The venerable hero of V for Vendetta may be known to fans as V, but the protagonist's name went through a few revisions before settling on the notable letter. In the pages of British anthology, Warrior, Moore revealed details on the early stages of creating his seminal work. Among the secrets he spilled, the author gave a glimpse into the creation of V and the difficulty he experienced in naming his valiant character.
Initially premiering in 1982 as a black and white strip for Warrior, V for Vendetta was created by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Tony Weare, Steve Craddock, Steve Whitaker and Siobhan Dodds. The series ran for three years before Warrior was canceled, leaving the comic unfinished. However, in 1988, DC Comics republished the V for Vendetta strips as a ten-issue comic book, and continued the series to completion.
In an essay, Moore gave a glimpse at how he imagined his seminal story. This essay was called "Behind the Painted Smile" and was first published in Warrior #17. Though the writer had the concept for the story in mind, he its to refining the character of V quite a bit. His initial idea "...concerned a freakish terrorist in white-face makeup who traded under the name of 'The Doll' and waged war upon a Totalitarian state..." Though the plot strongly resembled what V for Vendetta ultimately became, Moore its to the issues he faced coming up with a name for the story's iconic character saying he "...was struggling with a morass of names including such forgettables as 'The Ace of Shades' amongst others."
Alan Moore seems to have some raw feelings about the Ace of Shades name, going so far as to call it "forgettable." But per an Moore initially submitted a synopsis for the series under the name The Ace of Shades. Though the title wound up being changed, that name at least got further than "The Doll" or "Vendetta" ever did. Moore's ission about the naming of his central character is an earnest one to say the least. While it's not exactly uncommon for a creator to modify elements of a story, Moore's candid discussion helps illustrate how something as iconic as V for Vendetta had to go through the usual process of revising to create something an author can stand by. In the end, Moore's redrafting led to the creation of the veracious and valuable character of V.
Every creator's process is different, but nearly every one is familiar with the concept of reworking their projects when faced with dissatisfaction. Alan Moore may have struggled with parts of V for Vendetta, but his edits helped create a story that is still lauded today.
Source: Warrior #17
