V for Vendetta by Celeste Johnson

V for Vendetta

Q1: The illustrations in V for Vendetta were very sketchy, but detailed in some cases. The background images are sketched very well, whereas the scene is easily perceived. The people in the frames, however, have much more detail with their facial expressions and body image. This comic actually reminds me a lot of Batman: Year One based on these illustrations. The color scheme is very dark and melancholy. It is also very slow with the time of the scenes. The colors used make a dreary tone, reflecting the story being read. Because it is a story that depicts emotions of sorrow, fear and anger the illustrations are definitely well suited for this comic.

 

Q2: V for Vendetta is written in a way that is neither word or picture specific, which means that it is more effective when in graphic novel/comic form than any other. The illustrations given add the expression and dark tone of the story. Without seeing these, especially in a still frame the reader would not be allowed to grasp the intensity of the story. It is the same when looking at the words, that also add to the story, by allowing the reader to correspond the images and words, making sense of them. By placing this in a film or regular novel there would be loss in the storyline and the perception the reader has.

 

Q3: The hero in this comic is actually seen as an antihero due to the violent actions he commits towards others. The setting of the story is placed in the 1990s, having London as a dictatorship that is prejudice against homosexuals, black people and any radicals. The “hero” V fits into one of these categories of people who are being discriminated against, and therefor develops a vendetta against those who have done him and those like him. The violent actions he commits, like blowing up some of the major buildings in London and killing a number of civilians takes away from the hero aspect, however the ultimate purpose of his actions do somewhat outweigh violence. V’s purpose is to cut off the head of London, which is the leader of the dictatorship who is a corrupt leader and has under him other corrupt leaders. The ethics in summary that are displayed in this book are that what is good is good, what is bad is bad, but sometimes one has to do bad things in order for there to be good. The villains in this book are the corrupt leaders of London who use the positions of power they are placed in to act immorally. The hero in this comic is V, who although kills for what he believes in, crossing ethical boundaries, still tries to save the people of London from those who are unjustly treating them poorly.

 

Q4: One of the most significant parts of this story is actually at the beginning, where V is introduced and the reader is given a clear indication of what is going to happen in the book. After he saves a young prostitute from police officers who were planning to rape and kill her, he takes her to the top of a building. Evey (the prostitute) asks V who he is and he simply says, “ Me? I’m the king of the twentieth century. I’m the Bogeyman. The villain. The black sheep of the family”(13). These lines show the purpose and past of V’s character. The words used to describe him actually oppose each other, being the king but being the Bogeyman, being the king but being the villain and being the king but being the black sheep. However all of them describe his actions throughout the book. He is the king, saying that he rules London and in some ways he does control the city but taking down the dictatorship in V for Vendetta. The Bogeyman is a mythical creature that parents use(d) to scare children into doing what’s right. This is definitely something that V does in this comic. He plays the role of the villain by killing people for what he believes in. Lastly, He is the black sheep, which is shown through his origin story. This one frame is a preview for the future events in the comic.