V for Vendetta

I found a classic graphic novel at a Manchester Golden Orbit comic fair a while back: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Released in 1988 and set in 1997, it predicts a totalitarian future in which a shady British government watches the every move of all of all of its citizens, including a browbeaten young girl whose parents were sent to a concentration camp, and a masked, caped figure determined to change the shape of the country by any means necessary- including violence.

The story follows both the girl, Evie, and the government officials trying to track down the elusive V, a classically educated, lethal terrorist. There are twists, turns, murders, bombings, and even a few cabaret acts mixed into the horror-laced world of 'future' London. A weighty, fascinating, relevant and gripping graphic novel, although the introductory red-on-black text is an eye strain.

There is a movie adaptation that I've yet to catch up on (it's typically not on Netflix).