I have at last viewed that most vivacious and virulent work brought to our eyes by Vertigo,V for Vendetta! And I must say, buckle your seatbelts, folks: it's a doozy.
I will admit to the horrendous truth: I saw the movie before I read the comic. Apologies, V. I'm terribly sorry. Not to say the movie is not a wonderful piece of work in and of itself, it is simply lesser than that which spawned it. However, in the end the film shaped some of my impressions of the book and for that I am very disappointed. This is the kind of thing one needs to come to with a severely open mind to understand, I think. I devoured it and my head is still reeling. It leaves me with the solid impression that I will have to read it again - more than once - in order to really understand it, even in a small way.
That said, it's a book that cannot really be described thematically, nor can it be reduced to a single simple plot. The things I can tell you are that the writing is stunning, the art is magnificent (occasionally looking like stencil and spray paint work, which strikes me as both innovative and refreshing), and it is dark, but not without a kind of hope.
Read on, ladies and gentlemen. I recommend this especially to word-nerds, action fans, and caustically sarcastic cynics.
England Prevails.
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I need to read this...absolutely must read it.
ReplyDeleteBasically, this applies to anything written by Alan Moore ever. xD Nobody could hope to adequately adapt his work to the big screen (and his hating Hollywood doesn't help!) and no way is anyone going to "get it" on the first read.
ReplyDeleteIs Watchmen next? (Also, I can totally bring LXG 1 and 2 up with me...)
Yes, Watchmen is next (after the Riverrun Trilogy, but that's for a whole different reason...)
ReplyDeleteYes! Please and thank you bring up League! :D