Rating: 
Summary: Viva Vendetta, Viva "V"
Review: Although comic creator Alan Moore published his groundbreaking Watchmen before V for Vendetta completed its run, V was his first work in what could be described as a related series of graphic novels, starting here, progressing to Watchmen, and concluding with From Hell (if, in fact, there is a "conclusion.") Moore's meditation on the nature of heros, good, and evil - in short, morality, justice, and everything we hold dear - begins here, with a strange, familiar, yet distant tale of the not-so-distant future.England, 1997. The US and the USSR have nuked each other back to the stone age, and England has been left to its own devices. A fascist regime has assumed power with the will of the people, with the simple goal of England's continued existence - by whatever means necessary. Unfortunately, a genetically-enhanced terrorist, dressed as Guy Fawkes, has been blowing up buildings and assassinating key members of the fascist government. The story belongs to this terrorist, who calls himself (or herself) "V", but it's really about the differences between heros, villains, good, and evil. V kills people and destroys property - innocent people at that. He does it in the name of Freedom, but the Fascist regime V fights against kills innocent people in the name of England's very survival. Who's the terrorist here? Who's good, and who's evil? It's a fascinating question, and like any great artist/thinker, Moore doesn't provide an easy answer. Were the American "patriots" who fought the British by destroying property and killing innocent people terrorists, especially in light of recent events? Is terrorism and patriotism based on our perspective? Is there any time at which fascism, and his twin sister, nationalism, can be excused because it will ensure the survival of a people? Fascism and nationalism are based on emotional rather than logical thoughts, and V's quest for freedom by terrorism is no better. Either way, arguments for fascism and the methods V employs to fight - indeed, the methods by which any "patriot" or "terrorist" fights against a government - are Utilitarian at best. Is this suffecient to procure freedom? Must we always abandon some degree of morality, cutting our losses and giving away our souls, to live "free" or "survive?" It's something worth considering, and if anything will make you think about it, this brilliantly crafted, lavishly illustrated work of art will do just that. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Pushes boundaries of storytelling in comic books
Review: Naturally the inclination is to disbelieve in the power of the comic-book format to tell a socially relevant and emotionally powerful story, and most of the genre is cluttered with nihilistic power fantasies these days. But this is a brilliant exception, and that can be attributed to Alan Moore's powers as a writer. You can read the rest of the reviews and find a lot of spoiling detail about the narrative, but the best aspect lies in an attention to the small and overlooked people whose feelings Alan Moore makes very much a part of the entirety. In what I think is the best moment of all, one of the characters imprisoned by the secret police of the English totalitarian state reads and envisions the final thoughts of a dead lesbian, written on toilet paper for some future prisoner to draw hope from. I felt an almost tearful admiration for the sort of bravery and faith in oneself that this prisoner discovers, and a more conscious recognition that Alan Moore is one of the best ever to write for the medium. It's indisputably good, but it thumps the pulpit of the author's choosing - all government steals self-determination and liberty from its subjects, civilization and barbarism are close neighbors, the masses remain wilfully ignorant of the big picture to focus on television fantasies. It's a deliberately simple portrait of a dystopia, and its questions demand thought from their readers. You might love this as much as I do, but rest assured it won't be because of simplicity or polite avoidance of libertarian doctrine.
Rating: 
Summary: This Vicious Cabaret...
Review: Everybody already knows (or SHOULD) how great Alan Moore is, so I won't carry on about that.
V For Vendetta is a gorgeous Orwellian piece. It's harsh, cryptic, witty, and...well, should probably be studied in schools to accompany '1984'.
It's always kind of embarrassing when you get asked what you read, and you try to explain that not all comic books involve words like "Blammo!" and "Zock!" and big-breasted women with silly names. If anyone you know ever doubts the integrity of the comic book/graphic novel genres - my advice is buy them a copy of both 'V' and 'Watchmen'. They'll come crawling back eating their words.
To the average American audience (who generally won't have a clue about anything that isn't all Yanked up) do be aware that Alan Moore is about as British as they come, and his prose is reflective of this in a major way. Most people don't realise that V sports a Guy Fawkes mask - they don't know who Fawkes even was. If you don't get the humour or the references, you probably never will gain a full understanding of either.
