The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
Proving that mainstream comics could be infused with past literary/cultural ideals and still be bestsellers, the America’s Best Comics imprint took the dilapidated superhero genre and created three vastly entertaining hybrids with Tom Strong, Promethea and Top Ten. Now, a stunning coup de grace is delivered with this masterful pairing of Victorian adventure fiction’s greatest characters and the old war-horse of the super-group. With the stunning The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it would be no exaggeration to say that Alan Moore has produced a near-perfect piece of adventure fiction that is clever, literate, rich with excitement and hard to put down.
It’s 1898 and at the behest of M, the mysterious head of the secret Service, Campion Bond is dispatched to procure the services of Miss Mina Murray (nee Harker), adventurer Allan Quartermain, “Science-Pirate” Captain Nemo, Henry Jekyll (and his monstrous alter ego) and Hawley Griffin (a.k.a. the Invisible Man). Together, they must combat an insidious threat that will decide supremacy of the London skies, but their success may unleash a far greater threat. With no shortage of action, Moore and O’ Neill sustain a high level of suspense, intrigue, mystery and terrific wit that all contribute to an indispensable read. O’Neill’s art, so memorable in Marshal Law, produces a London filled with vivid, magnificent architecture and a malevolent atmosphere ripe with thrills and danger. An unmitigated triumph–pure and simple. –Danny GraydonProving that mainstream comics could be infused with past literary/cultural ideals and still be bestsellers, the America’s Best Comics imprint took the dilapidated superhero genre and created three vastly entertaining hybrids with Tom Strong, Promethea and Top Ten. Now, a stunning coup de grace is delivered with this masterful pairing of Victorian adventure fiction’s greatest characters and the old war-horse of the super-group. With the stunning The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it would be no exaggeration to say that Alan Moore has produced a near-perfect piece of adventure fiction that is clever, literate, rich with excitement and hard to put down.It’s 1898 and at the behest of M, the mysterious head of the secret Service, Campion Bond is dispatched to procure the services of Miss Mina Murray (nee Harker), adventurer Allan Quartermain, “Science-Pirate” Captain Nemo, Henry Jekyll (and his monstrous alter ego) and Hawley Griffin (a.k.a. the Invisible Man). Together, they must combat an insidious threat that will decide supremacy of the London skies, but their success may unleash a far greater threat. With no shortage of action, Moore and O’ Neill sustain a high level of suspense, intrigue, mystery and terrific wit that all contribute to an indispensable read. O’Neill’s art, so memorable in Marshal Law, produces a London filled with vivid, magnificent architecture and a malevolent atmosphere ripe with thrills and danger. An unmitigated triumph–pure and simple. –Danny Graydon
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Not as complex as Moore’s previous works, but still damn entertaining!
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is sort of a Serial Adventure story, unlike Moore’s more complex works like Watchmen and V for Vendetta. This is not a criticism, however. League is one fine piece of entertainment, and it’s a shame the movie turned out to be so poor. Moore takes classic characters from 19th century English Literature and puts them in a superhero comic. Moore makes good use of Victorian England and 19th century technology to create an environment that is different from most superhero comics yet familiar at the same time. Blimps are used in place of airplanes for example.
Alan Quatermain, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Mina Murray, Captain Nemo, and the Invisible Man make up the league that the British government has assembled to stop crime. Each character is entertaining in his or her own way, but I must say Mr. Hyde really steals the show. He’s become an Incredible Hulk character, only smarter. Hyde has a knack for cutting through bull and telling it like it really is. The Invisible Man is the character the league can’t really trust entirely, which makes him all the more interesting. Nemo is introduced as one of the more sane characters but turns out to be even crazier than Mr. Hyde. Mina and Quatermain are the straight men in this story, and we certainly need them, considering the colorful characters that surround them. Mina is quite the feminist and Quatermain is the character that doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into.
