V for Vendetta: Alan Moore and David Lloyd

In V for Vendetta, Alan Moore and David Lloyd envision a fascist takeover of England following the devastation of nuclear war. The Norsefire party, composed of “all the fascist groups, the right-wingers…together with some of the big corporations that had survived” (28) used their power to “resettled” people of color, homosexuals, and “all the radicals” (28). Mr. Susan, ‘The Leader”, heads a vast surveillance state which controls the people through fear of state-sanctioned violence.

We are introduced into this Moore and Lloyd’s imagined world first through the eyes of Evey Hammond, who is about to be murdered by sinister fingermen (the secret police force) when a masked and cloaked figure called “V” kills her assailants and proceeds to blow up the House of Parliament. The first part of the novel follows V as he exacts his revenge on various member and associates of the government for their contribution to his imprisonment at the Larkhill Resettlement Camp, where he was the subject of scientific experimentation (of which he was the sole surviving prisoner). The murders he commits destabilize the hierarchy of the government. V states that he acts to bring about anarchy and freedom, without which he does not believe there can be justice. As he tries to instill his values in Evey, she insists that, while she agrees with his assessment of the Norsefire regime, she does not condone V’s penchant for murder and violence. As the government begins to collapse, Evey is apparently kidnapped by. Believing she is going to die in her cell, she reads a letter left by a previous inmate, describing her imprisonment on the basis of her homosexuality, and her resolve that her life is not as important as her integrity. Evey decides to die rather than reveal V’s location. When she exits a door, presumably to where she will be killed, she finds V—her imprisonment was staged to teach her the value of one’s beliefs over one’s physical existence. When V is killed, Evey dons his costume and identifies herself as V. She addresses the people of England, calling for them to take control of their lives and reject their oppressors. As she completes V’s final attack on the architectural symbols of Norsefire’s power (his “Viking funeral” destroying Downing Street), she contemplates the new world that will emerge, and the legacy left to her.

Alan Moore, a self-described anarchist, uses V for Vendetta to discuss the nature of fascism and anarchism, the former being the utmost evil and the latter being the moral ideal. In the characters V and Evey, he shows two very different modes of political action, conscious of the gains made by V through violence (and the ideology of Guy Fawkes), while ultimately sanctioning Evey’s view of a society in which people can exercise their freedom, independent of (state) violence or coercion.

Moore’s presentation of fascism shows the far-reaching effects of such a state on individuals—materially, morally, mentally and socially. There is no “good fascist” in this story. Sympathetic characters connected to Norsefire, such as Mrs. Almond and Mr. Finch, are themselves victims on the State on different levels. In presenting the anarchist side, Moore explores the justification for an anarchist system as well it’s interpretations in practice. V, while clearly the “good guy” in comparison to The Leader or his associates, is not given a free pass. Moore sees that active critique of V, and engagement with the ideas is preferable over blindly following him because he is the “hero.” In this way, the authority of Norsefire is not merely substituted for another invincible power; the idea of a hierarchy is rejected altogether.

The integration of the words and pictures in this graphic novel is staggering. There is no place where either word or image seems superfluous or out of place. In the article “behind the Painted Smile”, Moore discusses his collaboration with David Lloyd. It was Lloyd, in fact, who imagined the Guy Fawkes mask for the mysterious V, telling Moore “it would give Guy Fawkes the image he’s deserved all these years” (274). This sort of ideological synergy is rather unique; Moore notes that Lloyd “combines a remorseless professionalism with a deep emotional involvement in the strip equal to my own” (277). The grim world the characters face is actualized into the visual realm. I found it interesting that in key areas of the images, outlines are stripped away. In this panel, the black outline of Mr. Almond’s face one might expect in a comic is deliberately left out (except for areas in shadow). His handgun, the threat of violence, however, is left concrete.

