Favourite Comics Covers - 'V for Vendetta'

Whether it’s the comic or the film, I’m sure most people have heard of or are aware of ‘V for Vendetta’; the iconic mask worn by the protagonist tends to pop up during protests against authority.

Written by Alan Moore, with art by David Lloyd, the comic is a powerful tale set in an imaginary future Britain, one which has embraced fascism.

The story was originally published in the early 1980s as an ongoing serial in ‘Warrior’, a British comics anthology, which ceased publishing in 1985.

The serialization of ‘V for Vendetta’ was then completed in the late 1980s, published as a 10-issue limited series by DC Comics.

And that series was my introduction to ‘V for Vendetta’.

Moore captures the awfulness of living in an authoritarian police state while also showing the resilient spirit of those who choose the gruelling path of rebelling against it.

It’s not an easy read with its themes of fascism, which includes references to racial purity among other things, and anarchy, and Moore doesn’t shy away from the, let’s say, darker side of life.

‘V’, the protagonist, isn’t someone you’d willingly root for as he’s unflinchingly ruthless with his questionable morals; he is a terrorist, after all.

Personally, I prefer the comics to the film, not only because its set in Britain, but mainly because the conflict between fascism and anarchism is more obvious.

I also think V is more convincing portrayed as someone willing to kill any who stand in his way, instead of the film’s romantic freedom fighter, concerned over the deaths of innocents.

In the comic, there’s no hint of romance between V and Evey Hammond, an inexperienced 16-year-old whom V rescues. Although he’s like a father figure to her, that doesn’t stop him treating her cruelly as he attempts to turn her into his replacement.

As expected, in the film, their relationship is more romantic. Also, her role is diminished, and the ending doesn’t have the same impact.

Of the 10 issues, my favourite covers are the first one, which is a wraparound, and the second as it clearly shows V’s symbol on the wall.