V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Title: V For Vendetta
Author: Alan Moore
Illustrator: David Lloyd
Publisher: Vertigo
Released: March 1982
Pages: 296 (Paperback)
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"Good evening, London." It's nine o'clock and this is The Voice of Fate... It is the Fifth of the Eleventh, Nineteen-Ninety-Seven...

"The people of London are advised that the Brixton and Streatham areas are quarantine zones as of today. It is suggested that these areas be avoided for reasons of health and safety...

Police raided seventeen homes in the Birmingham area early this morning, uncovering what is believed to be a major terrorist ring. Twenty people, either of them women, are currently in detention awaiting trial...

The weather will be fine until 12:07 A.M. when a shower will commence, lasting until 1:30 A.M... 

Have a pleasant evening."

A frightening and powerful tale of the loss of freedom and identity in a chillingly believable totalitarian world, V for Vendetta stands as one of the highest achievements of the comics medium and a defining work for creators Alan Moore and David Lloyd.

Set in an imagined future England that has given itself over to fascism, this groundbreaking story captures both the suffocating nature of life in an authoritarian police state and the redemptive power of the human spirit which rebels against it. Crafted with sterling clarity and intelligence, V for Vendetta brings an unequaled depth of characterization and verisimilitude to its unflinching account of oppression and resistance.

"Remember, remember the fifth of November..."

V For Vendetta is my favourite film, full stop. Books have always had the ability to make me cry easier than films, yet somehow V makes me bawl like a baby every single time. So imagine what I was like when I found out that it was originally adapted from a DC graphic novel (and that my best friend conveniently had a copy of it) To be honest, both the novel and the film are equally amazing, and I must say that it is possibly one of the most accurate film adaptations ever.

Death Note (Vol. 1) by Tsugumi Ohba

Title: Death Note
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrator: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Released: April 2nd 2004
Pages: 195 (Paperback)
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Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

So I've watched the entire anime series of Death Note (sob!) and thought it was about time I actually read the manga. So I went out and borrowed a copy from the library, despite the fact that graphic novels give me headaches (I don't know why, but it sucks). I originally thought that mangas and animes would follow the same rules as books turned into films; the books are always better. But actually, these two were on par with one another.

Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean

Title: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Author: Grant Morrison

Illustrator: Dave McKean

Publisher: DC Comics

Released: October 28th 1989

Pages: 216 (Paperback, 15th Anniversary Edition)

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In this painted graphic novel, the inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gotham's mental illness detention center on April Fool's Day and demand Batman in exchange for their prisoners. Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to live and endure the personal hells of the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two Face and many other of his sworn enemies in order to save the innocents and retake the prison. During his run through this absurd gauntlet, the Darknight Detective's own sanity is in jeopardy.