This image of Delia Surridge, the remorseful doctor who experimented on V at Larkhill, exhibits the same lack of outline, with a similar message. Her personhood is disappearing, extinguished by her surroundings, her duties to the State apparatus. When V comes to kill her at last, she welcomes death—as the reader may easily anticipate based on how she is drawn. If one considers that the comic was originally published in black and white (due to the cost of printing in full color), the lack of outlines and the ambiguity between background and subject they would have produced (and still produce in the pastel color palette) become even more apparent.

Moore notes crucial guidelines Lloyd placed on the work, including (unusually) “the absolute banning of sound effects, and, as an afterthought, the utter eradication of thought balloons” (275). This remarkable suggestion shows crucial features of the world he imagines. What use is drawing attention to a fired gun, an exploded building to a people at the mercy of the Fingermen? Such outbursts would be unremarkable in such a society. In such a profoundly invasive surveillance state, who has the luxury of private thought?

            Lloyd’s masterful inking deserves mention here. Moore writes Evey’s inner monologue as she is imprisoned, tortured, and starved (by V, as part of her “education”). The images of Evey in this section of the comic are actually painful to look at, and encapsulate the gravity of her situation. It wouldn’t even be appropriate to say that Lloyd’s work enhances the effect of the text. The two operate in tandem. The artwork is far more realistic than cartoon-like. As demonstrated in the panel below, Lloyd’s inking technique succeeds in accentuating a sunken face, a torso of sinew and sharp bone. Moore’s script for these sections is emotionally charged as well, making the combination of the two extremely powerful.

Another example of Lloyd’s inking, showing how intensely dark the artwork can get, while still being richly descriptive and emotive (from page 262, Evey is watching the train carrying V's corpse explode under Downing Street):

 McCloud’s description of masking is not strictly in play in this graphic novel, as the artist’s presentation characters are by no means simplified in reference to the background. Yet paradoxically, V is the ultimate exercise in masking, both literally and figuratively. His face concealed; he could be anyone. Mortally wounded by Mr. Finch, V claims that he will not die: “There is no flesh or blood within this cloak to kill. There’s only an idea. Ideas are bulletproof” (236). Characters and their distinguishing features are blurred and used to represent not the reader, but ideology. V is to represent anarchism (and at the same time, as the title suggests, revenge). Evey, though she (donning V’s costume after his death) explicitly identifies herself/V as anarchism incarnate (258), is visually meant to invoke the returning spirit of justice, which was absent under both fascism and V’s violent opposition. The lack of thought bubbles helps to solidify these characters as the ideals they are meant to represent. These two images came from page 257 and page 40, respectively, revealing the great continuity of imagery and artistic consciousness throughout the work; the image of Evey as Justice triumphant could only emerge out of this exquisite partnership.

The list of other comics written by Alan Moore includes Watchmen, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and many others. David Lloyd worked on various comics before and after V for Vendetta. One comic illustrated by Lloyd, Night Raven, used similar imagery and dark atmosphere to V for Vendetta. Both Moore and Lloyd now contribute to Occupy Comics, an anthology of comics based on the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

In Comic Book Nation, Bradford W. Wright comments on Moore’s Watchmen series, noting Moore’s warning against putting too much trust in authority figures or political leaders (Wright, 273). This same theme is explicit in V for Vendetta. Moore himself has been vocal about the issues surrounding the rights to his comics—an unfortunately reoccurring issue in the history of comics, as we have all learned. Due to a misleading contract (and a naïve trust that the publisher was doing right by them), DC comics retains the rights to V for Vendetta. This has led Moore to criticize the film adaptations of his work, refusing to let his name be attached to these projects. This unfortunate tradition of artist’s exploitation and the difficulties in maintaining possession of one’s intellectual property continues today.  The result of these film ventures, however, is an increased presence and consideration of Moore’s work in popular culture and political circles, even outside of a comic-reading audience. The widespread recognition of V for Vendetta and the influence it has had on its audiences reserve Moore and Lloyd’s work an important place in the history of comics.