A small intro.
The night was cold and it did rain a bit.
I remember being with David at Beja - Portugal in 2014 during a comic book festival, while curating and organizing an exhibition dedicated to Italian maestro Guido Crepax with several of his originals and that later in 2016, I should be talking with him to a live audience about his masterpiece "V for Vendetta" written by British genius Alan Moore in Lisbon to promote it as the first book of a graphic novels collections, but a lightning train passed on my mind while somebody was telling me that I should pay my own trip, food and stay from Porto to Lisbon and this buzz on my head while I was doing a work, blured my vision of that event.
I knew that I wanted to help doing a definitive book edition of "V" and all that it stands for since it was first published in Warrior magazine.
David was willing to help me and receptive to the idea, the publishers were not because it would give a bit more work than the usual copy and paste from other "V for Vendetta" worldwide published book editions, being myself a simple guy and not an "illuminati", I quit this work.
I also knew that David drew for me an exclusive artwork for the Portuguese book edition with "V" and "Evey" to be published in it, but once again, the publisher rejected it, because of the trouble of inserting in this book edition an artwork by the artist who created visuals for it, maybe (perhaps, maybe), Alan Moore could also provide an intro for this edition but at that time, I knew that maybe/perhaps/whatever, that the publisher wouldn't publish it because of the work that this would take by inserting extra pages on this book edition.
So, I lighted a cigarette and forget about everything that this editor/publisher was saying to me while thinking that David also drew an artwork based on John Constantine's Hellblazer for me, just because he also worked on some issues of it with British writers Jamie Delano and Grant Morrison.
01
You did visual art for a masked vigilante named Night Raven in March 1979 for Marvel UK with British artist Steve Parkhouse, I remember reading about it and that he was a sort of inspiration to V.
What can you tell us about this?
David Lloyd: As it turned out, my visuals were bent to their idea of how the character should look, not mine - but nevertheless it proved successful and brought me a following. It was a precursor to V because when the editor set up his own magazine later, he asked me to create a similar type of character to Night Raven, and V was the result.
02
The character V created by you and Alan Moore appeared first In issue 1 of Warrior March 1982 magazine edited by Dez Skinn in chapters in black and white and ran monthly until number 27 from April 1996.
Being later serialized and finished by you along Alan Moore by DC comics in color from September 1988 to May 1989 in 10 comic book issues.
Did you and Alan knew at the time that it could be a sucess among comic book readers in a though period such as the Cold War and with Margaret Thatcher as British Prime Minister?
David Lloyd: We never thought there was any doubt - we knew we were doing something that was more than just an adventure and had important things to say, but we also knew that the readers were liable to respond positively to it because most comic readers here in the UK at the time were very welcoming to the apocalyptic subject matter that we dealing with in V. And we knew we were doing a good job with it.
03
With several references in this book, like George Orwell's masterpiece "1984", David Bowie among many others, was it difficult for you both to mention references while creating something new as well?
David Lloyd: I'm not aware we mentioned Orwell or David Bowie in V - I'll check!
V was influenced and inspired by lots of things, many of which we detailed in an article describing its genesis in the middle of the story's run. Referring to other works directly in the body of any creation is just a way to add relevant ingredients to the mix that might be necessary to your intention. I can't imagine a situation in which you'd want to do it if it was liable to make creativity difficult.
04
One of the things that made me curious with this masterpiece was the main character being linked with number 5 and the letter V, that clearly stands for the message that the book tries to give us. Evey's character was also a derivation of the main character name V.
David Lloyd: You'd have to ask Alan about the idea of using all the different meanings of V. He just thought that up out of his usual genius. But you're wrong about Evey. V is a blend of two unsold stories that both myself and Alan had created separately years before V, which were both, coincidentally, about urban guerillas fighting a fascist dictatorship in a future England. Mine was about a female resistance fighter called Evelina Falconbridge. That's where the name Evey comes from.
05
Did you planned to portray Evey as a sort of a derivation also in terms of personality comparing her to V?
David Lloyd: Well, for me, Evey represents society - the people.
She begins cowed and afraid and grows in knowledge and strength as V molds her, which is what V attempts to do with the corrupted population in order to make them fight for a better and more honourable existence.
06
I remember In 1984, David J and Kevin Haskins, that were members of Bauhaus music band, doing a soundtrack for this book with the song written by Moore "This Vicious Cabaret" with a cover drawn by you.
know that they are from Northampton as Alan is and they worked before together in 1983 Sinister Ducks EP, under a pseudonym named Translucia baboon with a Kevin O'Neill cover
and that Alan also wrote a preface for their 1981 "Mask" album under the pseudonym Brilburn Logue.
07
I remember talking personally with Peter Murphy in early 90's before a concert, while he was promoting his album "Cascade" and he told me that he loved "V for Vendetta" then.
Did you liked seeing this soundtrack with such known musicians, then?
David Lloyd: I didn't knew any of those guys or any of that music. David J was a nice guy, and his music for V was appropriately Weill-like, and yes, it was great to see V evolve into these areas. We were always trying to extend V into other areas at that time - trying to interest tv and film companies in doing a version.
08
Another thing that I remember seeing in the ten DC comic book issues was that you made amazing splash pages that never appeared in the normal TPB Edition of this masterpiece and that I also haven't seen collected the Warrior covers that had V on them and that also the covers of the issues were really small in the TPB.
Do you think that you would have loved seeing a proper gallery with all these covers in a normal format page in a TPB Edition?
David Lloyd: By 'splash pages' if you mean the bridging pages between chapters in the miniseries, they're in the Absolute Edition.
Would be nice to see the covers well printed again, but, I'm more interested in the story. A cover's made to interest and attract, but the play's the thing. Btw the Warrior covers, apart from one that was partly done by me, weren't done by me, though I've been mis-credited with them.
09
I've watched 2005 "V for Vendetta" movie directed by James Mcteigue and I liked it, knowing that I can't compare it with the book since they're two different art forms, one that has movement and another that is static.
Was it good for you seeing the book adapted into a major picture with known actors such as John Hurt (that interpreted Big Brother in it, after being the main character named Winston from the movie masterpiece "1984" directed by Michael Radford released in 1984 and that was based on George Orwell's masterpiece book, being first published in 1949 with the same title in which Winston was against Big Brother in it)
Natalie Portman as "Evey" and Hugo Weaving as "V"?
David Lloyd: Yes, they made a good movie of it, though, as you say, it's a different version.
10
What have you felt while working with Alan Moore in this masterpiece?
David Lloyd: Very happy. Except to say that the best time on it were the early days when we were doing just 6-8 pages every month, and we were basically making it up as we went along, with time to think and experiment more. When it was completed for DC, Alan wrote the final 3 issues in one chunk and it was a different experience to work on it.
11
The "V" mask stood as a strong influence In this century due to the anonymous movement.
Was it strange for you to start seeing "V's" mask in the news all over the world with common people trying to make political statements with it?
David Lloyd: Not strange - heartening and satisfying. To see it represent in many ways, and many places, in the real world what it represents in the book - a symbol of standing up against oppressive authority, or a perceived tyranny of some kind.
12
You visited Portugal several times, what is your opinion about our country?
David Lloyd: Oh, I like what I've seen, but I've not seen enough of it for long enough to form an opinion!
13
Are you happy with an upcoming "V for Vendetta" Portuguese book edition?
David Lloyd: Of course.
14
Can you tell something to Portuguese fans about your personal interests in comics?
David Lloyd: My main interest is in what I'm doing now - publishing Aces Weekly, an exclusively digital comic art anthology, which I suggest everyone check out at www.acesweekly.co.uk.
Many thanks David
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