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A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World
The illustrated, inside story of the legendary hacktivist group's origins and most daring exploits.A for Anonymous shows how a leaderless band of volunteers successfully used hacktivism to fight for the underdog, embarrass their rich and powerful targets--from Sony and Paypal to the Church of Scientology and Ferguson Police Department--all in the name of freedom of speech and information. Their exploits blurred the distinction between "online" and "reality," and help shape our contemporary world.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2020
6 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
David Kushner
27books225followersDavid Kushner is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a contributing editor of Wired, Rolling Stone, and Spectrum and is an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 7, 2020
This was much more interesting than I expected. It details the origins of Anonymous and their major actions throughout the last several years. Yes, I could have looked it up on the internet, but this was more interesting.
Received a review copy from Perseus Books and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Perseus Books and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
August 1, 2020
A dry, flat history of a (non) group some consider activists exercising civil disobedience and that others classify as hackers, cyberterrorists, and doxxers. The author seems sympathetic to their cause but also presents their accomplishments here as fairly minor, incompetent, and/or ineffectual. I had only a passing familiarity with the group before and feel like this muddle of information added little to my knowledge or gave me much basis for making on an opinion on the movement.
I'm surprised the nine (!) blank pages in the back were not used to provide some sources for the research behind this book or additional background information.
I'm surprised the nine (!) blank pages in the back were not used to provide some sources for the research behind this book or additional background information.
March 31, 2020
Фирменный кушнеровский рассказ о том, как можно создать хорошую идею, быстро извратить её, слегка вернуть исходный облик и при этом увидеть во всём надежду.
February 11, 2022
An ultimately unfulfilling look at Anonymous that sort of slouches through the history of hacktivism. Nothing surprising or poignant is revealed. An interview with a high-ranking member gives a first person perspective on the movement, but the perspective is neither compelling nor particularly insightful. No grand thesis wraps things up. Overall you could get as good a read from the related Wikipedia page.
The graphic novel format is not leveraged effectively. Shadmi has always had a no-frills, workman art style that is well suited to non-fiction, but it can't adequately show the abstract nature of a decentralized, digital political movement.
I can't rightly recommend this book when there are better articles and video essays out there.
The graphic novel format is not leveraged effectively. Shadmi has always had a no-frills, workman art style that is well suited to non-fiction, but it can't adequately show the abstract nature of a decentralized, digital political movement.
I can't rightly recommend this book when there are better articles and video essays out there.
August 13, 2020
This was an interesting graphic account that focused upon the rise of "hacktivism" and the Anonymous movement. As more people fight for their rights, it will be interesting to see how this cause grows and changes in the future.
August 7, 2022
Хорошая история, чувствуется рука мастера, но мне нужны книги от Кушнера :(
March 27, 2020
Well, I don't know if they've transformed the world, yet, but they were relevant for a while. I was hoping for not only a history of the hacktivist collective, but some insightful analysis of both their successful and failed actions (the book itself left me feeling like they've had more failures than successes, though the text throughout and ending are strongly, almost sillily pro-Anonymous), but that's not this book. It's not an expose or in-depth analysis of the movement, it's intended philosophy, or mistakes made; it's more a kind of dry retelling of the big points of Anonymous history. At the end of it, there's panels of different Anons with the text "We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us," those last words in a panel showing Anonymous X, our interviewee and narrator, pointing at the reader. Oo, shivers!
Except, no, no emotional impact at all. Mainly, 'cause the writing didn't add much to my understanding of Anonymous or their effectiveness. It almost did the opposite, leaving me feeling, that, except in a few notable cases, they caused some annoyances that lasted a short time with little lasting effects, and accidentally hurt some innocent people. I was also curious whatever happened to Anonymous? Are they still around? (I Googled that, because the GN only goes as far as their 2016 Isis attack, and yes, they hacked the UN this past February with a pro-Taiwan action). I like the rebellious idea(ls) of Anonymous, the power to the people aspect, those swanky Guy Fawkes masks, and they must've influenced organized, successful protest movements like Black Lives Matter, the Women's March, the student Climate Marches, but this book barely mentions their part in the evolution of the wider people's protests. A good New Yorker or Atlantic article would provide more depth.
