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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $10.17
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect Intro to Alan Moore
Review: Although Promethea's recent forray into preachy Sandman lecture style format has turned me off to some of Moore's writing, the League proves that he's still one of comics most formidable writing forces. This collection offers an excellent introduction to Moore's craft, and Kevin O'Neil's art really grows on you if you give it a chance. Whether you're looking for high drama or smart comedy, this collection kicks....and the next collection looks to be just as worthy of repeat readings. I've already gone through this one three times, and I'll probably read it again soon. Worth hunting down the online annotations also, sure to add depth to your enjoyment.

And if you like this and want more Moore, I recommend Watchmen, Tomorrow Stories, Top Ten and From Hell.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Moore in Top Form!!!
Review: Those who insist that Moore has lost it since the early 90s must read this (and From Hell). Its such a great idea and I can't believe that noone thought of it before. Of course, you need a really literate author to tell this story, one who is familiar with the classics, and Moore appears to fit the bill perfectly.
There is Nemo, Jekyll and Hyde, the Invisible man, Sherlock Holmes and more! Even a cameo by a grown up Dodger from Oliver Twist! Don't worry thought, you don't have to have read all those books to understand the story and most of the characters are famous enough so you'll know who they are anyway. Basically its the Justice League set in the past and using these classic chaeracters. It drenched in science fiction so if you are a purist then this is not for you. It reminds me a little of Wild Wild West, which also features impossibly futuristic (if mechanical) technology set in the past. All the characters, except perhaps Hyde, are excellent, but my favourite character is the female lead Mina from Dracula.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Comic Book Masterpiece.
Review: This is easily one of the greatest comic series to have come out in years. Moore's careful attention to detail and brilliant writing style, continues to breathe new life into the age old superhero genre (including enough obscure Victorian literary references to keep readers engaged for hours). Moore proves that comic books can combine intelligence with incredible action (plus healthy doses of 'Steampunk'), without relying on the same old tired cliches. I cannot recommend this series enough, my only major complaint is that as far as I can tell a follow up series is still sometime away (Moore is otherwise engaged with Americas Best Comics), but it seems likely from the conclusion that the 'League' might be dealing with an intersteller problem (H.G Wells "War of the Worlds" perhaps?) I also found O'Neill's style of art to mesh extremely well with Moores writing, I can't wait to see what these two come up with next. The series has also been opted as a movie (according to Aint-It-Cool-News.com and the Internet Movie Database) with Sean Connery playing the role of Quartermain. If the script lives up to Moore and O'Neill's vision (something lacking in another Moore movie adaptation 'From Hell') I know I will definetly be in line. If you are a comics fan at all, or just want a interesting ... read, pick this book up now!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A rollicking good story
Review: When Wilhelmina Murray (of Bram Stoker's Dracula) is recruited by Campion Bond to assemble a team of operatives, to work for Britain's intelligence service in 1898, she has very little idea what she's letting herself in for. Together with an aging drug addicted Allan Quartermain, the independent Captain Nemo, the unstable Dr. Henry Jekyll (and more unstable Edward Hyde), and the downright nasty Hawley Griffin (H.G. Wells' Invisible Man); she must unravel a multitude of overlapping mysteries, and save London...but from whom?

This is quite a fun book. As with any story that takes an existing character and casts him or her in a new role, there are bound to be complaints (e.g. when did Captain Nemo become a Hindu, and why is he now so zealous to protect the British Empire?). However, in their new roles, the characters hang together nicely, and work to make a fascinating story.

The illustration is nicely done, though the cartoonists appear to be drawn to women with large bosoms and impossible narrow waists. Overall, I did find this to be a rollicking good story, one that held my interest throughout. As an added bonus, the book ends with a prose prequel that follows Allan Quartermain on an adventure with John Carter, Randolph Carter and the Time Traveler. I highly enjoyed this book, and think that you will, too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Game's Afoot.
Review: Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen asks the question; what would it have been like if comic books had existed in the 19th century as they do in the 21st? The result is easily one of the most entertaining graphic novels I've had the pleasure of reading. This is one of those rare gems, a book so good you want to pass it on to a close friend because you just _know_ they're going to dig it. I approached the book out of curiosity, being a fan of Moore's America's Best Comics work (Tom Strong being my personal favorite, but this work has made him a close second) and a fan of the 19th century characters Moore and artist Kevin O'Neil (who kicks some serious behind in the pencilling department with this book. I wasn't really a fan of his angled, sharp style of drawing in his Marshall Law books, but here in the Victorian milieu of League, it fits perfectly, I could see this being the work of an artist of the 1890s.) make use of. I must confess I know quite little of H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quartermain, but after reading Moore's take on the aging and haunted adventurer I'm tracking him down in my nearest library posthaste.

