V for Vendetta

by Alan Moore, David Lloyd

book data

7,315 ratings, 4.17 average rating, 603 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		40%
4		39%
3		16%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

April 1st 1995 (first published 1988) by Vertigo

binding

Paperback, 286 pages

setting

The United Kingdom

literary awards

Prometheus Award Best Novel nominee (1991)

isbn

0930289528 (isbn13: 9780930289522)

description

V for Vendetta is, like its author's later Watchmen, a landmark in comic-book writing. Alan Moore has led the field in intelligent, politically astute...more

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07/09/08

Evil_Dead_Junkie rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: comics

If Watchmen is Alan Moore's Sergeant Pepper, and From Hell his Abbey Road (And in the end the love you take is equal to the number of prostitutes you disembowl) then V For Vendetta is his Rubber Soul.

Like Rubber Soul it tends to get overlooked and undervalued because it's "merely" a perfect pop record rather then a artform redefining masterpiece. V is simply put a potent piece of Pop Art. The story is bracing, the art beautiful, the way it plays with iconography of humanit...more

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5 comments

04/29/08

Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: comic, fiction

Read in April, 2008

Eh.

Okay. There's political writing, and then there's political comics (Watchmen, also by Moore). Pure political writing, essays or editorials or what have you, doesn't have to leave everyone satisfied. It can leave some angry or displeased or challenged, so long as it makes its point.

POLITICAL COMICS HAVE TO BE DIFFERENT.

A political comic must not only make a clear political point, but it must ALSO be interesting in a way that is peculiar to comics: it must ha...more Eh.

Okay. There's political writing, and then there's political comics (Watchmen, also by Moore). Pure political writing, essays or editorials or what have you, doesn't have to leave everyone satisfied. It can leave some angry or displeased or challenged, so long as it makes its point.

POLITICAL COMICS HAVE TO BE DIFFERENT.

A political comic must not only make a clear political point, but it must ALSO be interesting in a way that is peculiar to comics: it must have a gratifying narrative, it must be artistically sound, and it must have the same kind of emotional influence that a regular old novel or movie would have, because comics are, primarily, STORIES.
V for Vendetta is a glut of political writing stuffed into an attractive skin of art and garnished over with the platitudiest delivery I have ever had the misfortune to be exposed to outside a 50s superhero comic. My god. It's got the same blind and senseless energy of delivery that any Superman-hurling-a-car comic would have. This stems, I think, primarily from the fact that it's an anarchist comic, and making anarchism into a coherent and attractive viewpoint is nearly impossible, given that anarchism is probably the illest-conceived of any extant ideology.
However, because it's ANARCHISM, because the writing is coherent and cleverer than most graphic novels', because it's all draped over with mystery, because it's a well-designed book, tone and layout-wise, and because the art is fantastic, the essential failure of the book-- the fact that it lacks anything behind its shell of hyperenergetic blathering-- gets a pass.
Seriously. The book tries so hard to be political and symbolic it crushes itself. Premise-wise, the story doesn't make a lot of sense-- we hear that England was living in a government vacuum for several years, and that London was straight-across flooded, and that every other landmass on the planet has been nuked, AND that a nuclear winter has occurred, but for some reason they're still living in a fully-mechanized modern consumer society. All right. Sure. Also, it appears that the only remaining political ideologies in the universe are Fascism and Socialism/Communism, with Anarchism resting on its own crazy-ass axis out who the hell knows where. All right, again. Beginning to sound more and more like Revolutionary Spain/every third world country ever. Sure. Got that. 'First and freest Republic in the world loses all sense of its political heritage and persecutes the hell out of its inhabitants' is the ONLY trend in British apocalyptic fiction, but this is the worst I've ever seen it done.
I don't know. What is Moore posing here as the only options for political ideology? He paints a world in which one can ONLY be EITHER a ethnocentric homophobic racist fascist or an 'anarchist'. All right. What does he mean by this? Returning to a state of nature? Gradual and spontaneous shift to democracy? End of the modern mechanized world? Spontaneous national adoption of a sort of leaderless socialist state? Hmm. Moore handles his material childishly. For me, the political-apocalypse stories that WORK show the protagonists yearning after a state of leave-me-alone-let's-all-be-friends sort of political neutralism-- a state of 'let's have universal human rights and that's all please' joy. A utopia of 'being a normal person'. Children of Men is like this. Even Watchmen is less heavy on the socialism and focuses more on the 'let's stop being persecutors and start being nice to everyone else again' mentality. Readers can therefore identify with the protagonists-- they aren't radicals. They're just normal people trying to be normal again. But in V for Vendetta, the only way peace can be achieved is if every individual person is a politically-radical crowd member willing to use mob violence.
Not inspirational.
I don't care what you think about the degree to which individuals must be political to preserve their rights. This book makes no coherent political point and the messages it DOES articulate are comprised solely of platitudes. It fails to rpesent any realistic view of any political spectrum whatsoever. Instead of focusing on human rights/the dignity of man/the right to be free, it sours the whole batch by presenting some shallowly-conceived idea of anarchism as the solution to all modern political crises. The fact is that this book reads like a poorly-contrived piece of anti-Thatcher propaganda.

