V for Vendetta (comic)

This is the third Moore comic I’ve read, and probably my favourite – yes, even better than Watchmen and certainly better than The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It’s hard to believe it was written so long ago, for it could have been released any time in the last twenty-five years and still been as fresh and current – as the movie adaptation goes to show (though Moore’s condemnation and mixed critical reception leave me wary). To say that V’s actions against his corrupt fascist government have any more resemblance to Muslim suicide bombers attacking the Bush administration than any other abstract anarchist vs. The Man story, however, at least judging by the comic, is highly dubious.

V for Vendetta is set in a near-future Britain (1997!) that after surviving full-out nuclear war (since, disarmed, we were not a target) has been taken over by a totalitarian fascist regime who have purged England of liberals, non-whites and gays. With Orwellian CCTV systems, they monitor all the citizens’ activities and keep a tight control using a computer system called ‘Fate’. However, a terrorist called V has other ideas about freedom, and intends to destroy the system so that it can be rebuilt from the ground up.

As in 20th Century Boys, there is a significant amount of what is in literary circles known as ‘OH YEAH, NOW THAT’S COOL!’ to this series. There’s a noir tone to the seedy bars, gangsters and detectives, and a wonderland element to V’s personal world of freedom. V himself is perhaps the most compelling antihero since Alex from A Clockwork Orange. His story at first seems to be an Edmond Dantes-style quest for revenge, but it soon becomes apparent that he has greater ideas. In his entertaining essay accompanying the comic, Moore describes how V could have ended up being ‘Doll’, the transsexual vigilante, if not for artist David Lloyd’s inspired idea to make him look like Guy Fawkes – and that really was a stroke of genius. It’s iconic, creepy and has echoes of the super-hero tradition, but actually looks good. And V is so compelling, quoting Blake, Crowley and the Rolling Stones, reading The Faraway Tree, spontaneously talking in iambs, showing himself to be educated, enigmatic and certainly a man of principles – as well as a callous murderer who thinks nothing of killing, and who is so manipulative that he makes Mr. Rochester look about as scheming as a puppy.

David Lloyd’s art suits the piece well. His background art is exquisite, and V always looks preternatural and impressive. The faces of other characters strike me as somewhat inconsistent, but the overall realism helped to set the tone, and make the melodrama all the more elegant.

Because yes, again I compare it to 20th Century Boys in that it’s totally excessive. Things blowing up, people getting murdered, paedophile priests, gangsters and the rest of the scum of the earth getting what they deserve, human experimentation, almost mythical fighting prowess – all present, and all just a little bit cheesy, but undeniably good fun.

The trouble is that many of the minor characters are very undeveloped. There’s a detective character who has a very important part to play in the unfolding drama (I wonder if that’s who Stephen Fry plays – he wouldn’t suit the role, but I can’t think who else he might be…except maybe Susan – yes, perhaps that’s more likely), but he sort of appears at the beginning, has a very random druggy moment, and then suddenly becomes perhaps the most important supporting character in the piece. All in all, the ending seems rather rushed, and it never feels like the government really is a threat. They have a lot of power, yes, but it’s so fragile, based on such corruption that you feel it could have fallen apart quite easily on its own without V’s prodding. Plus there’s just too much contrivance and coincidence, with detectives figuring out puzzles just in time to dash to the scene of the next crime at the most dramatic moment, and you have to wonder whether V’s plan could possibly have worked without certain events unfolding in a very specific way.

Still, a very enjoyable read that I wish had continued longer than it did. I’ll be interested in what the film is like…