Except, no, no emotional impact at all. Mainly, 'cause the writing didn't add much to my understanding of Anonymous or their effectiveness. It almost did the opposite, leaving me feeling, that, except in a few notable cases, they caused some annoyances that lasted a short time with little lasting effects, and accidentally hurt some innocent people. I was also curious whatever happened to Anonymous? Are they still around? (I Googled that, because the GN only goes as far as their 2016 Isis attack, and yes, they hacked the UN this past February with a pro-Taiwan action). I like the rebellious idea(ls) of Anonymous, the power to the people aspect, those swanky Guy Fawkes masks, and they must've influenced organized, successful protest movements like Black Lives Matter, the Women's March, the student Climate Marches, but this book barely mentions their part in the evolution of the wider people's protests. A good New Yorker or Atlantic article would provide more depth.
March 2, 2021
"A for Anonymous" is a graphic novel that depicts author David Kushner's interview with an unidentified member of the notorious hacking collective. Kushner has investigated the group for years, and his reporting on it has appeared in publications including Rolling Stone and the New Yorker. The interview provides an overview of the group's history from its 4chan origins to its hacking of Ferguson, Missouri's computers following the police shooting of Michael Brown.
While it doesn't shy away from describing Anonymous' more controversial activities and outright errors--including its misidentification of Brown's killer-- the book does seem to celebrate the populist nature of the group, which the interviewee insists includes people from all walks of life. And it's hard not to cheer when Anonymous takes revenge on the perpetrators of the Steubenville rape case, especially when the criminal justice system ultimately gave them a slap on the wrist for a heinous crime.
The artwork here was generally effective throughout, but because hacking is a solitary and not very physical activity, the action can seem to wane. I also found the illustrations of Tom Cruise made him look unsettlingly like a deranged Donny Osmond who'd been on the wrong end of a bar fight.
Some reviewers have been left dissatisfied by the fact that much of the information found here can be found in other sources, and Kushner's interview doesn't really shed much additional light on the group. This may be no exposé, but for a reader who doesn't have much familiarity with the group, the book provides an easily-digested summary of its history, and as a high school librarian, I can see it having a distinct appeal to that audience and will likely purchase it.
While it doesn't shy away from describing Anonymous' more controversial activities and outright errors--including its misidentification of Brown's killer-- the book does seem to celebrate the populist nature of the group, which the interviewee insists includes people from all walks of life. And it's hard not to cheer when Anonymous takes revenge on the perpetrators of the Steubenville rape case, especially when the criminal justice system ultimately gave them a slap on the wrist for a heinous crime.
The artwork here was generally effective throughout, but because hacking is a solitary and not very physical activity, the action can seem to wane. I also found the illustrations of Tom Cruise made him look unsettlingly like a deranged Donny Osmond who'd been on the wrong end of a bar fight.
Some reviewers have been left dissatisfied by the fact that much of the information found here can be found in other sources, and Kushner's interview doesn't really shed much additional light on the group. This may be no exposé, but for a reader who doesn't have much familiarity with the group, the book provides an easily-digested summary of its history, and as a high school librarian, I can see it having a distinct appeal to that audience and will likely purchase it.
November 20, 2019
This was pretty interesting! I wasn't too familiar with Anonymous outside of the creepy masks, and I think this did a decent job of providing some backstory. I kinda totally loved the concept of illustrating a traditional interview as a graphic novel, as it helped to provide more context and visuals for various exploits of the group. However, because this was an interview, you don't get much background on the interviewer, and it's hard to connect to the characters as characters.
This definitely also could've been longer. It felt like an abrupt ending and I was expecting more twists to come back or develop the plot. But it really is just like an interview. And because it's an interview with a member from Anonymous, it does feel biased towards the group and ignores a lot of the more negative aspects.
This is a good resource on Anonymous from a member's experience and point of view. However, due to its length and bias, it certainly isn't the whole story.
This definitely also could've been longer. It felt like an abrupt ending and I was expecting more twists to come back or develop the plot. But it really is just like an interview. And because it's an interview with a member from Anonymous, it does feel biased towards the group and ignores a lot of the more negative aspects.
