I've been on a spree of fantastic graphic novels for the past few months. I guess it had to end sometime.
I loved Watchmen. While I took issue with Moore's treatment of women in that work, I also found it to be gripping, subversive, and smart storytelling. I was willing to overlook that lapse in narrative judgement and delve into more of Moore's work. I was intrigued by his crazy beard and anarchist attitude.
Well, call my curiosity satisfied. I could not ignore the misogyny in V for Vendetta. The novel has a philosophical and political tone, with lots of obscure puns and Yeats quotes, but under that guise is a deep distrust and dislike for women. The novel's treatment of Evey Hammond, the protagonist, for example, is abhorrent. V, the terrorist hero, kidnaps, sexually assaults, and tortures Evey in order to groom her as his protege. And he does it for "love." She passively remains in captivity, and then becomes thankful for her torture-induced "awakening" into "freedom." There's also a weird scene where V slut shames a statue.
Ugh.