Which is essentially what it is.

EDIT: I've read some other reviews of this book on goodreads and I've decided I have to make one point.

You CANNOT like this book becuase 'V is an amazing character.' V IS ALMOST NOT A CHARACTER. Moore specifically has him talk about how who he is is not important. V is a big bundle of soggy political ideology stuffed up into a man-suit with a funny mask on the front. The whole backstory bit exists to give the situation-- the SITUATION, not the character-- plausibility. The fact that the backstory even exists sours Moore's ideological point, which is unfortunate, since the point was shallow enough to begin with. V is suppsoed to be an 'everyman', and is supposed to represent the potential in all of us to make a difference. But how did he get like this? First of all, he's insane, mildly or seriously, but slightly insane at some level, at any rate. Secondly, he's got SUPER POWERS of combat/the mind that he was given in a crazy SCIENCE-FICTION HORMONE EXPERIMENT. All right. So the potential to make a difference is there in all of us, but we need a hero to tell us this is so, and that hero himself needs to be a super-human person in some way before he can take up the job? I don't think so.
There's some extreme cognitive dissonance in this story. Moore can't decide whether to espouse the power of the people as a body or the power of the individual-- an individual who, in some ways, is nearly as charismatic as a 20th-century dictator, yet who is, in other ways, utterly flat and irrelevant.
V is not a character. V is an idea, and a cloudy one at that.(less)

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01/15/09

Meredith rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in January, 2009

Note: this is the longest book review I've written in a while. Forgive me if it's a bit difficult to navigate. A lot of this was typed up from notes I scribbled & I tried to make it as readable as possible. Also, if anyone is offended or in any way upset by this review, you know where you can put your whining....In the comments section of course! Dissenters welcome. I'm ready to argue my points.

V for Vendetta is essentially ‘Socialism vs. Fascism’. Well…more like anarchy vs. f...more Note: this is the longest book review I've written in a while. Forgive me if it's a bit difficult to navigate. A lot of this was typed up from notes I scribbled & I tried to make it as readable as possible. Also, if anyone is offended or in any way upset by this review, you know where you can put your whining....In the comments section of course! Dissenters welcome. I'm ready to argue my points.

V for Vendetta is essentially ‘Socialism vs. Fascism’. Well…more like anarchy vs. fascist government. V is the masked hero, righting the evils of England’s dystopian fascist government. (note: although the novel takes place in the 90’s, it is still a futuristic story because it was written in the eighties). The corrupt fascist government controls its citizens with ‘the voice of Fate’/
'theocracy’/’good intentions’….you get the picture. The policians and leaders are a horrible lot of lying, child-molesting, adulterous, sleezy hypocrites.

However…our protagonist is not all he is cracked up to be.

Now, I can appreciate a realistically flawed character: Scarlett O’Hara, Anna Karenina, Gatsby, you name it, but the way V is portrayed, he is very difficult to relate to, has few or no regrets, and makes no attempts to reform himself or find a new solution. Honestly, his character kind of ruined the book for me. I might not mind his shortcomings so much if it weren’t for the fact that he was continuously portrayed as the hero.

V may be a socialist, but he doesn’t necessarily make a good case for socialism. He is a dark and jaded protagonist who justifies his actions by his vendetta against the government—not well-grounded philosophy. His twisted vigilante-ism leads him to commit acts of violence and anarchy. Basically, his motives are good, but his methods are flawed. I feel the same way about his actions as I do about the actions of the more radical French revolutionaries of the 1700’s. Just as cutting off heads may have not been the best way to deal with decadent courtiers during the French Revolution, killing corrupt politicians is not the way to fix a fascist government.

