12 Shocking Real-Life Incidents That Affected Comics
6. The Gunpowder Plot And V For Vendetta
Whilst this entry requires delving into a much earlier historical incident it is included due to its continued relevance and for the fact that it is the one entry on the list that could also be included in an article entitled 12 Comics That Shaped Real Life Incidents. When Alan Moore wrote his V For Vendetta appendices Behind The Painted Smile he included a list of influences that he hoped to bring to V and his world. Whilst Guy Fawkes was not amongst the list, which included Judge Dredd, Batman and The Prisoner, John Lloyds depiction of V in a Fawkes-like costume led to the influence of the Gunpowder Plot being central to the anti-establishment tone of the series. The incident also acts as the basis for one of the comics key scenes where V atones for Fawkess earlier failing by successfully destroying the Houses of Parliament. With the activist group Anonymous later adopting the V/Fawkes mask as their symbol, V for Vendetta has become one of the greatest examples of the interchange between reality influencing a cultural artefact, which subsequently goes on to influence reality.
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