It’s been a science experiments gone wrong/graphic novel week for me. First, I read Elephantmen Vol. 1 and now V for Vendetta.
V for Vendetta is not a new book, it originally came out in the 1980s and had a movie made in 2006 starring the lovely Natalie Portman. So I know anything I have to say about this graphic novel has most likely been said before. I’m going to take a crack at it anyway.
V for Vendetta, if you are unfamiliar with the story, is about a masked man who takes vengeance into his own hands and tries to dismantle the fascist government in England. He systematically kills off head members of the government while taking under his wing a young girl he saves from dirty cops called “fingermen”.
“V,” as the shadowy man is called, is wrapped in mystery and speaks in riddles. His back story is revealed (he was in one of the internment camps in which thousands of people were tortured, killed, and subjected to scientific experiments) but what they did to him we never find out.
The story itself is a familiar one to anyone who read 1984 or any other story about a dystopian society. There are a lot of bad people in power controlling the masses with security cameras and strict laws punishable by death or torture. What makes this story so compelling is how close it is to things that have already happened in our society. The internment camps, the ovens, and the genocide isn’t just a made up horror show. It’s taken straight from history; it’s basically the story of what would have happened had Hitler prevailed.
I enjoyed the book, but I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the lack of information given about V. Yes, I know that seeing his face would have been a disappointment because of “all he could have been” and knowing the gory details of the experiments done to him wouldn’t really add anything to the story, even a more personal background of the character would have taken away his magic. V says himself, at one point, that he is ideas, not a human being. I get it, I like it, I think it was fantastic.
I still wanted more. 
The art was also a little disappointing. I’ve been spoiled lately by the smooth glossy pages of the graphic novels being made today, with lush color and imaginative layouts. V for Vendetta is printed on a coarse paper that feels like a thick newspaper stock and is printed in what looks to be solely primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). Many of the drawings are also a little hard to make out, and some of the characters look so similar it’s hard to keep track of them.
If you’re new to graphic novels, or even just new to Alan Moore, I would suggest picking up Watchmen first and then this one.
Bent Shelf Book Reviews 