Please allow me to introduce myself... I'm a man of wealth and taste. 
- — V
V for Vendetta #2 is an issue of the series V for Vendetta (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1988.
Synopsis for "Versions"
December 12th, 1997:
Norsefire leader Adam Susan retires to his private computer-monitoring chamber inside the Head. Speaking to himself at length, he professes his loneliness, as well as his dedication to the Norsefire cause. He confesses that his only true love is Fate – the Norsefire monitoring network.
Meanwhile, V scales the top of the Old Bailey building and carries on a conversation with the statue of Madam Justice. He treats the statue as if it were an old lover, and he – the jilted cuckold. He accuses the statue of betraying him, as well as the concepts of liberty and freedom. Concluding their metaphorical affair, V leaves a parting gift – a heart-shaped box. Moments later, the dome of the Old Bailey explodes.
At the Finger, Erich Finch and his assistant, Dominic Stone attempt to question Lewis Prothero. Prothero is still insensate from his recent encounter with V, and can do little but mutter the number "Five", over and over again.
December 15th, 1997:
At the Shadow Gallery, Evey asks V about a quote inscribed upon an archway. Evey grows more comfortable with V, and asks if she can continue to stay at the Gallery. V senses that Evey is a kindred spirit. He tells her that he may have need for her that evening.
December 20th, 1997:
At Westminster Abbey, Bishop Anthony Lilliman conducts Sunday mass. All of the prominent members of the Norsefire party are present. After services conclude, Derek and Rosemary Almond have a conversation with Conrad Heyer and his wife, Helen.
That evening, Bishop Lilliman retires to his quarters. He asks his valet, Dennis, to bring him a young lady. Despite his religious background, the Bishop indulges in sexual perversions with young women practically every evening. He is almost disappointed to discover that his latest conquest is fifteen-years-old. He prefers them younger. This night however, the Bishop's visitor is actually Evey Hammond. Evey bides her time, and lures the Bishop into his private bedchamber. V raids the Abbey and attacks Bishop Lilliman. He forces him consume a communion wafer dosed with cyanide.
At the Ear, two of the agents turn on a monitor that feeds into the Bishop's room. They are shocked to hear that the terrorist, V, has interrupted "Children's Hour". They contact the Finger, and before long, Eric Finch and Derek Almond arrive at the abbey. Finch finds a white carnation on the bedroom floor.
December 21st, 1997:
Finch and Derek Almond review the evidence as recovered by the Ear's monitor tapes. The voices on the tapes are strained, but it is obvious that one voice belongs to V, and the other belongs to Lilliman. Music from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 drowns out most of the dialogue on the tape. Almond points out that the opening to Beethoven's 5th movement is also Morse code for the letter "V".
Appearing in "Versions"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Norsefire
- Adam Susan
- Anthony Lilliman (First appearance)
- Conrad Heyer
- Derek Almond
- Dominic Stone (First appearance)
- Eric Finch
- Lewis Prothero
Other Characters:
- Helen Heyer (First appearance)
- Rose Almond (First appearance)
- Brian (Single appearance)
- Dennis (Single appearance)
- Norm (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Notes
- V for Vendetta takes place within its own insular continuity, and does not share continuity with that of the mainstream DC Universe, or the continuities of any other DC Comics project.
- This issue is reprinted in the V For Vendetta trade paperback.
- Select chapters from this issue were originally printed in Warrior magazine by Quality Communications (issue numbers 5-8).
- This issue is divided into four chapters:
- Part V: Versions
- Part VI: The Vision
- Part VII: Virtue Victorious
- Part VIII: The Valley
Trivia
- V quotes several lines from the William Blake poem, "And did those feet in ancient time".
- V's line of dialogue, "Please allow me to introduce myself... I'm a man of wealth and taste." is a lyric from the 1966 Rolling Stones song, "Sympathy for the Devil".
- Eric Finch remarks upon V's quotation, "I am the Devil, and I come to do the Devil's work", comparing it to a famous murder case "twenty years ago, now". The quote is originally attributed to members of the Charles Manson family who killed actress Sharon Tate and several of her friends in California in 1969.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- V for Vendetta article at Wikipedia
- V for Vendetta (movie) article at Wikipedia
- V article at Wikipedia
- Guy Fawkes article at Wikipedia