This is a good resource on Anonymous from a member's experience and point of view. However, due to its length and bias, it certainly isn't the whole story.
November 21, 2019
The one thing I will say that I liked about this book was the illustrations and I was also surprised to find out the details about the Steubenville rape case, because I did not follow it that closely when it happened.
I requested to read this book because I had heard of the organization before and was interested in seeing what the book would share. Sadly, though the information in the book is stuff that I could have probably found on the internet about the history of Anonymous, there was no discussion, regarding whether the things they did and participated in were good or bad. It just felt like the book was reciting facts about the organization and that's it. I don't think anyone would have minded the graphic novel being longer if it had included some concrete information and discussion. You could say it would be a good intro to young people who have never heard about it but not as a true source of information.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.
I requested to read this book because I had heard of the organization before and was interested in seeing what the book would share. Sadly, though the information in the book is stuff that I could have probably found on the internet about the history of Anonymous, there was no discussion, regarding whether the things they did and participated in were good or bad. It just felt like the book was reciting facts about the organization and that's it. I don't think anyone would have minded the graphic novel being longer if it had included some concrete information and discussion. You could say it would be a good intro to young people who have never heard about it but not as a true source of information.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.
November 14, 2019
Overall, I thought this was a fun graphic novel. I have had little experience with Anonymous, but I will say that I have been inclined to support some of their operations in the past. I was aware of their involvement in regards to Scientology and Steubenville, but I did not know about #opFerguson. I feel like this graphic novel was biased towards Anonymous and there was not much discussion on the negative aspects of their campaigns. It also seemed a bit unfinished. It felt like I was looking for clues (like how on pages 9 and 10 the journalist threw away the contact information for Mr. X in a garbage can rather than disposing of it in a different way) that never resurfaced.
I think the teens in my library would enjoy this, so I am probably going to put in a purchase request for it in my branch.
I think the teens in my library would enjoy this, so I am probably going to put in a purchase request for it in my branch.
November 11, 2020
Serviceable. Found out some stuff I didn't know about Anon, but a lot of the info felt very surface level, and I was expecting more of an investigative deep dive. (And, in my opinion, the graphic novel format is not an excuse for a lack of complexity/thoroughness.)
Also maybe more than a little biased? This book focused on some of Anonymous's "nobler" pursuits--helping the homeless, toppling dictators, supporting Ferguson--but also highlighted when Anonymous overstepped and made mistakes.
HOWEVER. 4chan and Anonymous have changed a lot since its inception, and especially since the 2016 election, and have perpetrated a lot of toxic bullshit amidst the free speech activism. Kushner alludes to that chaotic nature several times in A for Anonymous, but doesn't really explore everything that Anonymous is about. Interesting, but also disappointing.
Also maybe more than a little biased? This book focused on some of Anonymous's "nobler" pursuits--helping the homeless, toppling dictators, supporting Ferguson--but also highlighted when Anonymous overstepped and made mistakes.
HOWEVER. 4chan and Anonymous have changed a lot since its inception, and especially since the 2016 election, and have perpetrated a lot of toxic bullshit amidst the free speech activism. Kushner alludes to that chaotic nature several times in A for Anonymous, but doesn't really explore everything that Anonymous is about. Interesting, but also disappointing.
November 9, 2019
I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I requested this book I knew very little about Anonymous but I’ve definitely seen them before. I thought this was an interesting read in illustrated format about the history and purpose of the group. It discusses some of their biggest campaigns, with the church of Scientology and Sony. Not only does it chronicle some of its more notorious success stories but also some of its failures, which I think is important for some perspective.
I thought it was well done. .
When I requested this book I knew very little about Anonymous but I’ve definitely seen them before. I thought this was an interesting read in illustrated format about the history and purpose of the group. It discusses some of their biggest campaigns, with the church of Scientology and Sony. Not only does it chronicle some of its more notorious success stories but also some of its failures, which I think is important for some perspective.
I thought it was well done. .
November 9, 2019
I am really shocked by this. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the change to read and review this. I wish it was better. This was very disappointing and not worth the time.