This isn't your average guy-in-tights-saves-hot-chick book. It's dark, it philosophizes, it'll probably make you think about what's going on in the world. Therefore, it's not for everyone.
'V For Vendetta' is strictly for discerning readers, and may even bridge the gap for some between the worlds of plain books and comics. We can only hope. And remember...
England Prevails!
Rating:
Summary: It's great, but no Watchmen.
Review: This is Moore in full force. For once, he turning his power of cultural perception to his native England instead of America (as in Watchmen). V's methods include killing everyone who worked at the concentration camp he was held at, working in the shadows, and staging bombings the way Shakespeare wrote plays or Beethoven conducted symphonies. We never find out who "V" is. The story is, basically, about how legends are made. A tale of mystery, espionage and murder, fans of Moore's work will dig the hell out of this book. However, one of Moore's chief failings, his habit for making his characters a little distant and disconnected from the reader, is ALSO in full force here. The reader never really 'gets into' the characters much, probably due to the 8-page chapter format which emphasizes plot over characterization. The art and color, while it is much tighter than Watchmen's, on the first couple of readings the secondary characters get VERY confusing as their hair color changes, and they look very similar. Still, this is a rich, filling book, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Literature in Graphic Nover Form
Review: Comic books have always lagged behind when it came to be taken seriously by the literary medium. People just thought that comics were set to target preadolscent boys. That notion,of course, is wrong. Most people who buy their comics from specialty bookshops are in their mid 20s. You can even see some 30 something guys and those hardcore readers who saw it from the beginning in their 40s. During the 80s creators like Alan Moore and Frank Miller sought to change all that by writing masterpieces that were thought-provoking as much as they were entertaining. It is during that time, that works like the Dark Knight Returns set the pace and Moore's independent work such as From Hell and DC's Watchmen and V for Vendetta came forward. The serious cynical look of the world was forever changed by these two authors and it didn't help that they were British to boot. V for Vendetta written woderfully by Moore and captured in all its glory by the dark art of David Lloyd is an example of such breakthrough work that pit graphic novels and comics into the mainstream. The piece was disturbing enoght for people everywhere and those in the media to realiaze that comics are not just where the hero turns gree or flies while bending steel with his bare hands. The main premise of the novel depicts a war ravaged Europe where freedom is lost and the individual is lost in a jungle of tatlitarian power. Moore creates believable characters and the way they all entertwine with each other just adds up to the flavor of the book. V is the protagonist. He's no one and yet he's everyone. He's the voice of the people whether the people want a voice or not. He's not here to persuade anyone, just show them what years of totalitarian conditioning could do to a person. Through it all, you are swept away by Moore's intellectual dialogue and his political view which leans more to that of anarchy. In the end, the format of this literary piece doesn't impede on the story's progress, but enhances it. Moore and Lloyd create something that will sure make you want to think about teh world you are living now and how that life might change with a press of a button.
Rating: 
Summary: Not that great
Review: Maybe it's because of the failed aspect of some predictions (survival in a nuclear war), the "gee whiz" quotiant of the science (little of it makes sense), the troubling endorsement of anarchy (what? that'll make everything better?), or the tired cliches (the dirty old priest, the narcissistic announcer, the power-hungry vamp, etc.), but this story doesn't have a lot going for it. Sure, it delves into the ruthless terrorist against the oppresive regime motif, but he presses his POV with a hammer, and it leaves you wishing for more subtlety.
Rating:
Summary: Uniquely British, Excellent Execution
Review: I'll try not to say anything about this that hasn't been said before but that's unlikely, considering that this is Alan Moore. Make no mistake about it. This is not Watchmen. What we have here are ideas from books like 1984 and Animal Farm presented in comic book form with a sort of batman-like hero at the helm. It succeeds by creating a uniquely British atmosphere with beautifully illustrated scenes in washed out, dystopian colors. There are many characters speaking in rather thick British accents, and probably dozens of English landmarks or locations that I don't recognize. Interestingly, it also took out the comic book sound fx and narrative. Everything is done in dialogue. What's kind of tedious though, is that V talks like a fortune cookie, quoting this book or that. He comes across as a man of only a few words of his own, with the rest of the characters reciting his story. If this was a movie, I'd reccomend rental instead of buying. Try it at your local library first.
Rating:
Summary: Still holds up, mostly..
