V for Vendetta is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd, with additional art by Tony Weare. The story began as a black-and-white serial in the British anthology magazine Warrior, running from 1982 to 1985. After the magazine's cancellation, the series was completed and published in color as a ten-issue limited series by DC Comics between 1988 and 1989. It was later collected under DC's Vertigo imprint and, more recently, the DC Black Label.
The narrative is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic United Kingdom in the 1990s, following a nuclear war that devastated much of the world. A fascist, totalitarian regime known as Norsefire has risen to power, ruling the country as a police state and having exterminated political opponents in concentration camps. The story follows V, a mysterious anarchist revolutionary who wears a Guy Fawkes mask, as he wages an elaborate, theatrical campaign of destruction and psychological warfare against the government. He also takes under his wing a young woman named Evey Hammond, who becomes his protégée and witness to his vision of a society freed from tyranny.
V for Vendetta is celebrated for its complex political themes, exploring anarchism, fascism, identity, and the nature of freedom. The iconic Guy Fawkes mask designed by David Lloyd has transcended the comic, becoming a globally recognized symbol of protest and anti-establishment movements. The graphic novel is considered a landmark work in the medium, cementing Alan Moore's reputation as one of the most influential writers in comics history.
