Scan barcode
A review by zealforneil
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’ve read V for Vendetta a few times over my life, and every time I zip through the second half breathless, carried away by David Lloyd’s illustrations of Alan Moore’s ambitious storytelling.
Analysing the politics of the story has surely been done to the moon and back, and it will have been obviously stated that it is as pertinent now as ever. Perhaps that simply reflects how our society walks the tight-rope between fascism and anarchy as much now as it did when V was written.
The story and the characters, however, surely make this stand apart from other politically-driven fictitious works. The characters come and go, killed in various brutal fashions, losing their minds or their comfortable lives. It is them that has driven me to read the story at pace, to follow their changing fortunes and witness their demise. V is not the most compelling character by a long shot, and in this collection’s epilogue, Moore admits that he surprised even himself by giving the fascist characters such fleshed-out backstories.
The confluence between incisive political commentary and intriguing characters are what has made this a modern classic, and the alchemy of combining them is perfected as the story wears on.
I’m sure I’ll return to V for Vendetta again in a few years and find new political angles and story arcs to intrigue me again. And I’m sure it will seem just as chillingly feasible then as it does now, and has seemed since I first read it.
Analysing the politics of the story has surely been done to the moon and back, and it will have been obviously stated that it is as pertinent now as ever. Perhaps that simply reflects how our society walks the tight-rope between fascism and anarchy as much now as it did when V was written.
The story and the characters, however, surely make this stand apart from other politically-driven fictitious works. The characters come and go, killed in various brutal fashions, losing their minds or their comfortable lives. It is them that has driven me to read the story at pace, to follow their changing fortunes and witness their demise. V is not the most compelling character by a long shot, and in this collection’s epilogue, Moore admits that he surprised even himself by giving the fascist characters such fleshed-out backstories.
The confluence between incisive political commentary and intriguing characters are what has made this a modern classic, and the alchemy of combining them is perfected as the story wears on.
I’m sure I’ll return to V for Vendetta again in a few years and find new political angles and story arcs to intrigue me again. And I’m sure it will seem just as chillingly feasible then as it does now, and has seemed since I first read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Sexual assault