#AforAnonymous #NetGalley
#AforAnonymous #NetGalley
December 17, 2019
This book was all over the place and light on details, skimming only a handful of "operations" and focusing more on the 4Chan presence and Anon in-group fighting. I'd hoped for more, considering the noble aims and worldwide renown of Anonymous.
April 28, 2020
A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is a graphic novel written by David Kushner and illustrated by Koren Shadmi. It is a detailed account of the hacker collective Anonymous and its splinter group, LulzSec.
Anonymous is a decentralized international hacktivist group that is widely known for its various cyber attacks against several governments, government institutions and government agencies, corporations, and the Church of Scientology.
The narrative is structured around an interview New Yorker reporter Kushner did with a reclusive hacker known as Commander X, who eagerly chats Kushner through the leaderless resistance group's credos about fighting tyranny and oppression before he outlines the group's history.
The roots of the hacker collective was rooted in the early Texas hacktivist collective Cult of the Dead Cow, where Anonymous originated as a crew of online pranksters on the forum 4chan who made their bones causing mischief for the Church of Scientology. Later on, they crafted their brand of darkly ironic ominousness, with Guy Fawkes masks and doom-laden pronouncements.
Anonymous sprawled worldwide, targeting broad sorts. Enthusiasm quickly outran judiciousness in many cases, as when Anonymous's intervention into the Ferguson riots resulted in innocent people being doxxed and targeted without pause to verify their presumed connection to the police shooting that kicked off the protests.
A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is written and constructed moderately well. This short, pungent history of the online protest phenomenon simulates its anarchically idealistic spread, but stops short of nuanced consideration of the big questions about tech vigilantes and ethics that it raises with the last third delves into unquestioned preachiness. Shadmi illustrations are appropriately sharp, bold lines, mixing realistic art and some cartoonish representations.
All in all, A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is an informative graphic novel about the mysterious hacker collective named Anonymous.
Anonymous is a decentralized international hacktivist group that is widely known for its various cyber attacks against several governments, government institutions and government agencies, corporations, and the Church of Scientology.
The narrative is structured around an interview New Yorker reporter Kushner did with a reclusive hacker known as Commander X, who eagerly chats Kushner through the leaderless resistance group's credos about fighting tyranny and oppression before he outlines the group's history.
The roots of the hacker collective was rooted in the early Texas hacktivist collective Cult of the Dead Cow, where Anonymous originated as a crew of online pranksters on the forum 4chan who made their bones causing mischief for the Church of Scientology. Later on, they crafted their brand of darkly ironic ominousness, with Guy Fawkes masks and doom-laden pronouncements.
Anonymous sprawled worldwide, targeting broad sorts. Enthusiasm quickly outran judiciousness in many cases, as when Anonymous's intervention into the Ferguson riots resulted in innocent people being doxxed and targeted without pause to verify their presumed connection to the police shooting that kicked off the protests.
A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is written and constructed moderately well. This short, pungent history of the online protest phenomenon simulates its anarchically idealistic spread, but stops short of nuanced consideration of the big questions about tech vigilantes and ethics that it raises with the last third delves into unquestioned preachiness. Shadmi illustrations are appropriately sharp, bold lines, mixing realistic art and some cartoonish representations.
All in all, A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is an informative graphic novel about the mysterious hacker collective named Anonymous.
June 24, 2022
Going into this book I did not have a lot of background knowledge on Anonymous. I knew that their symbol was the Guy Fawkes mask and I knew that they had made that video in response to the growing issue of police brutality back in mid-2020, not that long after this book was published. I had watched the video when it came out and had honestly forgotten about it until I saw this book. Part of me had expected something big and grand to have happened, but nothing major came out if it to my knowledge. I know Anonymous has since been active, when it wasn't for a few years. In my honesty opinion Anonymous is more of a symbol of the power that unsuspecting people have through hacking rather than being an activist group. It's interesting enough as an idea, and even more interesting as one of those "spooky internet communities," although some of the things that members have done have been both hilarious and actually admirable. However, this is the internet we're talking about, so things never end up being as noble as originally intended.
