I seem to be on a graphic novel kick, but grad school puts a serious constraint on my free-reading time. I will consider these last couple of posts as another way to explore literature. This time, I will review two graphic novels, Alan Moore's V for Vendetta and Jonathan Lincoln's Tracker.
Let's start with the classic. For anyone not familiar with the plot or has not at least seen the move, V for Vendetta takes place in a Fascist England where the government follows the whims of a computer program named Fate. The government has extremely strict restrictions and a force of agents to enforce matters. Times are hard, and orphan Evey gets caught trying to prostitute herself. Enter the masked vigilante--known only as V--who saves the girl and takes her in. V has a bit of a score to settle with certain members of the party before he can gear up for his big show-down with the government. He tries to enlist Evey's help, but Evey must settle some issues of her own.
I was glad that I finally read the graphic novel; I really enjoyed the movie when I saw it, but the graphic novel had further character development and revelations that the movie was unable to convey. The water-color style artwork took a bit of getting used to, but I thought it worked well with the story being told. As someone who's increasingly become more attuned to character development, I was pleased that I got such insight into so many characters' changes in such an elegant and subtle fashion. I was also extremely satisfied with the ending and felt that the overall plot did not overshadow some of the finer aspects of the graphic novel. I would definitely recommend checking this one out.
Tracker follows FBI tracker Alex O'Rourke, who becomes a werewolf after he gets bitten while trying to capture an elusive serial killer by the name of Herod. As Alex comes to understand the full connotations of what he's become, he must struggle with this new monster inside of him and what it does to those around him. He gets help on that from a mysterious organization called the Handel Foundation, a shady organization that specialize in werewolf research. Oh, personal problems aside, he still has to catch Herod before the guy kills again.
This novel is simply fun--there's a lot of action and gore, plus the whole supernatural element. I would say that the concept overall was not as well-developed as other stories I've read (and I'm not just referring to V for Vendetta). I wasn't quite sure how all the pieces fit together. The characters and plot also seemed fairly hackneyed, with little to distinguish itself from other crime and supernatural thrillers. The exception to that comment is the way they handled the werewolf condition, which was interpreted as a virus that heightened a host's fight or flight instincts. I liked the artwork, but did not enjoy the story as much as I had hoped when I picked this book up off the library shelf. It was a fun quick read, but nothing more.
