Reviews tagging 'Racism'

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

17 reviews

gibbse97's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, War, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Violence

multimindz's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

The movie is one of my fav so I read the graphic novel and then watched the movie right after.

I liked the movie waaaaaaay more than the book. The movie storyline was more succinct whereas in the book, I sometimes had problems following the different storylines. The book made sense but it felt more like White Guy Meandering & Mulling About Society whereas the movie got straight to the point.

What knocked my score to the 3's (I wanted to give it a 5 because it is V for Vendetta alone but that's not fair) is the use of Black People As Society's Canaries trope, where there are no active Black characters talking, living, etc in the forefront. Nope, we're in the background being .... murdered and treated poorly and all the White folks who star in the work do is go "Wow, look at how poorly the Black people are being treated, they're always the first to go." They do nothing but wait for all or most of the Black folks to be eradicated before doing anything, while all the while going "This world is sick, look at how they treat the Black people [and how I do nothing because why have genuine human compassion for Black people, who are also human (News Flash, it's true), until they die. Which works best for me because at least they're gone, I just have to act sad about it]." There are smarter & more humane ways to say or depict the issues of totalitarianism, facism and wide-spread prejudice. The movie handled it better, at least removed the "Black People as Society's Canary" trope. 

The sexism is wowser in the book. You have the daft-but-cute 16 yr old Evey Hammond (aged up in the movie and good thing, that!) who seemed to be an easily led, doe-eyed lamb that constantly trailed out things that made V look impressive, how she would go "oh, I'm so weak and frail but you're so big and strong" (I'm paraphrasing here). It clearly didn't look like some super meta-cognitive move to quip on society's sexism by Alan Moore, it just looked like standard White Straight Cis Man Makes Comic Books And Includes Gender Beside "Man" behavior. He triiiiiiiiied? 🤷🏿‍♀️ And flopped. Even had a Lady Macbeth type character that I almost expected to say "Out, out, damned spot" at one point." I get the whole "messed up ppl like power" thing but that all could have been told way better, when it came to the women. It instead read more like "What I, a straight man, believe a woman gunning for power would act like." The movie was a bit better, had it's drawbacks (thanks to the source material, they can only do so much) but the book was more heavy handed & leaded with the built-in sexism.

It's like Alan Moore was trying to say very poignant things about society but because it's clear via his work he doesn't really interact much (if at all) with whole slices of society (*koff*AnyoneNotWhite,NotMan,NotStraightAndEspeciallyNoCombos/Intersections*wheeeeeeeeze**koff*) it comes off as very "White Man Muses About Society, Ignores His Own Glaring Blindspots", which, bro, is already so many books, dear gods. We already have 1984, Brave New World, the list goes on and on and on and! At least the movie was good. I think if Alan Moore widened up his friend circle (at least to the point a group picture wouldn't look like something the National Front would hardly blink at) before and during the time he created this graphic novel, it would have been a super knock-out, probably.

Perhaps I'm also just tired of "White Guy Muses About Society, Ignores Own Blindspots" works. Been hearing and reading them since I was a kid (usually not by choice, at least this time was), it's lame, myopic af and they miss a lot.

Those two things I mentioned mostly knocked the score to 3.75. I recommend the movie over the graphic novel. At least the movie is thrilling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Abandonment, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Racism, Xenophobia, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, War, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Torture

Minor: Rape

bearystarry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Medical trauma, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Classism, Blood, and Biphobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

xenia_li's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Police brutality, Violence, Torture, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Genocide

Moderate: Mental illness, Infidelity, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Murder, Gun violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Incest, Medical trauma, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Violence, Grief, and Religious bigotry

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Racism and Lesbophobia

samferree's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I knew Alan Moore hated the movie (but he hates all adaptations of his comics) and now I understand why. It's not quite as egregious as Minority Report, which completely inverted both how the mechanics of the universe worked but also the message, but it's close. V for Vendetta the film was a commentary on the Bush administration, neo conservatism/liberalism, surveillance capitalism, but the comic is really about anarchism. Knowing that Moore was unhappy with the film kind of shaped the way that I read the comic, though, and I kind of think that the story has less to do with fascism (it's been done) and more of a philosophical exploration of the individual's relationship with the collective and government, essentially pointing out that The People are the responsible for whatever society they create and maintain, deserving all the credit and praise or ridicule and damnation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Sexism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Genocide, Hate crime, Police brutality, Suicide, Blood, Drug use, Murder, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, War, and Xenophobia

booksdogsandcoffee's review

dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Still rings true in the modern politics of today. As V says “While I’ll admit that anyone can make a mistake once, to go in making the same lethal errors century after century seems to me nothing short of deliberate.”

As humans we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and I think that is why V for Vendetta remains so timeless and relatable even 40 years after publication. 

Cw
Genocide
Racism
Homophobia
Eugenics 
Hate crime
Sexism
Rape
Death
Murder
Torture 
Pedophilia 
Antisemitism 
Xenophobia

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Homophobia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Blood, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Violence, War, and Religious bigotry

samdalefox's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

V for Vendetta is a dark graphic novel based in dystopian England in the 1990s, that teaches very interesting lessons of fascism, anarchism and revolution. Obvious biases that affect my reception of the graphic novel: I'm a communist, and an anarchist sympathiser. I am vehemently anti-fascist and anti-authoritarian and pro-militant action. Of course I was always going to love this story! I preferred the comic to the film, there a couple of significant changes to the film that I feel diminish the story's message. I'd recommend reading the comics, you can buy the complete collection in one volume and I found the style very easy and enjoyable to read.

