V for Vendetta

So a couple weeks ago I found myself in Borders with a $25 gift card looking for something to buy. The new Get Fuzzy book wasn't out yet, and not only did they have a horrible selection of P.G. Wodehouse novels, but they put them in the "humor writing" sextion next to the "How to Survive a Zombie Attack" books. What the hell is wrong with people? Wodehouse was probably the best comic novelist and one of the great writers of the 20th century. His books do not belong on the same shelf as a book about surviving zombie attacks (not that I have anything against those books, but come on, people!).

But I digress.

Not having found anything that really inspired me, I picked up Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, mostly because I excited about the movie and thought it would be good to read the original text before seeing the adaptation. It hadn't been high on my list of graphic novels I wanted to pick up, but like I said, there was a derth of other choices.

Now, I've heard some excellent things about the movie, particularily that it's true to the source material. I also heard the same thing last year about Sin City, which turned out to be a fantastic movie (brutal, yes, but fantastic). I'm hoping that V for Vendetta turns out similarly: the graphic novel is excellent. Well paced, nuanced, and articulate. It's not quite as sophisticated or inventive as Watchmen, Moore's opus, but his talents are on full display. Although Moore wrote this in a very different political climate (in the 80s, toward end of the cold war), the ideas it raises about freedom and governments should resonate strongly with people in the current climate. If the movie kicks even close to as much ass as the graphic novel, it's going to be a much bigger hit than people are expecting.

The movie comes out March 17th. I'll be there opening night.