The book itself was fine: it told all the main points of the story, the artwork was pretty good, and the author had clearly done his research, but beyond that there wasn't that much. The book starts out by framing the whole thing as an interview between the author and a member of Anonymous, which I assume did happen in real life. Between the interviewee (who's name I can't remember, that is, if his name was even mentioned at all) constantly wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, which is how almost all Anonymous members are portrayed in this book, and the beginning showing the author being as discrete as possible as he makes his way to the interviewee's secret residence, it makes the whole thing feel even more mysterious. I thought it was an interesting opening scene, and I like how we continued to cut back to the interview throughout the book. It made the whole thing feel more interactive- instead of simply reading about Anonymous, it almost feels like we are the author himself, hearing about everything directly from a person who was responsible for the things we're hearing.
The actual origins of Anonymous are a bit of a blur- a couple of hacker people do something or another and then they turn to what is hands down the scariest part of the story, 4chan, and yadda yadda, Anonymous is born. Of course it came from 4chan, of all places, and it was funny how the book talked about what the creator of the site meant it to be, because now 4chan has quite the reputation. Sure, all social media sites have their fair share of Nazis, racists, and incels, but 4chan gets the "Worst Users" award. The first major thing that Anonymous did was target theCult Church of Scientology. What exactly is the Church of Scientology? This book doesn't really know. And what did the Church of Scientology do that was so bad? Kushner didn't bother to mention- he just wants us to trust that they've done bad things. Now I know enough about that cult to understand what happened, but for someone who doesn't have the background knowledge that I have, you wouldn't be able to follow along.
That is definitely the biggest flaw about this book- you need quite a bit of background knowledge to understand what happened. Not only does the book expect you to know Anonymous and have a general idea of what they do, but you need to understand hacking, cyberspace, the corporations targeted by the group and what they did, alongside a few other events that have happened over the past few years, many of which I had never heard of. The book felt like a sort of vague timeline rather than a book that actually tells much of a story. There were times where it felt like important information had been skipped over, and I would have liked to learn more about those parts of the story. I don't care if the book would have been twice as long to pack everything in; this book was already quick enough of a read that I think I could have dealt with it. I just really wish the narrative was a little more fleshed out.
Although this book wasn't all that I hoped it was, I still learned from it. It made me think about online activism, and activism in general. It also made me think about how unpredictable the internet can be, and how organized communities on the internet can be both really impactful and helpful and downright terrifying at the same time. It also goes to show how unprepared a lot of corporations were when it came to cyber attacks. They usually are better prepared now, but it was really funny reading about how all these executives panicked like crazy over these attacks, even the ones that were inconsequential and were done by random people who just wanted a piece of the action. It was really funny, and that's my favorite way to mess with rich, high-up people. You just make them panic over really funny things, sort of like with that whole GameStop stock fiasco, which as a common person was HILARIOUS, but to the rich investors it was a nightmare. They really just didn't want to see anyone else win.
I don't know why I brought that up. Maybe it's just best if I end this review here; I think I've made my point.
The book itself was fine: it told all the main points of the story, the artwork was pretty good, and the author had clearly done his research, but beyond that there wasn't that much. The book starts out by framing the whole thing as an interview between the author and a member of Anonymous, which I assume did happen in real life. Between the interviewee (who's name I can't remember, that is, if his name was even mentioned at all) constantly wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, which is how almost all Anonymous members are portrayed in this book, and the beginning showing the author being as discrete as possible as he makes his way to the interviewee's secret residence, it makes the whole thing feel even more mysterious. I thought it was an interesting opening scene, and I like how we continued to cut back to the interview throughout the book. It made the whole thing feel more interactive- instead of simply reading about Anonymous, it almost feels like we are the author himself, hearing about everything directly from a person who was responsible for the things we're hearing.
