“England Prevails?” Contemporary UK Politics and Alan Moore’s Border-Challenging Comics

This article connects Alan Moore’s comics V for Vendetta (1982–1989) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. I (1999–2000) and Vol. II (2002–2003) with contemporary UK politics, particularly with Brexit, populism, and the idea of British exceptionalism and its link to Britain’s nostalgic relationship with its past as an empire. It argues that particularly through Moore’s monstrous protagonists, who transgress a multitude of cultural borders, established mindsets, stereotypes, and prejudices are challenged, and complicated and uncomfortable questions are raised – thereby setting a stark contrast to the overly simplifying pseudo-answers handed out by populism.