MASKS

There was a great line in the "V for Vendetta" movie that was not in the comics. If you have not seen the movie or read the comic masterpiece by Alan Moore and David Loyd, you should. It makes a great statement on freedom and society as well as what the human race will put up with just to have the perception of these things. It also reaffirms the notion that "idea" never die. Strong, strong book and movie. The line in the movie came from a gay character, that through societal laws and attitudes has been repressed, even outlawed, from being who he truly is. He for the government run broadcasting company and is under continual pressure to set forth the best face for the country. In an amazing few seconds of introspection while discussing this with the movies title character, Evy, he states that sometimes we all where masks for so long, we forget who we really are. The question of being persecuted by the world you love has effected everyone since the dawn of time. For me is it being a liberal, fun loving comic reader in the midst of a continuously confrontational, territory marking, corporate environment. For the character in V it was being gay and for the X-Men is it being continually different from everyone around you.

This is exactly how things are for most of us I think and that's why comics are cool. In a fantastic way, they relate to our feelings of being misfits to the need to have hero's and validate things we think no one feels. When in reality, we probably all feel the same way.

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