One of the primary reasons few comics have addressed the same subject matter as V for Vendetta, few have been as successful as Moore's interpretation of post-apocalyptic totalitarianism and the struggle to overturn it. Over the years, Moore has spoken extensively about the processes he went through to write the story. Interestingly, one such commentary provides a clue as to why the story has continuously been able to achieve such widespread appeal.
Prior to its publication by DC Comics in 1988, portions of V for Vendetta had already been published in the British comic anthology magazine Warrior. Indeed, from 1982 to 1985 Moore and illustrator David Lloyd published eight chapters or issues in Warrior as a sort of creative side-hustle outside of Moore's more formal work for Doctor Who Weekly and 2000 AD. In 1982 and 1983, Moore won the British Eagle Awards for Best Comics Writer for V for Vendetta and Miracleman. Warrior shut down in 1985 before Moore was able to conclude V for Vendetta, but fortunately a few years later DC Comics not only agreed to reprint the comic as a standalone series but also gave Moore the opportunity to finish it. The rest is, as they say, history.
In a 1984 interview with an editor from Warrior magazine, Moore discussed his creative methods surrounding the development of V for Vendetta from a short strip Lloyd had been working on. Moore saw much potential in the strip but found it was not well organized. But rather than remake the story from scratch, Moore decided to adapt aspects of other comics, movies, television shows, art, and writing he had come across that he liked or appreciated, onto Llyod's original idea.
Moore jokingly its the "scope" of his "plagiarism" was "vast." He goes on to list several of the inspirations he drew from:
"Orwell. Huxley. Thomas Disch. Judge Dredd. Harlan Ellison's Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman, Catman and The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World by the same author. Vincent Price's Dr. Phibes and Theatre of Blood. David Bowie. The Shadow. Night-Raven. Batman. Fahrenheit 451. The writings of the New Worlds school of science fiction. Max Ernst's painting 'Europe After the Rain'. Thomas Pynchon. The atmosphere of British Second World War films. The Prisoner. Robin Hood. Dick Turpin..."
To be sure, the sheer breadth of works Moore "pilfered" from is amazing. But what is more shocking is how well he and Lloyd weaved those influences with their own to create the iconic masterpiece that V for Vendetta ended up becoming. More relevantly, after understanding the background sources that Moore and Lloyd tapped for the comic, it is easier to understand why it has attracted such as diverse audience of fans. Indeed, anything that can successfully combine elements as different as those found in Batman, David Bowie, Aldous Huxley, and Thomas Pynchon is bound to generate a significant level of excitement and attention.
Moreover, since the best stories always include some aspect that readers find familiar, the number of influences injected into V for Vendetta is a testament to Alan Moore's creative genius, as well as his ability to tell a compelling story in a language everyone understands.
Source: Warrior #17