But beyond art and writing, a good comic has to have one final ingredient: fun. League has that sense of fun in spades, while the characters may be an odd and sometimes disturbing (as in the case of Griffin, the Invisible Man, who is creepy beyond all measure in this book. Imagine Hannibal Lecter with the power of invisibility and a penchant for brutal violence rather than cannibalism and you'll be close), you can tell Moore and O'Neil were having a blast producing this book. I've heard that a Volume II is in the works (and given the wonderful ending I love the intrepid band's forthcoming exploits), and a feature film is in the works. If they can capture a tenth of the enjoyment I gained from this book it'll be a blockbuster. As to why I gave it four stars? Too short old boy! I wanted more!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Just your basic monthly comic
Review: If you just want an adult themed comic book than this is probably for you. If you're looking for something along the lines of the Watchmen or one of Alan Moore's other graphic novels this probably isn't it.

Moore's still using his dysfunctional heroes (which I like), but in a very main stream comic style storyline. Incredibly implausible plots, with no attempt made to justify them and adding little sub-plots out of the blue to be taken care of in later issues gives the feeling that this story has no beginning or end.

The use of Victorian literary heroes starts out as a nice device, but is quickly overused to the point where you get the feeling that it's just being used to give legitimacy to what is otherwise a very juvenile story.

I imagine that if he had intended to write this as a finite series or a graphic novel Alan Moore could have done something really amazing--something on par with Watchmen or From Hell. As it stands, however, this is just your run-of-the-mill comic with some nudity, and drug references.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ultimate Non-Superhero Heroes or Comics for Grown-up Kids
Review: Its hard to imagine a 'superhero' story without adamantium claws or wall-crawling abilities or an invulnerable flying alien that can grab one's attention as brilliantly as "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Sure, there is an invisible character and one who goes through a hulk-like transformation, but mainly Alan Moore has created a non-superhero world every bit as fascinating as he did in the "Watchmen" by mining the pages of Stoker, Verne, Wells, Stephenson, Conan Doyle, Poe and others for fictional characters to poplulate the story.

It does not have the bang or emotional impact of "Watchmen", but I think, in part, its intentional. Its a fun adventure/mystery with a 'Where's Waldo' appeal of trying to spot all the literary references, and a clever plot that doesn't dull after several readings. It may not pack the punch of Moore's top work (Watchmen, From Hell), but its fun and effective in recapturing the feel of the classics it borrows from.

Also recommended: "Tom Strong" by Moore;"Planetary" by Warren Ellis and all the classics referenced in "Leagueof Extraordinary Gentlemen".

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Alan Moore goes Victorian
Review: The most lighthearted tale even written by acclaimed comicbook scribe, Alan Moore, is likely the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Moore borrows characters from famous works in Victorian Literature, including Mina Murray, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, Alan Quartermain, Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde, and places them in a Justice League-type team, gathered together to find a stolen device capable of unleashing the horrors of aerial warfare on London. Moore constructs a dead-on parody of these high-flying romantic heroes; their stuffy attitudes and language; their utter political incorrectness; their obvious sexual hang-ups. Fans of Moore's darker work, such as Watchmen and From Hell, may be disappointed, but those of us who have read the rousing tails of adventure it masterfully parodies will find the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen entertaining and hilarious.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ridiculously fun, as usual.
Review: Like most of Moore's work, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is just ridiculously fun. As has been said, he manages to blend a large number of famous characters from (mostly) 19th century England...including a few none of the reviews here have mentioned. The plot gets fairly interesting as the story progresses, and it's incredibly fun seeing pieces of several other works of fiction all fall into place in one story. It's also quite funny, in a mostly sophisticated way. The art works well here, and as mentioned, has frequent visual gags. It's worth noting that I don't think knowing who all these characters are is necessary to enjoy this, though the more you know of the stories these people came from, the more fun the whole thing is.

In my opinion, this isn't quite at the same level as Moore's Promethia, but it's definitely a "keeper" that I'll be reading again at some point.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Outstanding comic book
Review: First off, I am not generally a comic-book reader so my reaction and comments may be very different from the norm. That being said, I really enjoyed _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, a fantastic steampunk view of late 19th century London.

The premise of the comic is that a shadowy British government figure gathers together adventurers (The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, & Mina from _Dracula_) to do secretive work. The premise is a little rocky. Why gather these 'heros' when you could use British military? But it's all in fun.

The stories are compelling, the drawings are excellent, and the characters are fascinating. I really enjoyed the design of Nemo's Nautilus, and the gigantic statues situated throughout London. The tongue-in-cheek introductions by the authors are hilarious. On the whole this is a fabulous comic book collection. With the exception of one or two scenes (a sexually voracious headmistress at a boarding school, and a semi-graphic rape scene) I can whole-heartedly recommend this collection to anyone.


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