Pros

•  The inclusion of Valerie is incredibly important. To centre the story of a persecuted lesbian woman of integrity as the manifesto for resilience, resistance, hope, and love is just perfect.“...it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it’s all we have in this place. It is the very last inch of us, but in that inch we are free....It is strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to nobody. I shall die here, every inch of me shall perish—except one” (156, 160).
• The inclusion of arts as well as the sciences and philosophy. The symbolism of the roses is particuarly beautiful for socialists and communists, referencing Rose Schneiderman's "bread for all, and roses too". 
• The pacing and aesthetic was bang on for a dystopian vision. Heavy shade, stylised thought 'bubbles', interesting strip arrangement. 
• Accurate portrayal of various supporting systems of oppression propping up fascism; racism, homophobia, and notably patriarchy. At first I wanted to put the appallingly frequent slut shaming, misogyny, and sexism into the cons bucket as I didn't enjoy it, but tbh it's a hallmark of fascism so is probably best accepted charitably as accurate and not unecessarily used. 

Cons

• Dare I say, too much focus on the fascist government and not enough on the oppressed people? The novel does a good job at exploring the nuances of consciousness in the people in power; how they are negatively affected by fascism too. But in a graphic novel that claims to want to upset that very balance of power, it would have been nice to have the same nuance and diversity explored within people not in power (excluding V and Evey).
• The
  capture and torture of Evey
  was VERY problematic. It was unjustified as a plotline and completely undermines the anarchism point the novel was trying to make in my opinion. I think Evey's liberation could and should have been achieved in a different way, and the story of Valerie could have been included via a different mechanism.
• I would love a follow up about the BUILDING PHASE. Most dystopian fiction focuses on the destruction phase of anarchy. The building phase in V for Vendetta was at least mentioned, but was never focussed upon. The building phase is not as gritty, glorified, or glamorised, but it is still tough and a worthwhile story to tell. I think V for Vendetta missed a trick by not creating a short sequal or appendix covering the hardships of healing and creating. 
  
  Favorite Quotes: 
  
  

“Everybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, a villain. Everybody. Everybody has their story to tell.”

“Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Misogyny, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Confinement

dudebell's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

An absolute classic for a reason. Stripping the comic of sound effects and thought bubbles was a revolution in itself, creating a noir-ish feel without ever verging into the cinematic. This dystopic world avoids the pitfalls of many others by remaining grounded and feeling real, feeling contemporary - it was shocking to read the words “make Britain great again” in a comic that was not only pre-Trump, but pre-Thatcher. The Storm Saxon panels illuminate the kind of propaganda that we consume daily. All around brilliant, subtle world building.

The world of V for Vendetta is one in which fascists in Britain have successfully eradicated all visible ‘minorities’ from their country, leaving behind only those less visible - those who are queer. Characters are forced to make the decision: to be visible, or to move invisibly. For Valerie, this is her “one inch” that she will not give up. For Ruth, this is price she is willing to pay for her ‘freedom’ — a freedom that is simply a different sort of prison. It’s interesting to me that, in the afterword of the edition I read, Moore describes an earlier version of V as “transsexual” — and it’s true. Firstly in the sense that V is both everything and nothing, he is a man and a woman and both and neither, he is an idea, and anyone can be an idea. He represents anarchy and freedom and the queerness we can associate with that, and we see this as

Evey dons his mask and becomes him; a woman becomes a man. I can also very easily see V as Ruth, as someone who decided one prison and got the other one anyway, who is fuelled by remorse for what she did to Valerie, who takes her lover’s initial in an act of defiance but still feels the need for invisibility, the need to mask her face and lie.

The world of V is also one in which love has been replaced with power, and for me this is the strongest element of the novel. All romance is a power play. Sexual intimacy is girls on a stage, is rape. Susan (and there’s something to be said about genderplay with that name as well) is ruling a world so devoid of love that he falls for a computer (here again — a non-sexed ‘entity’ who is addressed as a woman and has the voice of a man). There’s an incredible scene where, almost in a trance, Susan whispers “I love you” to Fate, while Creedy trembles in the background, unsure if he’s the object of this affection. Lost love is depicted as queer joy, as a celebration of Blackness. And this is something that has been sacrificed for uniformity and control.

There are some issues I take with the comic. I think the film’s decision to make Gordon a queer man was the right one, as his role in the book is a little cloudy. I also wish the two leads were less opaque. While I understand this decision to make V more myth than man, I wish there had been moments to humanise him and make him feel more real.

But the biggest offence for me is Evey’s under-reaction to her torture and captivity at V’s hands. What V does is insurmountable, strangely motivated, unclear in its outcome. In my opinion it would almost be better if it were lost entirely.

Overall, a classic comic, one of the greats. Definitely an important read for anyone interested in the medium.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Confinement, Death, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Torture

Moderate: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Antisemitism

ariel_is_a_dreamer's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Genocide, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Torture, Violence, and War

Minor: Racism, Antisemitism, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia