V for Vendetta

Thursday, May 17, 2012

V for VendetV for Vendetta
by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
★★★★


The first time I saw the movie V for Vendetta was only a few weeks after I’d moved home from living in London. I still had Anglophile fever and was reminiscing about my recent celebration of my first Guy Fawkes Day in England. So it’s no surprise that I loved it and it remains one of my favorite movies to this day.


Now onto the graphic novel: the original comics were published in the 1980s and depict a near-future society where a totalitarian government with strict enforcement has taken over England An anarchist who calls himself V and wears a Guy Fawkes mask sets in motion a plan to destroy the ruling group’s leaders and return the power to the people. My expectations were high, not just because I adored the movie, but also because I loved Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen.


At the beginning of the story, V saves a young woman named Evey. After that, she becomes involved in his revolutionary world. It’s actually Evey’s journey that is the most interesting aspect of the plot. She begins as a scared helpless girl, but her character evolves throughout the story and that transformation is amazing to watch. It makes the story much more personal and left me wondering what I would do in a world like that.


There are a few minor plots that I didn’t love, like Derek and Rosemary Almond’s story. They all make points that are important to the story, but they also take you out of the action and can be a bit confusing.


Bottom line, I don’t think this is the best graphic novel to start with if you’re new to the genre. But if you already love them and you’ve enjoyed other politically driven stories, V for Vendetta is a fascinating look at an out of control government and the power that one person can have when they take a stand.

p.s. If you haven’t seen the movie, see it immediately, it’s wonderful! I don’t know if I would have enjoyed this one so much if I hadn’t seen it first.

8 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

Then there are those references to the movie in The Fault in Our Stars! I've not seen the movie or read the book, but I love graphic novels something fierce. I'm going to see if the library has it.

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

This is my husband's favorite movie so we've seen it dozens of times. I had to laugh the other day when I was reading The Fault in Our Stars while Scott was watching V and there was a small reference to the movie in the book (as Sandy notes). I read the passage to him...something about it being a boy movie and why do boys think that girls should like them. Ha!

I've been really curious about the graphic novel--I also liked The Watchmen (though not the movie) and wondered if I could get Scott to read it.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Sandy - I'm so surprised you haven't already seen the movie, it's so good! I loved the reference to it in Fault.

Trish - If you liked Watchmen (and yes, the movie was awful), I think you would like this one. I really read it because I loved the movie, but it's worth reading!

Alex (The Sleepless Reader) said...

I've recently seen an interview with Alan Moore where he completely distances himself from the movie adaptations of his books, saying he had no control over them. V for Vendetta was one of the best and he was probably referring to disasters like A League of Extraordinary Gentleman...

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Alex - I've heard Moore hates film adaptations of his books. Most of them (like League and Watchmen) have been awful, so I don't blame him. I think V for Vendetta was really well done though.

Mary @mysistersbookshelf said...

We totally agree on this one! I actually think Watchmen is a weirdly great first graphic novel to try - or for those who like non-fiction, I always lend out my copies of Persepolis or Maus. Have you read those? So great.

Rob said...

This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages now, so I should really give it a read soon. I enjoyed the movie, though I haven't seen it since it was in theatres.

I have to admit, it's nice to see others who were unhappy with The Watchmen movie. I thought it was silly and disappointing, but most reviews I saw were quite positive.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Mary - I think so too! I have read Persepolis and Maus and I loved them both!

Rob - If you loved the movie than I think you'd like this one. I definitely think the movie version of Watchmen was a disappointment!