Allow me to clarify—I am not a fascist, nor am I a socialist. I am a conservative, but I am not an extremist. I believe in God, but I do not condone a theocratic government. I don’t believe in legalizing gay marriage, but I also don’t believe in killing all homosexuals. I don’t believe in legalized prostitution, but I also don’t believe in rape. This book makes the not-so-subtle-suggestion that conservatives may be or may eventually become fascists, and I resent that suggestion. Unlike Watchmen, where I may not have agreed with the politics 100% but was able to appreciate the characters and story, V for Vendetta is clearly a political story. It is hard to look past the political philosophies of Alan Moore and appreciate the story. The politics got bigger than the story, making it a hard story to enjoy.

In the end, the flawed politics and shady protagonist weren’t enough to make me totally hate this book. The artwork was hard to get into, but it was well done, and perfectly captured the mood of the story. The writing was also good, the characters unique and vivid.(less)

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12/18/07

Tony rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: Fans of Moore

Watchmen is one of my favorite novels of all time, so I was disapointed when I finished this. I felt that Watchmen was heavily layered and had very complex characters. Veidt, Rorschach, and Manhattan can all be read an interpreted in different ways, and there's a moral ambiguity to the themes and messages of the work. None of that can be said about Vendetta.

V, who comes to represent anarchy, and the British government, who represent facism, are both one dimensional. The fascists ...more Watchmen is one of my favorite novels of all time, so I was disapointed when I finished this. I felt that Watchmen was heavily layered and had very complex characters. Veidt, Rorschach, and Manhattan can all be read an interpreted in different ways, and there's a moral ambiguity to the themes and messages of the work. None of that can be said about Vendetta.

V, who comes to represent anarchy, and the British government, who represent facism, are both one dimensional. The fascists are all deviant ghouls, and V's idealistic approach to anarchy is never questioned. In effect, Moore posists a strawman argument that isn't even strong to begin with. I suppose it's fine to say that eventually anarchy will sort itself out into the best possible government (or lack there of), but I'd hate to be the test group for this hypothesis.

Even if you take the novel as an action comic which coincidentally has a political theme (hard to do with all of the obvious metaphor, and proselytizing) it's just not very captivating. The chapters don't transition very well, the characters aren't interesting, and there's too much going on that just isn't terribly interesting. The art is drab and rather generic, and the action isn't conveyed very well.

I can see a definite improvement in the years where Moore wrote this, and the years where he wrote The Watchmen. Vendetta is probably worth reading if you've already read Watchmen, and want to read more of Moore's work, but I wouldn't recommend it to a newcomer.

Post Script: I've had time to think about it, and I bumped my rating up a notch. Moore definitely doesn't make V the hero, even if he still seems to be advocating anarchy (which I do believe, given interviews I've read). That in mind, the book can be taken as a warning of the chaos that fascism creates. When a society tightens its grip on its citizens, it only buys temporary respite from chaos, as the people grow more and more disatisfied with their lack of liberty. Still, that doesn't change the quality of the art, characterization, or plotting, but it does make the book easier to swallow.(less)

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03/19/09

Montambo rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: graphicnovel-comic

Read in March, 2009

This is great storytelling. I was riveted. I loved V's TV message to London and his dialogue with Justice.

Some of the writing was actually very beautiful. Everything I type about this book ends up being a spoiler because the story was so concisely written. It makes me want to find people who dismiss graphic novels as fluff. YOU AND WHAT ARMY?!!

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07/20/07

Andrea rated it:

Read in July, 2007

is it totally uncouth to say that i liked the movie better? i think they did a great job of taking the story and making it relavent 20-odd years later.

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08/20/08

Meave rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

Read in August, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I didn't anticipate liking it as much as I did, but who can resist the structured takedown of a fascist state? It's your nazi fantasy novelized; what if Sophie Scholl hadn't been caught with leaflets, and what if von Stauffenberg's bombs had both gone off and blown Hitler up AND someone else had planted them while he'd been contacting troops on his side to arrest SS officers right after detonation? This book makes you fear the coming fascist state (though not nearly so much if you are, like me, ...more

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08/16/08

Ken rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Admittedly, I am a latecomer to the cult of Alan Moore. I was barely aware of him back in the late 80s/early 90s, and other than Killing Joke, my introduction to him was actually in the superb D.R. and Quinch series for 2000 A.D. I missed out on the original releases of his Swamp Thing run, V for Vendetta, and The Watchmen.

Later, I rediscovered Moore with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I was already a fan of Kevin O'Neill from his work on Marshal Law (which is still one of ...more

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08/12/08

Ruka rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novel

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: people who think 1984 is too dour

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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07/27/08

Caroline rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels, read-in-2008

Read in July, 2008

This was very good, if somewhat convoluted at times. The biggest hurdle for me was actually the art--it took me a while to get the swing of who was who, and once I did it went a lot smoother. I also think having seen the movie was a bit of a disadvantage, since the movie combined characters and took out a number of sub-plots, so I was a bit confused at times.

