A review by some_okie_dude27
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

5.0

"Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!"

It is here we see a master learning. While I would note that Swamp Thing and Watchmen are more polished works, V for Vendetta is where we begin to see Moore's true genius grow into fruition. It is interesting to see the growth of Moore as this series moves along, from the occasionally awkward first steps of the first issue to a more confident creator at the top of his creative powers towards the end, V for Vendetta might be contested to be Alan Moore's first seminal work.

One of the things I've noticed about Moore's work is that every time you read one of his books, you get the impression that his comics are unlike any other comic that you had read before then. Even when reading some of his contemporaries like Miller or O'Neil, you still get the impression that you're reading a typical comic (not to seem like I'm saying they're bad or anything like that). But with Moore's inventive writing, Lloyd's unique art style, all the way to the newspaper-like styling of the comic, it shows that Moore is not your average comic book writer, and that he's bringing something more to the table.

My constant gripe with the dystopian sub-genre is how easily it can become bland, pretentious, or even worse, pandering. But predictable, Moore is not, and he crafts a story that manages to be unique and unpredictable. While the allusions to Nazi Germany aren't the most subtle in the world, Moore makes up for it by making a surprisingly realistic world, filled with regular people trying to go about their lives...up until the titular masked vigilante shows up to disrupt it.

One of the things that distinguishes V For Vendetta from other dystopian narratives of its natures is its lack of moral philosophizing. In fact, Moore made it a point to not make a trivial narrative about a heroic anarchist taking down an evil fascist dictatorship, and this choice ends up making the world feel much more realistic than the worlds of well noted dystopian novels. But it's not merely a dystopian story, it's also a compelling neo-noir, as well as a unique take on the superhero genre, as well as a compelling pulp story that leans into, as well as expands upon the tropes of that genre.

Yet I can't give Moore all of the credit, David Lloyd's artwork adds to V for Vendetta's charm. His style has a gothic noir element to it, while also capturing the bleak, grimy landscape that the comic is attempting to convey. I enjoy the scratchy, dirty feel that the art has in this book, with the colors conveying this sense of imperfection to the style of the book. He also shows a willingness to experiment with paneling, which also gives the book a unique feel in comparison to other comics. Also, if it weren't for Lloyd, we wouldn't have the iconic design of the V costume.

But what's most relieving about this work is that Moore, an avowed anarchist, isn't afraid to challenge his own worldview. While his antagonism to fascism is clear as day, his explorations of anarchy aren't very flattering either. Moore does what he does best: taking idealogical extremes to their logical conclusions. He also explores how this society has made people so desperate that they resort to extremes in order to get the results that he wants. This is most apparent with V, the anarchist Shadow/Batman amalgamation who is determined to take down Norsefire, no matter the cost.

With V, we also see Moore play with one of his favorite recurring themes, which is the loss of humanity. With the story exploring symbols and their meanings in our world, V is the epitome of this theme, where he's strayed so far from humanity that he's become nothing more than a symbol for chaos and destruction.

As he says, he's an idea more than he is a man and that ideas are bulletproof. V remains the most interesting character of the book because you're unsure where he lies morally. Is he a crusader for anarchy and freedom? Or is he just a crazy person using anarchy as an excuse to take revenge on the people who wronged him? Is his relationship to Evey genuine or is he manipulating her in order to take his place? But Moore knows as well as any storyteller does that the question is far more interesting than the answer.

To pull from another certain Alan Moore book, he leaves that entirely in our hands.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day everyone!