. Considero que no me "llenó" pero sí que me ha dado material para pensar (y un breve episodio de ansiedad que me daba en el momento de quitarle la máscara a V). Posiblemente pueda pensar después más a fondo sobre estos cómics, hay mucho más detrás de lo que se puede ver.
Perfect ending to a perfect story. I simply adored this! I thought the ending of the movie was great, but now that I've read the comics, I can admit that no matter how good that was, it can't be nearly as good as the comic book ending. It was smart and heartbreaking and twisted, and I LOVED IT!