The actual origins of Anonymous are a bit of a blur- a couple of hacker people do something or another and then they turn to what is hands down the scariest part of the story, 4chan, and yadda yadda, Anonymous is born. Of course it came from 4chan, of all places, and it was funny how the book talked about what the creator of the site meant it to be, because now 4chan has quite the reputation. Sure, all social media sites have their fair share of Nazis, racists, and incels, but 4chan gets the "Worst Users" award. The first major thing that Anonymous did was target the
That is definitely the biggest flaw about this book- you need quite a bit of background knowledge to understand what happened. Not only does the book expect you to know Anonymous and have a general idea of what they do, but you need to understand hacking, cyberspace, the corporations targeted by the group and what they did, alongside a few other events that have happened over the past few years, many of which I had never heard of. The book felt like a sort of vague timeline rather than a book that actually tells much of a story. There were times where it felt like important information had been skipped over, and I would have liked to learn more about those parts of the story. I don't care if the book would have been twice as long to pack everything in; this book was already quick enough of a read that I think I could have dealt with it. I just really wish the narrative was a little more fleshed out.
Although this book wasn't all that I hoped it was, I still learned from it. It made me think about online activism, and activism in general. It also made me think about how unpredictable the internet can be, and how organized communities on the internet can be both really impactful and helpful and downright terrifying at the same time. It also goes to show how unprepared a lot of corporations were when it came to cyber attacks. They usually are better prepared now, but it was really funny reading about how all these executives panicked like crazy over these attacks, even the ones that were inconsequential and were done by random people who just wanted a piece of the action. It was really funny, and that's my favorite way to mess with rich, high-up people. You just make them panic over really funny things, sort of like with that whole GameStop stock fiasco, which as a common person was HILARIOUS, but to the rich investors it was a nightmare. They really just didn't want to see anyone else win.
I don't know why I brought that up. Maybe it's just best if I end this review here; I think I've made my point.
March 27, 2020
This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't quite sure if this would be something I'd judge or be actually interested in, but it has a sort of charming quality to it. Graphic novels are something that it can be difficult to convey a ton of information, but this doesn't feel lacking by any stretch. It definitely feels closer to "article" than book, you could convey the same amount of information in a two page spread of a magazine if you so desired, but that doesn't take away from the quality.
The art doesn't detract from the message, which is what I quite enjoy. It's clean, and does the job nicely. I'm not sure how accurate it is to depicting the people who it's supposed to be, but in something like this I don't think that's the most important part of it all. It's about the essence of the thing, rather than the accuracy, and that's what the art is there to convey.
This is one that I don't know if I'd recommend it lightly, but I will be recommending it to people. It's one of those things that you're really only going to be interested if you like or know of the topic, and that's really unfortunate because it's a very good outline of how the movement began.
I wasn't quite sure if this would be something I'd judge or be actually interested in, but it has a sort of charming quality to it. Graphic novels are something that it can be difficult to convey a ton of information, but this doesn't feel lacking by any stretch. It definitely feels closer to "article" than book, you could convey the same amount of information in a two page spread of a magazine if you so desired, but that doesn't take away from the quality.
The art doesn't detract from the message, which is what I quite enjoy. It's clean, and does the job nicely. I'm not sure how accurate it is to depicting the people who it's supposed to be, but in something like this I don't think that's the most important part of it all. It's about the essence of the thing, rather than the accuracy, and that's what the art is there to convey.
This is one that I don't know if I'd recommend it lightly, but I will be recommending it to people. It's one of those things that you're really only going to be interested if you like or know of the topic, and that's really unfortunate because it's a very good outline of how the movement began.
April 5, 2020
A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is a new graphic novel by David Kushner. If you're not familiar with Anonymous, this book provides a really interesting discussion of what the hacker collective is and its origins. For obvious reasons, the book is really based primarily on publicly sourced materials and not in-depth knowledge from within the organization, which admittedly would be almost impossible.
If you're interested in hacking culture or just interested in what Anonymous is and their aims are, then I would strongly recommend reading this book. It's a quick read, so it doesn't take too much time to get a really interesting overview.
Furthermore, I appreciated the graphic novel approach to explaining Anonymous. There are other books that go into a lot more detail about Anonymous, but I think this one is great for those who just want a really fast introduction and like graphic novels.
If you're interested in hacking culture or just interested in what Anonymous is and their aims are, then I would strongly recommend reading this book. It's a quick read, so it doesn't take too much time to get a really interesting overview.
