Review of "V for Vendetta"

“V for Vendetta,” the 1982 comic book series by Alan Moore, originated as a black and white series until 1985. It ran 10 issues in total, with its primary artist being David Lloyd. Within its 288 pages lie the shift timeline imagined by Moore in which a fascist party takes control of a dreary England. The issues were later rereleased in one large color volume in 1995.

                 

The graphic novel focuses on the efforts of an unnamed anarchist and terrorist titled, V. The totalitarian regime appears to have a mysterious and shady past. It took control after a global war and remains in power through the plot in the 1990s. It’s figurehead, “the leader” is an “all seeing,” “all knowing,” “all controlling” presence. V, with his master plan, decides that anarchy is the answer to this dystopia. He hides in secrecy, coming out only to initiate parts of his blueprint. His reluctant “sidekick” Evey comes along for a ride following a close call with the law.

                 

The themes that work their way into this novel include the themes of anarchy versus fascism and true identities. V fights to overthrow the government that betrayed him. The character V is developed into a complex being. He becomes more of an idea than an individual as his morals and plans begin to shine through.

                

The visuals are very dark, which makes perfect sense in this graphic novel. The depictions of V are in such a way that as a reader, it is difficult to trust him. His past is mysterious and he is definitely a dangerous man. There are flashbacks via journal entries about him. But they only further complicate his being. The overall layout of the novel is well organized. The panels do not follow any particular structure, but this suits it well. There are on average nine panels per page, allowing for the graphics to be displayed well. There is very little narration in the novel. The little narration that occurs is spoken at the beginning and end of each chapter. The narrator is ambiguous. There are also few sound effects splotched onto the panels, which is good. The graphic novel only has a few action scenes. The scenes that are most important are the foreboding ones that play with the reader’s mind.

               

The novel was dramatized into a film in 2006. The film was a large success, portraying the original comic rather well. The writer, however, complains the film portrayed V as a freedom fighter as opposed to an anarchist. This changes the entire essence of V. It is up to the viewer and reader if it is for better or for worse.

                

Personally, I thought that the graphic novel was well written. It conveys a great story with visuals to match it. Moore appears to warn the world about the possibilities of totalitarianism. The scene that jumped out at me was when Evey was caught and thrown into confinement. Her transformation from a timid girl to a rebel on par with V was well depicted. It also incorporated a shocking realization that was very well planned. I will not disclose details in order to keep the effect strong. I chose to read this graphic novel because I had already read another of Moore’s works, “Watchmen.” I enjoyed that one so I expected that I would enjoy this one the same. I also knew that it was a bit of gloomy, dystopic literature, similar in mood to the works of Orwell, Huxley, and Bradbury. It is a piece of fiction that makes the reader think a little. Will humanity come to this ever?

Final Project! "Peter and the Wolf"

Final Project

Final project in process starting...wait...not yet...now.
My final project will be a comic format of the wolf confrontation from the animation Peter and the Wolf. But I will put my own spin on it with my own style of graphics.

Apple ad Storyboard

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R706isyDrqI

12 Scenarios

You've Got Mail

Space Can

Another set of Good Data Graphics

Here is another good example of graphics used. It describes the diving and feeding patterns of whales.It is really straight forward and provides a very linear and mathematical way of reading it from left to right. It uses pictures to clearly indicate it is talking about a whale. I could easily read this and see the diving pattern and what happens at each stage.

Bad Data Graphics

I guess I was confused on the final module one task. I thought that I had to upload one good and one bad comic book format. I have a bad one. But here is an example of a bad data graphics. I already presented, but here is a really confusing diagram of some sort. It is a flow chart having to do with health care. But there is just too much information packed into it. It is unappealing. There are too many arrows, labels, and the viewer doesn't know where to begin and end when looking at it. Simply unappealing.

How to...

I Used to Believe but Now I Know

Mind Map

Mind map of an Intro to Chemical Engineering lecture. What is possible with the discipline and what does it take?

Netherlandish Proverbs

What happens when a mystery drama is made out of the artwork of Netherlandish Proverbs?

Successful Graphical Instructions

This example is an example of notorious Japanese instructions. The Japanese have a reputation of strange and sometimes confusing signs and how-to's.
But this is an example of clear instructions. Clearly, it states that in the event of a small fire, attempt to extinguish it with a fire extinguisher. If not successful, close windows and doors and quickly make an escape. An elevator should not be used in event of a fire.
The images used are conventional stick figure diagrams that are easy to relate to. The simplicity in the scenarios make the point quick and clear. Which is a necessity in an emergency situation. There is not a single bit of clutter on this sign. Everything in it is necessary. Nothing extra.
The comic format is strange enough to catch the eyes of those nearby. An individual would have to be either busy or extremely boring to not be interested in a sign like this. This is a good thing because if a fire were to start, those inside would already know what to do, having been distracted by the sign at some time or another.
Visually, the colors used are all bright and lively. This adds to the interest factor of the sign. Additionally, it is primarily yellow, a color which the human eye is very sensitive to. The red indicates danger. In Japan, green is the color of the exit signs. In fact, the symbol used here is exactly the same as the true exit signs used. The colors all implicitly express something visually. Viewers are well informed with this sign around.

Confusing Instructions

This is an example of a very confusing set of instructions. This is an instruction manual for a child's toy from the Transformers franchise. It is a set of instructions for transforming the "Deep Desert Brawl Decepticon" from some sort of desert army tank to a massive robot of some kind.
The comic book format was not a terrible idea for the toy company, Hasbro, to implement. It was potentially a good idea. Naturally, younger children, the target audience, would understand this format better than text. Each image shows a chronological change in the transforming toy. It reads easily from left to right, top to bottom. The images themselves are drawn with good detail and show all the moving parts of the toy, very geometrically.
But this textless format is the downfall of this instruction manual. But it is only a group of images with arrows that direct the user. It is difficult to tell which arrows refer to which parts. The ambiguity leads to user to frustration when he or she cannot find a piece that rotates or folds in such a manner.
The angles which the images are drawn are a huge flaw as well. Multiple angle drawings would help since most moving parts move in multiple planes.
Lack of color adds to the confusion in finding appropriate parts. If a particular part was red, striped, or textured, it would be easy to differentiate it from instructions to toy.
I can barely understand what exactly each step is asking me to do. At the top it states that this toy is meant for children of age five. The countless frustrations most likely went from children to their parents when the toy was unable to be transformed fully.