Review: Just re-read 'V for Vendetta' again, to see what I thought of it after all these years. Putting aside all of the book's political, scientific and socialogical naivites (some of which Moore himself points out in the introduction and afterward), this story is shockingly effective, if a bit heavy handed, and yes, depressing. In re-reading it, V comes off as less than a character and more as the polemic abstract that Moore intended. Yes, V's drive toward anarchy is little hard to swallow, and being asked to sympathise with a terrorist in light of today's world is difficult ( which is the main obstacle I see in this story ever making it to the movie screen, that, and the overriding British-ness of the story, which I understand is integral and which I appreciate. Too much would be lost in transplanting this to an American setting). Also, there are some unexplained plot holes: one being just how does V gain access to the fate computer? Without being detected? That said, the first third of this book is still impossible to put down, really great stuff (aside from some character stumbles: V spouts quotes and exposites and it comes off as intially awkward), as the authorities unravel why V may doing what he's doing, but I really enjoyed the middle section this time, which chronicles Evey out on her own. The scene where she is captured and confined is still harrowing and mind-blowing. All in all, I see this as a very personal and well-crafted story by Alan Moore, although people always want to compare it to Watchmen in terms of quality and realism. Bear in mind that it was serialized in its initial run and created over seven years. David Lloyd's artwork, while at times muddy (I still have trouble telling who's who in the last third), is also often brilliantly rendered, cinematic, and very effective. He has a way with a panel or facial expression that is attuned perfectly to the emotions conveyed by the story. Moore wrote at the time that he would not finish the story's run with any other artist, and one can see why. Again, as Moore explains the book's evolution in the afterward, this is the work of younger, hungry and sometimes naive artists. As a comic work I find it moving, magnificent and compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Not that great
Review: Maybe it's because of the failed aspect of some predictions (survival in a nuclear war), the "gee whiz" quotiant of the science (little of it makes sense), the troubling endorsement of anarchy (what? that'll make everything better?), or the tired cliches (the dirty old priest, the narcissistic announcer, the power-hungry vamp, etc.), but this story doesn't have a lot going for it. Sure, it delves into the ruthless terrorist against the oppresive regime motif, but he presses his POV with a hammer, and it leaves you wishing for more subtlety.
Rating:
Summary: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici.
Review: Written in the early 1980s, V for Vendetta tells of an England in the then near future of 1997-8. A limited nuclear exchange devastates much of the world while England is directly unaffected. However, the enormous economic and political ramifications of the conflict hurl the nation into anarchy. Out of the ashes arises the fascist Norsefire regime. Sure they restore order to the fallen country, but this is clearly a case of the serum being more lethal than the poison. This new government sends blacks, homosexuals, Jews, and other minorities to death camps. The culture of the pre-War world is now deemed as evil and subversive. A corrupt police force is implemented with the authority to murder suspects if they wish instead of adhering to ideals such as due process. The average citizen is forced to work for starvation wages, and sometimes to crime just to survive. Freedom, democracy, and privacy are as archaic concepts as the world being flat. Then comes V, whose motto is the title of my review. Translated from Latin it means: "By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe." Replete with Guy Falkes regalia, V seeks to bring about an end to the Norsefire party through a series of assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings. At first, they appear to be revenge against everyone who worked at the prison camp where V was held. Instead, the plot turns out to be more complicated and planned out than anyone could possibly imagine. V doesn't strike the Norsefire at their body, he strikes for their heart - and never misses. He has a contingency plan in the form of 16 year-old Evey Hammond, a girl he rescues from corrupt cops when she is forced into prostitution by her intolerably low wages. Of course, Evey doesn't agree with all of V's methods; but it is through him that she learns the very essence of freedom, and how she may be the true hope of England in its darkest hour. VfV is not just a great graphic novel, it is required reading period. So what else can you expect from Alan Moore, who also brought us Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and a lot of other things that raised the bar for the comic book medium. I especially love the repeated use of the letter "V" throughout the story. Beware, there is violence, objectionable language, and a little nudity. The violence is really nothing when compared to a title from Marvel's MAX line. The language is pretty much the same thing you'd hear from a PG-13 movie. And the nudity is not for the purpose of titilation, it represents the symbolic idea of freedom. Even with my warning, VfV merits nothing except extreme recommendation from me.
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