This thesis aims to argue that the nature of the revolutions pre-sented in the landmark 1980s comic book series collected in V for Vendetta and Essential Judge Dredd: America can be read as ultimately pessimistic. The thesis shows that through circular structure and repetitions of cycles, both works highlight a pessimistic outlook on protest and revolution under dystopian authoritarian regimes in a fashion designed to underscore the challenges to freedom and democracy faced in Britain and America under the tenures of Thatcher and Reagan respectively. Repetitious cycles of both protest and revolution and reciprocal cycles of violence are explored alongside in-depth analyses of key characters, their actions, and motivations. The thesis’ findings provide a new perspective on these two works, by arguing against the existing limited research into the nature and perspective of V for Vendetta’s revolution and by providing some of the first criticism of the collected stories of Essential Judge Dredd: America in scholarly research.