Furthermore, I appreciated the graphic novel approach to explaining Anonymous. There are other books that go into a lot more detail about Anonymous, but I think this one is great for those who just want a really fast introduction and like graphic novels.
September 6, 2020
I agree with with seems to be the general consensus about this graphic novel: ultimately, it offers a very broad outline of the history of Anonymous rather than a nuanced examination of the *group's* activities. Some folks mentioned that the book would be a good choice for high school students or readers who are entirely unfamiliar with Anonymous, and I agree with that as well.
For an adult reader who is generally familiar with this Anonymous' activities and interested in a more complex examination of hacker culture, I think that this book will likely come across reductive and unfinished, especially when Kushner spends just a few pages glossing over historical events as monumental as the Arab Spring.
I did like the art, though, and found some of the illustrator's choices w/r/t representing internet chat rooms and fora particularly cool. Maybe I just wish that the book was marketed in a different way, or perhaps to a different audience?
For an adult reader who is generally familiar with this Anonymous' activities and interested in a more complex examination of hacker culture, I think that this book will likely come across reductive and unfinished, especially when Kushner spends just a few pages glossing over historical events as monumental as the Arab Spring.
I did like the art, though, and found some of the illustrator's choices w/r/t representing internet chat rooms and fora particularly cool. Maybe I just wish that the book was marketed in a different way, or perhaps to a different audience?
July 26, 2022
This is kinda a fairy taled version of what really happens in 4chan and other "hacktivists" foruns....
What is told in this Graphic Novel is only the "good part".
Power without moral, without ethics, without convictions, can be used for ANYTHING... like "swatting", "doxxing", "blackmail"...
No, I am not a Republican-Jail-Them-All person... I am just saying anyone can be corrupted by power.
And it surprises me that a 2020´s GN did not investigate the "bad side" of this kind of thing... just the "we are people´s heroes" side.
Besides this, the very tools created by some of these guys are now in the hands of powerful governments, used to suppress privacy, rights...
Be very very careful while depicting some "hacktivists" as heroes... and be even more dealing with some of these people, you can easily become a target.
As an addendum, try to see a tv series like MR.ROBOT or the mini-docs of DARKWEB... it is a dangerous world.
What is told in this Graphic Novel is only the "good part".
Power without moral, without ethics, without convictions, can be used for ANYTHING... like "swatting", "doxxing", "blackmail"...
No, I am not a Republican-Jail-Them-All person... I am just saying anyone can be corrupted by power.
And it surprises me that a 2020´s GN did not investigate the "bad side" of this kind of thing... just the "we are people´s heroes" side.
Besides this, the very tools created by some of these guys are now in the hands of powerful governments, used to suppress privacy, rights...
Be very very careful while depicting some "hacktivists" as heroes... and be even more dealing with some of these people, you can easily become a target.
As an addendum, try to see a tv series like MR.ROBOT or the mini-docs of DARKWEB... it is a dangerous world.
February 27, 2020
Interesting book on the hacktivist "group" Anonymous. A bit overly methodical in parts, but if you're looking for an introduction to the group and simple graphic novel format, this book is an excellent start.
Follows interview arc with Commander X, one of the central figures in Anonymous, as well as the evolution of the group. Includes background and coverage of Anonymous's greatest hits - including its confrontations with the Church of Scientology; Sony; Stuebenville, Ohio; and Ferguson, MO.
Anonymous has always been interesting for the extremely decentralized nature of the "group". Anyone can be Anonymous, and Anonymous can be anywhere. But leaderless resistance is, by nature, uncontrollable. And it is interesting that the book addresses some of Anonymous's misses as well.
**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Follows interview arc with Commander X, one of the central figures in Anonymous, as well as the evolution of the group. Includes background and coverage of Anonymous's greatest hits - including its confrontations with the Church of Scientology; Sony; Stuebenville, Ohio; and Ferguson, MO.
Anonymous has always been interesting for the extremely decentralized nature of the "group". Anyone can be Anonymous, and Anonymous can be anywhere. But leaderless resistance is, by nature, uncontrollable. And it is interesting that the book addresses some of Anonymous's misses as well.
