Why does the mask’s design endure? Protestors wearing the mask in Copenhagen. Lloyd and Moore also spent a lot of time creating a “dark, film noir” tone for the series in the 80s, according to Stirling-Middleton.Īmong other contemporary influences, Lloyd and Moore cite David Bowie, artist Max Ernst and the literature of George Orwell as well as comic book characters like Batman and Judge Dredd. “They slightly adapted the look of it to make it feel more sinister,” she adds, pointing to the smile across the mask’s lips and eyes. Lloyd depicted the mask with a wide moustache upturned at either end, with a thin beard and red cheeks. These masks were traditionally worn by people as a tribute to Fawkes – an “iconic and anarchic figure in British history”, says exhibition curator Emma Stirling-Middleton. Lloyd drew on the history of Guy Fawkes masks for the original story. The exhibition has original artworks and covers by Lloyd on display, as well as costumes and designs from the 2005 film adaptation (including one of three masks worn by Hugo Weaving, who played V). Original illustrations from V for Vendetta at the Cartoon Museum. In the film, Portman plays V’s protégé Evey who eventually takes up V’s mantle following his death. In 2005, the story was given a new lease of life thanks to a blockbuster adaptation featuring Natalie Portman. The story found a new home after Warrior was cancelled when it was bought by DC Comics and ran until 1989.

It originally ran as a black and white comic strip between 19 in British comic anthology Warrior. V for Vendetta, a comic series written by Alan Moore and Lloyd, tells the story of the masked and mysterious V, an anti-establishment figure who fights back against a totalitarian regime. What is now popularly known as the Anonymous mask is the creation of English illustrator David Lloyd. V for Vendetta: Behind the Mask explores the visual history of the mask, from its origins in a British comic series, to its modern popularity at protest movements.

The Anonymous mask, one of the most recognisable symbols of modern protest, is the subject of a new exhibition opening at London’s Cartoon Museum.

David lloyd v for vendetta