666 V FOR VENDETTA
protagonist into a modern Guy Fawkes, Moore and Lloyd tapped into something that
was emblazoned in the memories of British readers from childhood, turning a bogey-
man into a hero of sorts. Lloyd also contributed greatly to the style of the story with his
idea that it should dispense with sound-eff ects or thought-balloons, making the pacing
and atmosphere much more somber and restrained. Moore’s innovations included an
episode presented as a song, complete with musical notes.
V for Vendetta was a platform for Moore’s political views, showing a society on the
verge of collapse and divided by the inequalities that were associated with the govern-
ment of conservative Prime Minister Margaret Th atcher. Moore’s vision of this world
was very much infl uenced by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948), but also
drew on post-war British comics. Th e main character, V, is an anarchist, refl ecting
Moore’s politics. He is never clearly identifi ed, although it is clear that he has been a
victim of the fascist government’s repressive policies towards dissidents, minorities, and
homosexuals. Escaping from a concentration camp where cruel experiments have been
performed, V disguises himself in a Guy Fawkes costume, clearly identifying himself
as a terrorist, rebel, and martyr. Th e story opens with V rescuing a young woman, Evey
Hammond, from the police, who intend to assault her following her arrest for prostitu-
tion. V takes Evey to a rooftop and blows up the Houses of Parliament. She is taken to
his hideout, the Shadow Gallery, and becomes his accomplice in his war against those
who have tortured him. A police detective, Eric Finch, investigates V, but has little luck
in discovering his identity, as V is systematically murdering everyone who might identify
him. Eventually Evey becomes disenchanted with V’s methods and after an argument
he abandons her. Some time later he kidnaps her, subjects her to an ordeal modeled on
his own torture, and shows her how she can free herself from fear, and from oppression.
V continues his war on the government, as Finch slowly closes in. Upon fi nding V’s
hideout Finch shoots and mortally wounds V. As V dies he passes on his legacy to Evey,
who adopts his costume, sending his body in an underground train full of explosives to
destroy Downing Street. Evey announces that with the government gone people must
now choose what comes next. In the aftermath of this revolution Finch stumbles out
into the now chaotic streets, leaving London behind. With the once repressive mecha-
nisms of state control now destroyed, the future is left unclear.
As indicated by the list of infl uences given above it is clear that V for Vendetta can
be read in many ways, as a response to many diff erent sources. One interesting point to
note in the context of British comics of the time is that it can be read as a critique of the
politics celebrated by some readers of Judge Dredd, a popular character created by Pat
Mills, John Wagner, and Carlos Ezquerra in 2000 AD. Dredd was originally a fascist,
and the stories were a satire on his infl exibility and the cruelty of the world he inhabits.
Some readers actually approved of Dredd’s politics, missing the point entirely. Moore’s
response is an anarchist hero, clearly set against the horrors of a fascist society. Th ere is
little room to empathies with the fascist characters here.
In 2005, a fi lm adaptation was released, directed by James McTeigue, produced by
Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers (who wrote the screenplay), and starring Hugo