**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
June 8, 2021
Solid primer on Anonymous in particular, and hacktivism more generally. Given that I knew almost nothing about these subjects prior to reading, I learned quite a lot. For someone that’s already fairly well informed, this one can likely be skipped as it’s a pretty broad overview. Very entertaining graphic novel format. Black and white, which fits the Guy Fawkes mask motif, but I would have preferred full coloring or at least a dichromatic effect, such as red and black. Overall, quite good and recommended for anyone who, like me, knew very little about Anon but is curious as to their origins and practices.
January 21, 2024
Довольно поверхностно и как-то не полностью покрыто. Несколько событий раскрыли, а остальные - просто перечислили. Больше всего посвятили церкви саентологии.
Прочитал за пару неспешных часов, а может и того меньше
Лозунг: имя нам легион (вспоминаем
Доксинг - поиск и открытая публикация персональной информации о человеке
Майк Хант при быстром произношении звучит как моя п..да на английском. Звонили на радио и просили позвать Майка Ханта.
Прочитал за пару неспешных часов, а может и того меньше
Лозунг: имя нам легион (вспоминаем
Доксинг - поиск и открытая публикация персональной информации о человеке
Майк Хант при быстром произношении звучит как моя п..да на английском. Звонили на радио и просили позвать Майка Ханта.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2024
"A for Anonymous" is an interesting experiment, of sorts, detailing the founding and history of hacker organization Anonymous…in comic book format. Writer David Kushner (of “Masters of Doom� fame) does an interesting job here of mixing journalism with comic book sensibilities, with the end result feeling decidedly different than any other investigative work I’ve read. At 119 pages, it could perhaps be argued that "A for Anonymous" doesn’t dig as deeply into its subjective as it might have, but still: for whatever lack of depth the book may or may not have, it’s hard to argue that it’s not thoroughly compelling for its duration. And that’s a win.
December 14, 2021
why are there nine blank pages at the end of the book
couldn’t that have been used for references, or something?
The melodrama of painting them as spooky guys in ringwraith style cloaks felt tired instantly and it happened all throughout. Honestly, for a book from an award-winning journalist this felt very disjointed and unclear. I’m not sure what its point was, but the amount of formatting issues, like the blank pages and the page numbers imposed over top of text bubbles, makes me suspect this was rushed.
couldn’t that have been used for references, or something?
The melodrama of painting them as spooky guys in ringwraith style cloaks felt tired instantly and it happened all throughout. Honestly, for a book from an award-winning journalist this felt very disjointed and unclear. I’m not sure what its point was, but the amount of formatting issues, like the blank pages and the page numbers imposed over top of text bubbles, makes me suspect this was rushed.
January 8, 2022
A little piece for trivia for the Anons, not very extensive, but in 120 pages it is hard to be, and still remain engaging, a good starting point to have some idea of where they emerged from.
The main plot outside of Anonymous, could be a lot better, it is supposed to keep you engaged, but actually was the worst part of the book. Someone doing an interview, and always asking the correct questions feels cheap.
The main plot outside of Anonymous, could be a lot better, it is supposed to keep you engaged, but actually was the worst part of the book. Someone doing an interview, and always asking the correct questions feels cheap.
March 13, 2022
This feels like ages ago, given how much the world has changed in the last couple of years. Names and history make this an interesting reference, but it's easy to skim through, as many of the bigger questions are mentioned but not fully engaged with. It's a good use of the comic format, combining the blunt text with illustrations that give more idea of the feelings and motivations of those involved.
June 29, 2020
I wasn't too sure what to expect of this book. I will say the history and intrigue that surrounds Anonymous drew me to this book and I still find it fascinating. With that being said I am not the biggest fan of graphic novels so I should have known better. Don't get me wrong the illustrations were detailed (super talented) and the story is intriguing its just not for me.
November 4, 2020
I thought this would be more interesting than it was, but I was familiar with all the stories it covered. Focused on the early years of anonymous, and it breezes over some of the more interesting stories about how they affected international political movements. I was hoping it would cover more recent stuff, as I'm not that aware of what they've been up to lately.
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