Gotta go with the League of Extrordinary Gentlemen!

MAUS

Stray Bullets - The best comic being produced today!

LoEG is great, but it's only a non-Superhero comic by the narrowest definition of superhero (not to pick on you -- I should have spoken up when someone mentioned V for Vendetta).

Why should you have spoken up? V for Vendetta is nowhere close to being a superhero book.

As my friend Greg has explained, "V has a secret identity, a code name, superpowers, an origin, a costume, and a sidekick. He is a vigilante, punishing the guilty." He's a superhero.

Superpowers?

I don't recall any super powers, but it's been a while since I've read the story.

Of course super powers doesn't mean superhero. If so, then Batman is outta luck.

Basically, your friend Greg is wrong, but he's entitled to his opinion. V is a freedom fighter or terrorist, depending on how you look at the story. Nothing more, nothing less. He is not a vigilante, which is someone that takes the law into their own hands. He's fighting the government, so he's not taking the law into his own hands... he's not enforcing the law, he's trying to overthrow it. He's not punishing the guilty, he's getting revenge for what was done to him. He's not out on the streets targeting crime, he has focused his efforts on one specific thing.

It's been too long since I've read V as well, but my memory is that the treatment he received in the camps gave him super strength. But you're right when you bring up Batman -- I think "super powers" is shorthand for "powers or abilities the average person doesn't have." Which V clearly has.

But V is punishing the guilty -- he goes after the various government officials (like the Voice) who are guilty of perpetuating the fascist regime. V is enforcing the law -- it's just not the law of Britain; it's a higher law.

Guilt is relative in this case, though. We're not talking about a simple crime fighter, we're talking about rebelling against a system of government, thus the terrorist / freedom fighter possibilities. IMHO, that's a major difference. I think at best, V could be called an anti-hero. I'll have to go re-read the series, but if I recall correctly, he doesn't care if bystanders get hurt in his crusade. That right there should keep him off the "hero" pedestal.


It's been a long time since I've had a comic discussion like this... damn, I've missed it. :-)

I need to reread V before I can talk intelligently about this, too, but I'll agree that V is further from the core of what constitutes a superhero than Superman, for example. But I still think he is still close enough to that core that he hasn't stopped being a superhero and started being something else.

At the risk of shamelessly plugging another website (one I'm a contributor to, no less), if you want comic discussion like this, check out the Howling Curmudgeon group blog (that's where Greg posted his "V is a Superhero" thing I linked to a few posts above). And, of course, here in Book Talk!

Defenition of prefix super - above, beyond, in addtion, to an especially high degree.

Basic defenition of HERO - a person of distinguished courage or abliity, admired for thier brave deeds and noble qualities.

So I would say that it's not really an extra powers that make the man, but rather what that individual does that sets them apart from others.

Yeah, I have to try and get a chance to re-read it also. We're both just debating from vague memory right now... but it's so much fun!

To add in what Rocketdog2000 posted - Many of V's deeds, especially what he does to Evey is far from the definition of hero. Someone in the thread you referenced mentioned that also.

If we are including graphic novels, then Maus certainly applies as one of the finest, most touching pieces of graphic art I have ever read. For that matter, add Craig Thompson's Blankets to that list and I forgot to mention Grendel earlier (Everything up through War Child, but especially the Christine Spar storyline which marked me forever when I read it as a 10 year old).