I loved the fact that V is such an ambiguous character--you never really get any clue what his story is, other than the bare mi...more

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07/04/08

John rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: graphic-novels, science-fiction

Read in April, 2006

I picked up V for Vendetta for a variety of reasons. Of course, there is the movie that came out with Hugo Weaving & Natalie Portman. Alan Moore, a fantastic comic/graphic novel writer, also wrote the book. Finally, I'm doing some research on the graphic novel's form and this one was highly recommended (and close at hand).

Through the course of the story, we follow V from when he saves Evey from rape and being killed for prostitution by the government police - The Finger (after he has...more I picked up V for Vendetta for a variety of reasons. Of course, there is the movie that came out with Hugo Weaving & Natalie Portman. Alan Moore, a fantastic comic/graphic novel writer, also wrote the book. Finally, I'm doing some research on the graphic novel's form and this one was highly recommended (and close at hand).

Through the course of the story, we follow V from when he saves Evey from rape and being killed for prostitution by the government police - The Finger (after he has blown up the Parliament Building) through the assassination of key individuals and setting up the government to fall onto itself, opening the way for the "Land-of-Do-As-You-Please." Needless to say, V is crazy and does some questionable things (Evey's torture is high on my list). However, he does it all in the name of Anarchy, holding true to the ideal. This pushes him from the role of villain to that of an anti-hero.

The art is bold and simple, the framework easy to follow. Each character is distinct in appearance and behavior and ties into the growing chaos of the twining plots that culminate in the end.

Though the comic was written through the 1980's in response to topical ideas of the time, it does not come over as dated or out of place. Like 1984 or Brave New World, the story sets its own stage and there are still aspects of out lives that allow us to relate to it.

I managed to read the hardback version and then compare the paperback to the hardback. The hardback is printed on better paper, which results in clearer more vivid color. This is particularly pertinent with the black ink, for inking is an important part of the style of the book. Additionally, an essay that was written for the back of the second book of the graphic novel when it was originally released is published in the back of the hardcover. It helps give some insight into the creation and growth of the collaborative work that became V for Vendetta.

I would recommend this book to other avid graphic novel fans, and those interested in reading about dystopian futures as well. Fantastic writing and artwork.(less)

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11/22/08

Rob Kaas rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

recommends it for: Anyone who has ever been told "READ WATCHMEN! READ IT NOW!"

Once durring a conversation, one that seems to occur often in my life, between a handful of my most geeky aquaintances, someone (cannot recall who) said this of V For Vendetta:

"It's like the redheaded stepbrother to Watchmen."

And it's true. I've found it's commonly overlooked, not quoted or mentioned or honored nearly as often as Alan Moore's Watchmen, yet it is still among the most groundbreaking graphic novels ever to travel from dream to page.

If y...more

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06/11/07

Mandy rated it:

bookshelves: comic-books

Read in June, 2005

I have been copiously lectured on the importance of Alan Moore and the moving-and-shaking he did towards revamping the legitimacy of comic books. Consider my opinion here limited because I have only read Vendetta -- I don't think he's that terrific of a writer. He's not bad, but the appellation of "best writer in the comic book industry Ever" just doesn't ring terribly true with me. I enjoyed Vendetta, but to be honest I enjoyed the movie more, and his out-spoken bitching about the ...more

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09/29/08

Kerry rated it:

bookshelves: dystopia, fromthelibrary, graphic_novel

Read in November, 2008

Eh.

The art was mediocre, the colors muddy. (I wish they had included the cover art before each chapter, too.) I had a hard time distinguishing one English dude in a suit from the next, but didn't care enough to make an effort. Thank goodness for that guy at the end with the cockney (?) accent.

I guess anarchy just isn't that interesting. I mean . . . here's the plot: there was a war, which allowed a crazy bureaucracy to develop with little personal freedoms allowed. ...more

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01/12/08

Dake rated it:

Read in January, 2008

i wasnt sure how i'd like these. but i actually did really enjoy them. i saw the movie first, but i enjoy the graphic novel a lot more. after hearing what alan moore had to say about the movie adaptation, i tend to agree with him. they turned his novel on fascism and despotic rule into a political movie about Bush. the novel is great, though. you arent sure whether V is insane or heroic. this book's themes resonate on many different levels, and the art is very good. a little traditional in its d...more

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03/12/09

Brett Drewett rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

Read in March, 2009

This book was a true classic in my opinion. The very nature of it is thought provoking and it's frighteningly accurate by the state of affairs in the world. America is on a slow decline towards this sort of government. Instead of a fair and equal amount of representatives on each side, there is an unfair advantage from leading political party leaders. Even the system for elections is capable of being rigged, since only a few out of several thousands of people per area vote. Every man has his pri...more This book was a true classic in my opinion. The very nature of it is thought provoking and it's frighteningly accurate by the state of affairs in the world. America is on a slow decline towards this sort of government. Instead of a fair and equal amount of representatives on each side, there is an unfair advantage from leading political party leaders. Even the system for elections is capable of being rigged, since only a few out of several thousands of people per area vote. Every man has his price and all that. I digress.

