The Vigilante #17: "Father's Day"

Download The Vigilante #17





Alan Moore's two-part fill-in from Vigilante issues #17 and #18, published in 1985, is one of the best superhero comic books that I've ever read. Moore uses the hooded vigilante set-up to examine attitudes to vengeance by humanizing the villain. In this case, the antagonist is a father who has sexually abused his daughter. While it's impossible to find any sympathy for the father, Moore builds a portrait that is sympathetic to the character's misery. Equally, Moore picks at the masked vigilante concept and allows the supporting cast to mock the appearance of a costumed do-gooder in this supposedly realistic world of street crime and drugs.

Illustrator Jim Baikie had previously worked with Moore on the schoolgirl-meets-alien story Skizz in 2000 AD, and gives the story its gritty, urban feel. This two-parter is highly recommended! A must read!