V For Vendetta

Alan Moore, David Lloyd

From the Cover: "A frightening and powerful story of the loss of freedom and identity in a totalitarian world. V FOR VENDETTA is the chronicle of a world of despair and oppressive tyranny.
"A work of sterling clarity and intelligence, V FOR VENDETTA is everything comics weren't supposed to be.
"England prevails."

What it is: The story of a post nuclear-war apolcaypse London, that in wake of the world being wiped out England prevailled... under a fascist regime. Curfues in place, power unchallenged, privacy removed, and anything not fitting into the power-that-be's mold of acceptable eliminated: this is not a London for democracy, freedom, or human rights.
Then along comes V.
A man of a tragic and mysterious past, a man who till the very end remains unidentified, comes out of the shadows and challenges the establishment. He wanted Justice, but he'll settle for Anarchy. He is the hero and villian, a man who the phrase "criminal genious" could be titled just as easily as "freedom fighter".
Then there's Evey, the poor orphan girl who this new London has condemned. After one mistake she faces death, saved only by V instituting his plan at the same time. Taken in, seeking love and protection from the harsh world, she will be changed... and she will learn the cost of freedom.
Chief Inspector Finch, the honest man in a corrupt time. The man who will do what it takes to restore order in a land where chaos will soon replace fascist order.
In this we learn corruption and the evil men does, and we learn sometimes survivng the end costs too much.

What I think: It's a great story: well written and drawn sollidly. Moore crafts a darker future (though at this point the past), and you get pulled into it. The characters are neither hero nor villian, just people who this new world has changed... and that's a positive that many comics lack. Early on however you can tell not everything was that finely fleshed out, but we could excuse that. In many ways the story, despite the Cold War backdrop, still holds up today.
But the downside. Many characters can get confused with others. I just had a hard time following who did that and does this, and who's being played against who and why. Of course that is in part because much of that came later in the story (after V had eliminated those who had wronged him personally), but that is part of the problem as well. Moore created this world with too many players and plotlines, while it could have easily been brought to focus on a few keys players.
Other times the story is confusing, partially because of the way V talks, partially because too much is going on.

Final Word: The book has it flaws, but it's strengths are far greater. The character of V is well crafted, despite at times the focus seems off of him. In a streamlined form (let's say in a movie form) the story becomes stronger, symbolic even. That's really where this comes down to: if you editted this down to the base of the story it holds up far better.
But the question of reading this and it's answer are simple: read it. It's a good comic, a good story. Revolutionary if you will. Moore's best work? Perhaps not, but this tale is one of the best, and should not be ignored. The message is there: freedom, justice, and what it should cost.

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