The government is also going down this route by our 'ever so grand' president saying things will get worse unless he helps with his plan. Even his political party is striking at radio DJs who dismiss or speak badly of him. This is as in V's story: the start of government censorship of the media. Since the Democratic party is the key one in office, who's to say things won't get worse? If they have near total power in the government, what's stopping them from taking it over completely and oppressing the people?

After all, V was political satire, but it was also a prediction at how society as a whole can allow their governments to take over so easily and have total, silent, willing consent. If the government is the only one that's right, the people have no say. If the government is what controls the people, the people have to bend to their ruler's will. If we stop listening to all things, and only be fed the manufactured lies and falsehoods of a corrupt system, we will forever be blind to how things are.

So this is my creed! This is my own call to all minds that are open! Do not close yourself to the world! Do not give in to those who want to blind you! Do not hide from the truth because it is gritty or dirty! Do not let yourself conform to something you do not agree with over petty things such as acceptance! Acceptance is useless without freedom! Do not think of yourself as the all important center of the universe! Think of everything as affecting everyone, as it has, does, and forever will! Strike against the government, not with hate, but love! Not with greed, but charity! Not with argument, but tolerance! Not with jealousy, but with joy! Not with a want for power, but with a want to help others, even if it is only on a small scale first! Do not give up your feelings and do not let anger or fear cloud your judgment as those who wish to control you want! Do not let yourself bend upon the orders of others!

Fight, not as how you think you know. Fight with love and knowledge, not hate and ignorance.

This is what knowledge and new understanding this book has given to me. If you disagree with me, I must say as the French philosopher Voltaire once said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." I only give my opinion, and it is just that. Freedom of speech means listening to what you dislike or hate as well.

With that, I bid you adieu.(less)

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02/02/09

Annie rated it:

(review of isbn 9792224394)

Read in February, 2009

recommended to Annie by: Oscar, Russ (When will they meet?), Liz

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Poor Alan Moore. I read Watchmen first, and now I am like, this is pretty good, but it's no Watchmen.

Actually I think this book might be more appealing to some people than, you know, the other one. No superheroes here. It is more, maybe, realistic? It is hard to judge, partly on account of it being written in the eighties. I was really young in the eighties, and I was raised by people who were hoping for the Apocalypse. In a way, that was probably a lot worse than being raised to fea...more

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06/30/09

Robert rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: graphic-novel

Ilustrasi yang keren, walaupun sarat dengan nuansa jadul (karena memang buku novel grafis ini dibuat di tahun 1980-an) dengan ide cerita yang sangat serius serta berat. Konsep ceritanya berada di dunia alternatif, di mana fasisme justru menguasai dunia, termasuk Inggris.

London masa depan justru menjadi mimpi buruk bagi umat manusia. Di mana-mana polisi rahasia mengintai, kamera-kamera keamanan di tiap sudut kota, jam malam diberlakukan, dan para politisi sibuk berceramah di sana-sini...more

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06/18/09

Jonathan rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

bookshelves: graphic-novel

These days when someone tells me to read one of these groundbreaking graphic novels, I am very skepitcal. I liked League of Extrordinary Gentlemen by Moore. And I liked Watchmen...though it had it's faults. V for Vendetta has more faults, and I would sooner consider it a incomplete work than the rest. Getting over Moore's anarchist ideology, it's still a rather heavy-handed. The evil government is of course Fascist, as that is the 'evil government du jour'. This is fine though, but how he does t...more

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06/10/09

Jabberwocky rated it:

(review of isbn 1401207928)

I read the graphic novel after seeing the movie and... I have to say I enjoy the movie better. Mostly because the visuals in the movie are so stunning, with beautiful sharp noir lighting and only flashes of color. The poorly colored late-80's comic panels just don't compare with that. I also had a harder time believing in a dystopian world that had such dated technology. Finally, I had some major issues with how the final "mystery" is solved: how the cop figures out the conspiracy. In ...more

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