By d. emerson eddy — “Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot.” - traditional rhyme

Good evening, England. Are you seated comfortably? I thought it was due time to have a little talk. The country is in shambles, your leaders are lying to you, minorities are being erased, and the infrastructure that you rely on is being allowed to increasingly fail you in favour of higher classes. The question, though, is: am I talking about now? Or am I paraphrasing from and talking about the seminal classic, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Tony Weare, Steve Whitaker, Siobhan Dodds, Jerry O'Connor, Steve Craddock, and Elitta Fell? Scary, isn't it?

There are deep parallels between 1984 and V for Vendetta that have filled reams of criticism over the years, from the dystopian future to the fascist nature of the government, to the intrinsic “Englishness” of both works. I could draw further links between how V for Vendetta envisions the future (now past) and our current situations in the US and the UK, but I'm kind of sure that many of us are tired of seeing our dystopian futures played out for us in real time. That people have taken our cautionary tales and used them as guidebooks.

What I do find interesting is what feels like a fledgling magician working through what many systems consider deprogramming, including a kind of crude initiatory process for Evey and Finch (though these can also be seen as being influenced by The Prisoner). We see references to Aleister Crowley, his motto “vi veri universum vivus vici” from his time at the level of Magister Templi of the A A , and ∴ ∴ part of the Law of the Thelema, “Do what thou wilt”. This latter bit somewhat falling into the common trap of misunderstanding its meaning and excising the full statement. It interprets in text as “do as you please”, which takes kind of a simplistic view of the Law. It's missing the Love. And replacing will with want. Though it can also be interpreted as the view of the average person, separating them from V and Evey, and making you wonder at the quandary presented of whether or not a rose can grow from the rubble of the totalitarian society. It's less giving easy answers and more revealing the signposts that others can choose to follow.

Regardless of your outlook and perspective on the work, V for Vendetta reminds us that often times we choose our cages for ourselves, even if we don't realize that they're cages. We vote to put our oppressors into power and do nothing to deprogram ourselves from conditioning. That sometimes we need a shock to our system, be it an explosive event at Parliament or a personal journey, to set ourselves on a new path.

England prevails.

Classic Comic of the Week: V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: David Lloyd with Tony Weare
Colorists: David Lloyd, Steve Whitaker, & Siobhan Dodds
Letterers: Jerry O'Connor, Steve Craddock, & Elitta Fell
Publisher: DC Comics
A powerful story about loss of freedom and individuality, V For Vendetta takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom and precious little faith in anything comes a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts. It's a gripping tale of the blurred lines between ideological good and evil.
Release Date: November 17, 2020 (most recent edition) | November 20 2018 (deluxe edition)
Price: $16.99 | $34.99 (deluxe edition)

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.