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Elizabeth Sandifer

Elizabeth Sandifer created Eruditorum Press. She’s not really sure why she did that, and she apologizes for the inconvenience. She currently writes Last War in Albion, a history of the magical war between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. She used to write TARDIS Eruditorum, a history of Britain told through the lens of a ropey sci-fi series. She also wrote Neoreaction a Basilisk, writes comics these days, and has ADHD so will probably just randomly write some other shit sooner or later. Support Elizabeth on Patreon.

17 Comments

  1. John Nor
    December 3, 2014 @ 3:51 am

    Like Captain Britain and Swamp Thing, the artist is perfect for the story.

    Reply

  2. jane
    December 3, 2014 @ 3:59 am

    I forgot this was in black and white.

    Very nice cliffhanger.

    Love that we're in that sweet spot of Moore I was reading back in college. Brings back so many memories. So what is it about V that's so much more inspiring than, say, Batman? The stark realism of fascist Britain versus the impossible villains of Gotham?

    Reply

  3. Anton B
    December 3, 2014 @ 6:18 am

    That and the fact that V's real identity remains an enigma; allowing an amount of cross cultural/gender/race reader identification that 'millionaire orphan Bruce Wayne' can never provide. He represents more than the standard triumph of the nerd (well read in the classics but also a pop culture afficionado) over the bully. Notice how the fascist state is shown as having already won. It's got rid of the left wing, intellectuals, ethnic minorities and LGBTs and is now floundering around looking for something to hit. V provides them with that focus without ever revealing what, apart from his visual uniqueness (which is in itself a piece of English retro mythologising), has motivated his animosity.

    Reply

  4. Nicholas Tosoni
    December 3, 2014 @ 6:24 am

    Oh, my God, he's tackling "V For Vendetta!"

    Permission to squee?

    Reply

  5. Elizabeth Sandifer
    December 3, 2014 @ 6:38 am

    Granted.

    Reply

  6. Nyq Only
    December 3, 2014 @ 7:47 am

    I think it is such a sad dystopia. It doesn't feel like some massive conspiracy or something like the Party in 1984 that seems to actively enjoy the crushing brutality it creates. Instead the fascist Britain in V for Vendetta has a feel of a society that ran out of ideas. The Fawkes masked protagonist in contrast is a creative force that surrounds themselves with ideas and evocative images.

    Reply

  7. Ice
    December 3, 2014 @ 8:31 am

    It's kind of a society that didn't MEAN to be a 1984 style dystopia, but ended up that way anyway because of fear and bad choices. That's why it's sad, I think.

    And, that's why I think it's one of the more believable sci-fi dystopias I've read. A world like that of V For Vendetta could be just a few bad elections and a sufficiently scared populace away.

    Reply

  8. John Seavey
    December 3, 2014 @ 11:07 am

    @Nyq Only: Oh, definitely definitely definitely. The scene where Winston is tortured could never happen in 'V for Vendetta', because the torturers in 'V' are afraid too. Everyone is going through the motions because they're all afraid of someone else, even the Head himself in some ways. There's nobody who imagines a boot stamping on a human face forever–they can't even picture tomorrow.

    Reply

  9. Spoilers Below
    December 3, 2014 @ 11:39 am

    Ah, V. Fantastic!

    I can't wait until we get to the part about hunting alligators in the sewers, or the scene at the ballet, or the bits about the Herero Wars, or the truth about the "Kilroy was here" graffiti… Don't much fancy rereading the rhinoplasty section, though. That part always squicked me out.

    Love this book!

    Reply

  10. Alex
    December 3, 2014 @ 1:11 pm

    Evey's flat doesn't look too bad by the standards of a 2014 low-income private-rental in London!

    Reply

  11. inkdestroyedmybrush
    December 3, 2014 @ 2:26 pm

    its going to be tough to try to document all the amazing graphic short hand that Lloyd uses over the course of V. He took a style that could have been exceptionally limiting from the first couple of chapters and took it much much further than most artists would have. Yes, Moore's work here is staggering, but Lloyd's is equally so. And he's a great guy.

    Reply

  12. BerserkRL
    December 3, 2014 @ 4:16 pm

    Pedantry alert: prerogative, not perogative.

    Reply

  13. Shane Cubis
    December 4, 2014 @ 2:09 pm

    Settle down, Britney Spears. 😉

    Reply

  14. Wolfboy
    December 8, 2014 @ 3:18 pm

    To be fair, I was about to say the same thing. Since Philip used "perogative" twice I had to check that it wasn't a direct quote from the Fingermen being illiterate. But no.

    Reply

  15. Hunter
    December 9, 2014 @ 6:03 am

    I dream of the day when we will have a proper B&W reprint of that whole story.

    Reply

  16. Daru
    February 13, 2015 @ 6:45 am

    Like yourself Jane, I read this when I was at college and have fond memories of spending hours being absorbed by V and the beautifully textured ink work.

    Reply

  17. Daru
    February 19, 2015 @ 6:20 am

    Loving the V for Vendetta stretch (squeeing at the whole of the War).

    Reply

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