Midnight Ramblings

Had two very different comic book experiences last night.

For the first one, I finished reading V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. As you may have heard, a movie version is coming out in the spring. I watched the trailer, and the film looks like it's going to be a dystopian tale in the same vein as my beloved 1984. So, since I have lots of time before the movie comes out, I decided to read the book first.

It's a graphic novel, so it was an easy read. (That's not a slam against graphic novels...I'm just saying there were a lot of pictures.) I tend to read graphic novels in a very non-linear way...I'll spend about a week leafing through it before I sit down and read it proper. And yesterday was the day I sat down to read it proper, seeing as to how I have to take it back to the library today.

But V for Vendetta was interesting. You take a totalitarian London - not too dissimilar from Orwell's London - and, in the middle of it, you drop a terrorist dedicated to bringing down the government. The majority of the story is told from the point of view of the people that the terrorist affects - the police hunting him down, the widows of the people he kills, and, in particular, one Evey Hammond, his adopted protoge. It was one of those books where I walked away going, "Huh. Never thought about it like that before." It was pretty good. I'll probably check it out again as the movie draws closer.

In case you're curious, V for Vendetta was adapted for the big screen by the Wachowski Brothers, those who gave us The Matrix Trilogy. James McTeague, who was 2nd unit director on The Matrix Trilogy (kinda like the Evey to the Wachowski's V) is directing. Natalie Portman is playing Evey, and Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) is playing V. And yes, you can definitly spot elements in the graphic novel of V for Vendetta that went on to influence parts of The Matrix. The film's due out in March.

And now, that other comic book experience was the season preimer of Smallville. Oh my God! The continuity porn was out in full force! The Fortress of Solitude, looking exactly like it did in the 1978 movie..."the deciples of Zodd"...the Phantom Zone...and, in the end, Brainiac! It was geek-tastic!

Now, if only they don't drop the ball this season.