 In the late ' 80s , writer Alan Grant considered drawing upon his own anarchist sympathies and utilizing them for a character in the Detective Comics , which he was writing at the time . In a bid to replicate the success of Chopper , a rebellious youth in the " Judge Dredd " comic strip , Grant created Anarky as a twelve @-@ year @-@ old political radical , far more mature , violent , and intelligent than his peers . Influenced by V , the protagonist of Alan Moore 's V for Vendetta , Grant 's only instructions to illustrator Norm Breyfogle were that Anarky be designed as a cross between V and the black spy from Mad magazine 's Spy vs. Spy . In his own intro to the collection , Norm Breyfogle explains that , pressured by deadlines , and failing to recognize the character 's long @-@ term potential , he " made no preliminary sketches , simply draping [ Anarky ] in long red sheets " . As the character was intended to wear a costume that disguised his youth , Breyfogle designed a crude " head extender " that elongated Anarky 's neck , creating a jarring appearance . 
