Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

10 reviews

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

yaboiellis's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Blood, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Body horror, Death of parent, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: War, Alcohol, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Torture, Xenophobia, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence

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

blitz_ramna's review

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: War and Pedophilia

Main character, Evey, dresses up as a child to bait a Catholic priest who V knows is a pedophile. Last pages of the graphic novel shows 2 fingermen sexually assaulting a woman that's being tied down to some sort of torture device.

emilo's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Torture, Sexism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Antisemitism, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Rape, Hate crime, Genocide, Confinement, War, Physical abuse, Murder, Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Deportation and Racial slurs

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

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
  Spoiler

  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

danicrids's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Murder

fruitbat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Antisemitism

scripturient's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Ah, yet another one of Moore's works where I love the story idea but just get SO angry with the man for his completely unnecessary and downright distasteful use of sexual violence as some kind of a panel filler?? Ugh. Knowing before going in that that's what you get with Moore makes it somewhat easier, but still, come on. That's just lazy writing, dude.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Medical trauma, Medical content, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Homophobia