Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - V for Vendetta

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.

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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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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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berodatheelf's review

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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emilo's review

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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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samferree's review

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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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samdalefox's review against another edition

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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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