The story is exciting, but I was taken aback by how funny the comic really is. There are moments of hilarity that could have been great on the big screen. My favorite joke is when Hyde grabs Mina’s hand and starts to hurt her. Quatermain picks up his gun and threatens to shoot him, but Mina calmly says something like “Mr. Hyde you are hurting me, and I have to ask you to let go of my hand.” Mr Hyde pauses for a second and lets go. I’m sure it doesn’t sound funny in this review, but it really works in the comic.
Anyway, I recommend this comic to any fan of comic books, superhero movies, or serial adventure movies along the line of Indiana Jones.
3 Stars A lighter Alan Moore story
If you like Alan Moore’s work because of its deep political and cultural themes, you might be surprised by ‘the League.’ It’s a lot lighter than V, From Hell (what isn’t), and even Watchmen. Unlike those books, this one is pretty much a straight adventure story, aided by some great art by Kevin O’Neill. In my opinion it may be a little overhyped but if you like a good story with good characters go ahead and pick it up. And don’t worry about the Volume 1 tag, it’s a complete story with an open ending leading into Volume 2.
2 Stars Story-Art : 1-0
That would be the result if this was a football game.
STORY: An interesting adventure.The idea of combining all these characters was simply excellent and the plot was well written.I didn’t like some violent scenes,but overall it was okay.
ART: Did I say art? FART is more like it, as it stinks more than rotten eggs.By far the UGLIEST I’ve seen.Even kids draw better.I can’t possibly understand how they pay someone money for this.Some people even like it!Ever heard of Rob Liefeld? Wait till you see this guy.
O’Neill can’t draw even a human face right.The figures look ridiculous and sometimes flat.And the way he draws hands is awful.Sometimes they remind me of corpses.There is also the case where he hasn’t drawn ANYTHING,he just waits for the colorist to do the dirty work (ex.in a panel Quatermain has no hair,in another Hyde has no arm or muscles).Speaking of muscles,Hyde is a good example of O’Neill’s knowledge of anatomy.Hasn’t studied you think? I would say he’s never heard of it.The inks complete the mess.It’s really annoying to see good stories wasted with such “art”.
Because of that I can’t give more than 2 stars.This is a comic after all.
4 Stars Yes, it is extraordinary.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen takes the idea of a crossover to a new level. It takes a group of British literary heroes, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, and Captain Nemo, and puts them together in a superhero group fighting against Victorian-era perils. The idea is intriguing, but what really makes it sing is how carefully researched the subject matter is. From minor details like Mr. Hyde originally being smaller than Dr. Jekyll to flourishes like incorporating the tales of Sherlock Holmes and Auguste Dupin into the story, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen presents a unique world that combines some of the best literary characters of the 19th century. More importantly, Alan Moore makes sure that the characters used feel like they just stepped out of the pages of their respective literary works. To see what a product looks like when such care is not taken, look no further than this comic’s awful film adaptation.
Kevin O’Neill’s art is unique, with very angular characters and realism passed up in exchange for extraordinary action and exaggerated movements. He captures facial expression particularly well, but overall it’s the type of art that will hit or miss with readers. You’ll either love it or hate it, although the story is still worth reading even if you don’t fully embrace the art style.
I won’t spoil the contents of the actual story, but suffice it to say that this first volume naturally deals with the organization of the group and their first adventure together. You won’t find a lot in terms of character development this time around — this volume is focused more on laying the groundwork for the series. Future stories advance the characters dramatically, however, making this volume an excellent first step. Overall, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is an entertaining read that establishes what has to potential to become a long-term comic classic.
3 Stars Not what I was expecting
I got this because the movie had such potential but was so bad. I hoped this would be a much better artistic expression of the story. While I did enjoy a good portion of the comic I am not a huge fan of the art style. The short stories at the end which begin each chapter with a “recap” (which felt redundant for such short intervals all compiled in one place) may have been the most interesting parts.
Filed under: Top Graphic Novels